Congress Turns Attention to College Athletes
BU IN DC
Gloria Waters, Associate Provost and Vice President for Research, Andy Horner, Vice President for Research Finance & Operations, and Kaci Foster of the Office of Sponsored Programs attended the Federal Demonstration Partnership’s meeting on May 12 and 13.
Cornelius Hurley of the Center for Finance, Law & Policy addressed the Financial Services Roundtable Lawyers Council annual spring meeting on May 15.
Alan Cohen of the School of Management participated in a meeting of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s Advisory Panel on Improving Healthcare Systems, of which he is a member, on May 8 and 9.
CONGRESS TURNS ATTENTION TO COLLEGE ATHLETES
In response to a recent ruling by a regional panel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that football players at Northwestern University are eligible to form a union, Congress is scrutinizing the welfare of college athletes. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing last week on the NLRB ruling. While there was consensus that more support should be provided to student athletes, lawmakers were sharply divided as to whether union formation is an appropriate remedy. This week, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and two other senators sent a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association requesting a comprehensive record of the organization’s policies to protect student athletes. Chairman Rockefeller has indicated he plans to hold a hearing on the issue shortly after Memorial Day.
NEW HIGHER ED LEADER JOINS DEPT. OF EDUCATION
Last week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Ted Mitchell as Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, making him the most senior higher education official at the agency. Mr. Mitchell most recently led the education reform group NewSchools Venture Fund. Before that, he served as president of Occidental College and held positions at University of California Los Angeles and Dartmouth College. Mitchell replaces Martha Kanter, who stepped down in fall of 2013.
BIOETHICS COMMISSION ADDRESSES BRAIN RESEARCH
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues released its first set of recommendations for ethical neuroscience research practices related to the Obama Administration’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative this week. The Commission held several public meetings in preparation for the report, which President Barack Obama requested last July. The report recommends funding for neuroscience ethics research, support for innovative models of integrating ethics and science education, and including a bioethicist in scientific review panels.