Education Dept. Drafting New Campus Safety Rules
BU IN DC
Linda Hyman, William Cruikshank and Kayleigh Klegraefe of the School of Medicine participated in the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on February 21, designed to help undergraduate and graduate students improve their scientific communication skills and prepare for science careers.
Joyce Wong of the College of Engineering attended a National Cancer Institute workshop on tissue engineering on February 26.
Anne diNoto, student advisor to Out of the Darkness, participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Advocacy Forum on February 26 and 27.
EDUCATION DEPT. DRAFTING NEW CAMPUS SAFETY RULES
This week, the U.S. Department of Education held the second of three negotiated rule making sessions to modify campus safety regulations in accordance with the updated Violence Against Women Act signed into law last year. Negotiators discussed a proposal from the Department that universities use a “preponderance of the evidence” standard in handling sexual assault and dating violence investigations, in line with a previous letter issued from the Department’s Office of Civil Rights in 2011. The agency will reconvene for its last rulemaking session on March 31, after which it will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking and invite public comment.
CHAIRMAN’S TAX PROPOSAL GARNERS ATTENTION
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) released his long-awaited legislation to streamline the federal tax code on Thursday, despite clear indication that House Republican leaders do not plan to schedule a vote on tax reform this year. However, the bill provides a starting point for future tax reform efforts and is therefore being closely scrutinized. In addition to proposing changes in corporate and individual tax rates, the draft bill recommends a number of updates relevant to universities. The draft bill proposes to:
– repeal both the tuition deduction and the student loan interest deduction
– make permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit for students, but change the eligibility rules
– reduce employer-provided education assistance tax benefits
– impose a 25% excise tax for nonprofit executive compensation that exceeds $1 million
– implement an excise tax on private university investment income
– modify the deduction for charitable giving
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released its annual Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) solicitation last week. ROSES offers the primary opportunity for investigator-driven research within the Science Mission Directorate for NASA. The solicitation reflects a reorganization within the Planetary Science division and a rotation of topics within the Earth Science division. Awards may range from under $100,000 to over $1 million, depending on the stage and scale of the research proposal.