Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor sit behind Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy at the State of the Union in 2010.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a CNN.com contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist.

San Diego (CNN) -- Now that we have Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina, on the Supreme Court, the esteemed body will soon find itself in the middle of a telenovela.

The storyline involves the contentious issue of affirmative action, which is central to Fisher vs. University of Texas, a case that is scheduled to come before the court this fall. It will cast a spotlight on two of the court's justices: Sonia Sotomayor and Samuel Alito. Affirmative action seems to be intensely personal to both of them, though for very different reasons.

First, let's take a minute to note just how similar Alito and Sotomayor are in terms of their background. Both are baby boomers, born just a few years apart. Alito is 61 years old and Sotomayor is 57. They grew up in neighboring states. Alito is from New Jersey and Sotomayor is from New York. Both came from ethnic, working-class families. Alito's parents were teachers, Sotomayor's father was a tool-and-die worker and her mother was a telephone operator. Finally, both went to Princeton University and Yale Law School, where both served as editors of the Yale Law Journal.

Ruben Navarrette Jr.

Given all those similarities, what could these two Supreme Court justices possibly have to argue about? Affirmative action. That's what.

Will the Supreme Court strike down affirmative action?

Alito has highlighted in a 1985 job application for promotion to officials in the Justice Department of the Reagan administration that he belonged to a group called Concerned Alumni of Princeton. And what were the Princeton alumni so concerned about? Why, that there were supposedly too many women and minorities being admitted to the prestigious but predominantly white institution.

Original post:
Opinion: Payoff from affirmative action?

Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor sit behind Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy at the State of the Union in 2010.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a CNN.com contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist.

San Diego (CNN) -- Now that we have Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina, on the Supreme Court, the esteemed body will soon find itself in the middle of a telenovela.

The storyline involves the contentious issue of affirmative action, which is central to Fisher vs. University of Texas, a case that is scheduled to come before the court this fall. It will cast a spotlight on two of the court's justices: Sonia Sotomayor and Samuel Alito. Affirmative action seems to be intensely personal to both of them, though for very different reasons.

First, let's take a minute to note just how similar Alito and Sotomayor are in terms of their background. Both are baby boomers, born just a few years apart. Alito is 61 years old and Sotomayor is 57. They grew up in neighboring states. Alito is from New Jersey and Sotomayor is from New York. Both came from ethnic, working-class families. Alito's parents were teachers, Sotomayor's father was a tool-and-die worker and her mother was a telephone operator. Finally, both went to Princeton University and Yale Law School, where both served as editors of the Yale Law Journal.

Ruben Navarrette Jr.

Given all those similarities, what could these two Supreme Court justices possibly have to argue about? Affirmative action. That's what.

Will the Supreme Court strike down affirmative action?

Alito has highlighted in a 1985 job application for promotion to officials in the Justice Department of the Reagan administration that he belonged to a group called Concerned Alumni of Princeton. And what were the Princeton alumni so concerned about? Why, that there were supposedly too many women and minorities being admitted to the prestigious but predominantly white institution.

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Taking affirmative action personally

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

THE Commission on Higher Education (Ched) in Davao region announced Tuesday that all major colleges and universities in Davao City have petitioned to increase their tuition for school year 2012-2013.

Based on the list of all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that applied for tuition hike 24 HEIs from Davao City have filed their petition as of February 27, except for the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) that only offers medical and allied medical courses.

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Among these major HEIs are Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU); Brokenshire College (BC); Davao Doctor's College (DDC); Holy Cross Davao College (HCDC); MATS College of Technology; Joji Ilagan Career Center Foundation (JIB); Mindanao Medical Foundation College (MMFC); Philippine Women's College (PWC); STI-Mindanao College; University of Mindanao (UM); and University of Immaculate Conception (UIC); among others.

Cesar A. Adegue IV, education supervisor of Ched-Davao Region, in an interview last week told Sun.Star Davao, said Ched cannot yet disclose the specific rates that these schools have asked to implement.

Adegue said one of the core prerequisite before any school can hike their school fees is to hold a consultation among their stakeholders which would include representatives of the student council, alumni, and faculty.

"Katong mga wala nakahimo ug consultation, dili jud 'to sila pwede makapa-increase sa ilang tuition (Those schools that have not conducted a consultation cannot increase their tuition)," Adegue said.

The list of the remaining schools from Davao City that have petitioned to hike their school fees are the following: ACLC College; Agro Industrial Foundation College; Davao Central College; DMMA College of Southern Philippines; Ford Academy of the Arts; General Baptist Bible College; Holy Cross College of Calinan; Holy Cross of Sasa College; Philippine College of Technology; Samson Polytechnic College of Davao; St. Peter's College of Toril; and St. Francis Xavier College Seminary.

Ched also announced that of the 93 HEIs across Davao Region, 41 HEIs have applied for tuition increase which translates to a total of 44 percent: two from Island Garden City of Samal; three from the province of Davao del Sur; three from Digos City; one from Panabo City; four from Tagum City; two from Davao Oriental; and two from Compostela Valley Province.

View post:
Ched-Davao Region: All major colleges, universities to hike tuition

VERNON

UConn student Lukasz Gilewski stood in a crowded courtoom Monday and spoke admiringly of the fellow student whose life he took when he was distracted while driving a university shuttle bus.

"I will do my best to live my life in a way that best honors him," he said of David Plamondon, 20.

A short time later, a judge spared Gilewski jail time and sentenced him to two years of probation.

Gilewski, 22, of Newington had earlier pleaded no contest to negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian. The sentencing was in Superior Court in Rockville before Judge Elliot N. Solomon.

The full sentence is six months in jail, suspended, followed by the probation. There also are a series of conditions that include giving up his commercial driver's license which Gilewski already has done and speaking to new drivers about the importance of attentive driving. Negligent homicide with a motor vehicle is a misdemeanor.

Plamondon's family criticized the sentence as being too light. About 20 family members and friends watched the proceeding; each wore a pin with Plamondon's picture and the words, "In our hearts you will stay."

"Today, I grieve for my son knowing that justice was not served in court," Plamondon's mother, Linda Plamondon, said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. "I am disappointed with this plea agreement. This was an act of manslaughter."

About 8:10 p.m. on March 22, 2011, Gilewski was headed north on Hillside Road when he stopped at a stop sign, turned his signal on and started to turn left onto Alumni Drive, the police report states. As he started turning, he made eye contact with a southbound bus driver stopped at a stop sign. He waved, he told police.

"I then looked up Alumni Drive and saw a pedestrian right in front of my bus just to the right of the middle" Gilewski told investigators. "I then lost sight of the pedestrian; I heard a tumbling noise and realized I had run over the pedestrian."

Follow this link:
UConn Student Bus Driver Spared Jail Time In Death Of Fellow Student

Published: Monday, March 5, 2012 at 8:25 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, March 5, 2012 at 8:25 p.m.

MALL WALKERS PRIZE PARTY, 9-10 a.m., Eagle Ridge Mall food court. Sponsored by the mall and Lake Wales Medical Center.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS, what they are and how to acquire them, 7 p.m. meeting of Winter Haven-Bartow area attention deficit support group, Polk School Board exceptional student education building No. 270 at Bartow Airbase. Dr. Kevin Kindelan will give the program.

WEDNESDAY

QUIT SMOKING NOW, start of free six-week program to become tobacco-free, will meet weekly Wednesday-April 11, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Florida Southern College, Thrift Alumni Building, next to Wellness Center. Program includes nicotine replacement therapy patches at no cost to participants. Call 877-252-6094 for more information or to register.

THURSDAY

ADULT/CHILD CPR AND AED, $28, 6-9 p.m., Regency Center for Women and Infants, Winter Haven. Register with Citizen CPR at 863-291-5977.

MARCH 13

GRAND IS GRAND, $10, class for new or expectant grandparents, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Regency Center for Women and Infants, Winter Haven. Call Regency Library, 863-294-7020.

MARCH 14

Link:
Medical Event Calendar

In the 1980s, Penn State was brimming with ambition.

Joe Paterno was in the process of winning two national titles. The campus and the nation were convinced his grand experiment had worked. Interest in the school was up. Those who ran the university decided Penn State could no longer just be another good state school.

Everything had to be bigger. And better.

Penn State wanted to become a world leader in research. It needed to hire the best professors, teach more students, erect buildings and, for the first time, establish a serious endowment.

That transformation required two things: money and contacts.

The people most able to proved those two crucial ingredients just happened to be members of the board of trustees representing business and industry.

As Penn State moved up the national rankings, and a Penn State degree grew more prestigious, those trustees and their allies acquired the dominant voice on the 32-member board.

By the nature of their positions, they have the contacts, the wealth and the connections so that when its necessary to do things they have leverage in many ways, said Ben Novak, a former alumni trustee now attempting to return to the board.

Before Jerry Sandusky, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were arrested in November, few questioned the trustees stewardship, either inside or outside the board room.

Since then, alumni factions have demanded broad-based reform and more influence in decision-making. Eighty-six alumni are campaigning for the three alumni seats up for election this spring, promising to reclaim control of the university.

Read more:
Penn State board of trustees has long been led by businesspeople

Even for a laconic personality like George Norcross, the message was cryptic. Simply the letters "FYI" attached to an e-mail statement written by someone else. Norcross has declined to elaborate, but it was clear the South Jersey political boss was endorsing some or all of the message from Wendell Pritchett, the chancellor of the Camden campus of Rutgers University.

Pritchett opposes the plan, pushed by both Norcross, a Democrat, and Republican Gov. Chris Christie, to allow Rowan University, a former state teachers college now saddled with a very expensive medical school, to swallow the Camden assets of what has been New Jerseys only real state university Rutgers.

Pritchett sent out a note to the Rutgers-Camden alumni explaining his opposition to the Rowan takeover. In it, he cites comments made by Norcross in a radio interview "that many of the concerns over the elimination of RutgersCamden were 100 percent correct. It also quotes Georges brother Donald, a state senator, about the need to keep the Rutgers brand" in Camden.

In an interview, Pritchett concedes he doesnt know "whats going on in the minds" of the powerful Norcross brothers, but he hopes these were signs the execution of Rutgers-Camden would be commuted to a life sentence of "partnership" with Rowan, an arrangement that would allow it to remain part of a major, national research university: Rutgers.

George Norcross sent Pritchetts email here with his cryptic "FYI." He declined an interview. Gov. Christies spokesman also did not respond to a request for comment.

Perhaps the Norcross-Christie partnership is having second thoughts about the wisdom of eliminating Rutgers-Camden by fiat. If so, there is a good chance one reason is the work of a Camden finance professor who is raising serious questions about the financial implications of the proposed takeover.

Eugene Pilotte, unlike other Rutgers professors and opponents of the takeover, doesnt argue against the merger for sentimental or "branding" reasons. Hes talking serious stuff money.

Pilotte starts with the irrefutable position that medical schools cost money: "Medical schools are costly enterprises that require large subsidies from their hosting academic institutions and states," Pilotte said in a presentation to the Rutgers trustees.

Rowan took over medical education in South Jersey and is about to open a medical school. The head of the new schools trustee board is George Norcross. Its a Norcross achievement boosted by his former friend in the governors office, Jon Corzine. The existence of the Rowan medical school was cited by Christie as a reason for pushing Rowans digestion of Rutgers-Camden.

But Pilottes report notes that, since trying to run a medical school, Rowans debt has skyrocketed and its bond rating was downgraded by Moodys Investment Services in November, 2010. That downgrading was reaffirmed last May. Moodys shows that Rowans debt per full-time student is $51,704 versus $22, 986 for Rutgers.

More:
Braun: South Jersey political boss Norcross mum about Rowan University merger plan

Wii needed for Senior Care program

Senior Care of Vineland, an adult medical daycare program on Lincoln Avenue, seeks the donation of a Wii gaming system. Besides providing fun and exercise, Wii virtual sports and exercise programs are often used by health professionals in nursing facilities to improve balance, endurance, range of motion, hand-eye co-ordination, and sequencing abilities. Senior Care also seeks volunteers to help teach its seniors how to play the games. To donate or volunteer, call Katie Smith at (856) 691-3756 or email sewingseniors@gmail.com.

Members of Cumberland County Colleges female athletic teams are hosting a Belle of the Ball prom dress drive to help high school girls in Cumberland County enjoy the upcoming 2012 prom season. The Lady Dukes seek donations of new and gently-used prom gowns, formal wear and fancy event dresses, and stylish accessories such as shoes, purses, jewelry, wraps and shawls.

Donation guidelines:

Formal gowns or fancy party dresses from 2006 or later, in excellent condition in all sizes, colors and lengths.

Garments must be dry cleaned and on hangers or neatly folded.

Accessories should be clean and in excellent condition.

Make-up, casual clothing, wedding dresses, tuxedos, and/or unclean garments will not be accepted.

Donations will be accepted through March 21 in the athletic training office in the Cunningham Gymnasium on the colleges campus at Sherman Avenue and College Drive in Vineland.

For information, call Kaitlin Caviston, athletic trainer, at (856) 696-8600, ext. 446, or email kcaviston@cccnj.edu.

Visit link:
Helping Hand

Ray Kuehl has been selected as the 2012 Beaver Dam Unified School District Wall of Fame recipient.

He will be honored at the 16th annual wall of fame banquet on April 1 at Beaver Dam High School.

The outstanding alumni award which Kuehl will receive is given annually to a graduate of the Beaver Dam district in recognition of exceptional accomplishments.

Kuehl is a 1952 graduate of Beaver Dam High School and has worked in the dairy industry for 60 years.

He has been a leader for dairy producers in Dodge County, the state of Wisconsin, and around the world. After graduating from high school, Kuehl worked on his family dairy farm and attended UW-Madison for a year while farming.

In 1970, he went to work for the U.S. Holstein-Friesian Cattle Breeders Association in Vermont as a cattle classifier, field representative and an international marketer of dairy cows. He returned to Wisconsin in 1979 to start his own dairy cattle consulting business. This led him to become a partner of American Genetics, where he served as a farm manager and marketed cow embryos around the world. Due to an agriculture related medical condition, Kuehl had to make a career change so he began selling real estate, eventually beginning his own business. He is also started an auctioneer business.

Kuehl was instrumental in the creation of the World Dairy Expo, which is held annually in Madison. When it was announced that the U.S. National Dairy Cattle Show would be discontinued, Kuehl and a few other cattle breeders developed a plan to hold the show in Wisconsin. The Expo is now the largest dairy industry exposition in the nation. Kuehl brought state-wide focus on Dodge Countys dairy industry when he chaired the Alice in Dairyland competition, held in Beaver Dam in 1964. He was appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson to the World Dairy Center Authority, which chose sites for the new State Department of Agriculture and the World Dairy Center buildings in Madison.

Kuehl served on numerous local and state dairy and farming organizations and has received many awards and other recognition. He has also helped thousands of dairy farmers become successful dairy animal producers. Kuehl is dedicated to the youth in the dairy cattle industry and has been instrumental in raising money to promote agriculture education in schools. He also willingly gives of his time and returns to Beaver Dam High School to encourage, inspire and challenge young FFA members to set their goals high and respect others.

Excerpt from:
Wall of Fame recipient announced

Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2012 12:15 am | Updated: 12:16 am, Wed Feb 29, 2012.

NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. -- U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Merle Duane Hart will be visiting the Riverside School District on Friday.

Hart, a 1973 graduate of Riverside, will lead assemblies in the high school, middle school and primary center. He will be available to speak with students throughout the day. Local and state government officials are also to be on hand, said David Anney, school superintendent.

"It's nice to see one of our own achieve great things," Anney said during Monday night's school board meeting.

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The four finalists in a "Future Chefs: Healthy Breakfast Challenge" will participate in a districwide event on March 30 in the Riverside Middle School.

The competition, sponsored by the district's food service provider, Sodexo, was for middle school pupils, and is under the direction of Diane Bucknum, food services coordinator.

Thirty-eight students submitted healthy breakfast recipes for the competition.

Riverside joins with 90 other school districts nationwide that hosted Future Chefs competitions. The winning student from each participating district will be considered for the national finals, and the public can vote for their favor recipe on a special Future Chefs YouTube channel.

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Air Force general, Riverside alumni to visit on Friday