Free Republic

Among the dozens of wrenching accounts to come out of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, the actions of 20-year-old Jeremy Hernandez were a bright spot: [ . . . ] Mr. Hernandez had recently been forced to drop out of an automotive repair program because he could not afford the $15,000 tuition. [ . . . ] That has changed. On Saturday, Mr. Hernandez learned that Dunwoody College of Technology had offered him a full scholarship toward a degree in applied science. [ . . . ] When President Bush’s staff contacted him to request a...

Memphis, TN (LifeNews.com) -- After several colleges came under fire for revoking the scholarships of student athletes who become pregnant, which pressured them into having abortions, the NCAA says it plans to review its policies. The college athletic organization says its women in sports committee will review the problem. Janet Kittell, the head of the NCAA's committee on women's athletics, told the Associated Press that her panel will hold a hearing on the issue in July "We want to act judiciously here," Kittell told AP. "I don't think it calls for emergency legislation, but I think it calls for a...

Whiskey co.'s Bravest effort BY RICHARD WEIR DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER In 212 years, not much has changed on the label of a Jim Beam bottle - except the occasional addition of a new name to a list of distillers that spans seven generations. But the Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey has a new label in New York that pays tribute to the legacy of a fallen firefighter. Replacing the time-honored red seal and Jim Beam family crest is a red firefighter's helmet emblazoned with "343" - the number of firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Next to the helmet,...

Troves of scholarship For 1,500 years, Deir Al-Surian has had a working library. Active steps are now being taken to conserve this rich heritage, says Jill Kamil One of the most well preserved texts is this New Testament Coptic manuscript, 13th century The Coptic monastery known as Deir Al-Surian, or the Monastery of the Syrians, contains more than 3,000 books as well as a vast number of texts in Syriac, Aramaic (the language of Christ), Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopic. They date upwards from the fifth century and today, as a result of the revival in Coptic monasticism in recent years,...

RICHMOND, Va. - A senator who had singled out an Indian man at a campaign event and referred to him as "Macaca" declined a leadership award from a minority scholarship fund Thursday after donors protested his selection. Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund donors had threatened to withhold contributions if Sen. George Allen, a Republican seeking re-election this fall, received the fund's Community Leadership Award. "The foundation told the senator that they've been catching a lot of static from members and some of their donors, and before it spins into a week of controversy, we just decided to decline it," Allen spokesman...

RICHMOND, Va. Senator George Allen is declining an award from a minority scholarship fund after an outcry over his selection for the honor. The Republican seeking re-election decided to forgo the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund's Community Leadership Award he was to receive next week after being told donors to the fund threatened to withhold contributions if he received it. Allen said in a statement that he regrets that -- quote -- "there are those who would put their personal or political dislike for him ahead of the needs of deserving students." Allen's decision came almost three weeks after he singled...

Ethnic studies — a relatively new field — could be harmed by the plagiarized passages and made-up facts discovered in University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill's work, a panel found. But scholars of ethnic studies, and those who have been closely watching the investigation, have varying opinions on whether there will be a "Churchill effect" on the field. The stinging report that became public last week rejected Churchill's assertion that there are different research standards for ethnic studies scholars. Panel members also found that the tenured professor strayed from the "bedrock principles" of scholarship. The five-member investigative panel arrived at...

College professors say the darndest things. Recently, we got an e-mail that signaled that the battle for academic freedom would soon be won or, at least, negotiated to a mutually acceptable stalemate by all of the parties in the conflict, but there was a catch. “I’m a professor that doesn’t give just the conservative side of an issue, I try to expose every side of an issue,” our visitor wrote. “That’s what a liberal education really is.” So far, so good, but here’s the rub: What was odd about this declaration of principle was that it came from the Music...

Over the years, politicians and, especially, college and university administrators, have led us to believe that federal aid to education was a ticket out of poverty, but that may be just another urban legend. “The more money a college-bound student’s family makes, the more likely he or she is to apply for federal financial aid, electronic records show,” Kara Wedekind of the Capital News Service writes. “It’s a situation that some experts say is caused by families scared off by college costs, even as the federal financial aid application deadline passed Monday.” “Dependent students in the lowest income bracket submitted...

CARLSON: The accuser in the Duke rape case has been offered free college tuition, whether or not she‘s telling the truth about being attacked. The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition announced Saturday it will grant the woman a full college scholarship, no questions asked. Joining me now, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. He‘s founder and the president of Rainbow/PUSH. He joins us from New York. Reverend Jackson, thanks for coming on. REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: Yes. But let me put some context. You should be fair about that. Is a lot of circumstantial evidence as this case is now breaking... CARLSON: Right. JACKSON:...

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – Military spouses looking to further their education are receiving a helping hand, thanks to America Supports You team member the National Military Family Association. The group's Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship provides $1,000 to spouses of servicemembers studying for professional certification or attending post-secondary or graduate school. The funds can be used for tuition, fees, books, and school room and board, according to the NMFA Web site. "NMFA has been working with education issues for a while, (but the work) wasn't specific to military spouses," said Michelle Joyner, the organization's director of communications. "However,...

Here's a follow-up on the fight to honor Col. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of "Black Sheep Squadron" fame at the University of Washington. Renee Fricke, Director of the Annual Giving Programs at the University of Washington Foundation, e-mails: Michelle, You might be interested to know that we've set up the Lt. Col. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington Memorial Scholarship Fund through the University of Washington Foundation and have provided a link on the UW Foundation website for folks who want to support this effort. We've gotten a number of e-mails expressing an interest in supporting this fund. This fund will provide scholarships to...

A 16-year-old California boy won a premier high school science competition Monday for his innovative approach to an old math problem that could help in the design of airplane wings. Michael Viscardi, a senior from San Diego, won a $100,000 college scholarship, the top individual prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology. Viscardi said he's been homeschooled since fifth grade, although he does take math classes at the University of California at San Diego three days a week. His father is a software engineer and his mother, who stays at home, has a Ph.D. in neuroscience,...

Fifty-one seconds. It separated a free education from a tuition bill of $189,000. It was the difference between a framed West Point diploma and a "certificate of attendance." It meant returning to Oakland and becoming a telecom salesman - instead of being sent to Iraq as a proud soldier. For Brad Waudby, 51 seconds changed his life. Waudby, a 6-foot-5-inch, 340-pound football player recruited for his skills on the offensive line, failed the running test on his West Point physical. He was supposed to run two miles in 16 minutes 36 seconds. It took him 17:27. West Point had exempted...

Matt Krimm looked forward to the arguments with Erik Kristensen. Mr. Krimm graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School, and his friend graduated from Gonzaga. The schools share a long football rivalry, one with a history of tales. There was, for example, the time Gonzaga supporters placed a deer carcass on the front steps of DeMatha, home of the Stags. The schools take the rivalry seriously, and it is not something that simply goes away after graduation. That is one of the beauties of high school sports -- a connection of youth that never fades, something that, 30 years later, Gonzaga...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 22, 2005) – The “Sentinels of Freedom” community group honored a wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Aug. 19 in a Pentagon Hall of Heroes ceremony, presenting him a scholarship that includes a lot more than educational benefits. Sgt. Manuel Mendoza-Valencia, 24, was awarded a scholarship certificate providing him with adapted housing, a handicapped-equipped van, educational benefits, and a job with SBC Communications. For a four-year period, Mendoza will also receive a team of mentors to help him transition from military to civilian life. Mendoza was wounded Oct. 3 when his M113 light armored personnel carrier...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2005 – Army Sgt. Manuel Mendoza-Valencia, 24, of San Ramon, Calif., was presented with the first Sentinels of Freedom scholarship today in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. "Sgt. Manny Mendoza has been an example of will and courage both on the battlefield and in his recovery," Gordon England, acting deputy secretary of defense, said. "He has given greatly in service to America. And like the men and women of our latest generation, Manny has much more to give and a long, bright future ahead of him." Mendoza is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a double...

As a child, Helena Aldridge developed a passion for defending the rights of others. Now on the brink of adulthood, the 18-year-old finds herself in disagreement with a group that ardently defends individual rights: the American Civil Liberties Union. Aldridge, who lives in Largo, graduated in May from East Lake High School. Faced with the prospect of paying for a five-year stint in the pharmacy program at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, she gratefully accepted a $450 scholarship from the Elks Lodge and two $500 scholarships from the NAACP. She was thrilled this summer when she learned she was one...

Forget “The Scholar.” Fifteen-year-old Katelyn Wilbanks from Catoosa, Oklahoma, received her “full ride” scholarship without having to undergo a battery of tests and challenges against stiff competition. Her own challenges, though, have been a bit more difficult.Wilbanks was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that’s resulted in 54 surgeries. Her left leg was amputated last year. Doctors expected her to die as a toddler, but she’s continued to defy the odds.Now she dreams of attending the University of Oklahoma, becoming a physician and helping others fight this disease. Thanks to the university and the “Today Show,” that dream might...

Ave Maria [University in Naples, FL] creates Terri Schiavo Scholarship By I.M. STACKEL, imstackel@naplesnews.com July 9, 2005 UPDATE — Likening Terri Schiavo to St. Therese, the Little Flower, the Rev. Michael Beers hinted Schiavo, too, could be canonized. The dean of Ave Maria University's undergraduate theology program, Beers was shepherding Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and brother, Bobby Schindler, through a Friday morning announcement that a new scholarship would be set up in Schiavo's name. Schiavo lost her ability to function physically or mentally on Feb. 25, 1990, after her heart stopped as a result of an eating disorder....