Test 2

Dr. Eric Barron speaks to PennLive.com about the Varsity Blues admissions scandal.

Yale has revoked admission from one of its students, based on the fallout from the Varsity Blues admissions scandal:

A Yale University spokesman confirmed Monday that the university has revoked the admission of a student involved in the admissions scandal. The spokesman declined to elaborate, but previous Yale statements have noted that applicants must affirm the accuracy of their applications when they submit them, so those who submitted false information would be subject to being asked to leave.

Penn State has a similar policy with regard to accuracy on the application for undergraduate admission. We have revoked admission from students who falsify their application as well.

I have previously written about the variety of new shows that are coming to the new Disney+ streaming service. NOW there is the possibility of a Star Wars show based on Obi-Wan Kenobi:

There are many theories for why ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ failed at the box office but it really came down to the marketing of the film. The film failed to sell to audiences why they should watch the origin of Han Solo, a character they recently saw die in ‘The Force Awakens’, over films such as ‘Deadpool 2’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. The film needed to stand among the large competitors however the marketing did not tell audiences why they should go to the cinema to watch the film.

Following this, things went dark on the ‘Obi Wan’ movie whilst the ‘Boba Fett’ film hired director James Mangold (‘Logan’, ‘The Wolverine’) who was subsequently let go when it was announced by Kathleen Kennedy (via Erick Weber) that the film would not be going forward. It was theorised that this was because Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian’ was pushed into development for Disney+ and Lucasfilm did not wish to have two similar properties running at the same time.

However, this posed a interesting question, although the ‘Boba Fett’ film was canned, ‘The Mandalorian’ follows a similar type of character and as time went on, people begun to theorise that the ‘Obi-Wan’ film would also get transformed into a Disney+ series.

StarWarsNewsNet then released a report stating that they had been told that a ‘Obi Wan’ Series was in development for Disney+. When discussing with our sources, we were told their report was accurate regarding a ‘Obi Wan’ series likely being in early development for Disney+. It is currently unknown who will make up the writing staff, as well as who will be the showrunner. However we do know, like with all current Star Wars projects that Kathleen Kennedy will executive produce. The series is expected to be limited and only be between 6-8 episodes rather than have multiple seasons. Filming is planned to take place in Pinewood Studios, UK similar to where the film was eyed to base production.

Needless to say... YESSSSS. I'd LOVE to see an Obi-Wan-based show - even if it is a short-run series.

Hopefully we'll Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the wise Jedi Master.

[head nod: GeekTyrant]

The University of Denver is the latest institution to eliminate the requirement for standardized exams like the SAT in the admissions process:

The private university announced Tuesday that test scores will be optional for students applying for the fall 2020 term or later.

University officials said that by making SAT and ACT scores optional, admissions staff will focus on factors that better predict a student’s academic potential, such as high school grades and the difficulty of classes a student takes.

“Oftentimes an ACT or SAT score is more reflective of a student’s economic background and the resources of their school, rather than demonstrating the student’s academic abilities and college preparedness,” said Todd Rinehart, vice chancellor for enrollment. “We want to place our focus on curriculum and performance in school, and provide students the choice as to how their academic record is presented.”

More and more institutions are headed this way.

In case you hadn't yet heard, there's this little movie called Captain Marvel that's raking in all of the cash all over the world. If you missed it, here's my take on the film.

Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, says that the Captain will be heading up the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

One of the highlights of my career at Marvel was introducing her at Comic-Con and having her come out on stage and stand there with literally almost everybody else from our movies. There she was at the forefront, and it was a great foreshadowing – not just for how audiences are going to embrace Brie as this character, but also for how Captain Marvel is about to take the lead and be at the forefront of the entire Cinematic Universe.

So what does this mean for the future of Marvel movies?

My thought of late is that the next phase of the MCU will start a "New Avengers" story arc. I could absolutely see Captain Marvel being written into a leadership role for this group. Additionally, with Disney's acquisition of the Fox Marvel properties (X-Men, Wolverine, Fantastic Four, etc.), finally seeing Avengers and X-Men on the same screen could be a distinct possibility (and awesome as well!).

This fan-made "trailer" is making the rounds on the Internet. Here's the Tweet from Morgan Cooper:

https://t.co/nCx5LcgXhy

Like most 90’s kids, I grew up watching Fresh Prince. Even as a kid, I always thought there was more to the story... so I decided to make this. S/O to incredible team who worked on this! @tldtoday @kustoo @BeleafMel @easymccoy @madebyutah @txyxuxs

— Morgan Cooper (@morgancooperdp) March 10, 2019

Other folks on Twitter want more:

Twitter work your magic.

We need to make this Fresh Prince movie happen. Watch this fan-made trailer 'Bel-Air.'https://t.co/rDZzjnxXia pic.twitter.com/kCeh37CAjR

— Okayplayer (@okayplayer) March 11, 2019

Everyyyyone needs to watch this! #BelAir needs to be made into a movie asap. And I’m so proud the majority of this was filmed in #KansasCity! Amazing work. https://t.co/rondLdlX6E

— kylime91 (@01_remme) March 14, 2019

This is beyond awesome. Give this guy a film! #iNeedUnclePhil https://t.co/cyp3jh465b

— Glynn Washington (@glynnwashington) March 15, 2019

I'm not sold. The idea is interesting, but would the story work in a dramatic fashion versus the original comedy?

So I posted about this on Tuesday, and have been following the developments in the college admissions scandal that has made national headlines.

A wide-ranging bribery scheme is unsettling higher education, raising uncomfortable questions about the role of wealth and privilege in the admissions process.
As detailed in U.S. Department of Justice filings, the scheme involved a company, known as “the Key,” that illegally manipulated two main “side doors” to secure the admission of its clients’ children to elite universities. The Key, run by William Rick Singer, bribed officials at college-entrance examination companies to allow third parties to take the students’ tests for them. And it bribed college coaches to identify the students as recruited athletes — guaranteeing them preferential treatment by the admissions office — even though they were not so recruited.

FYI, The Chronicle has a great round-up of the news.

In sum:

There’s one main entity you need to know about: The Edge College & Career Network, LLC, known informally as “The Key.” Clients of the Key included parents who wanted to ensure that their children were admitted to elite colleges.

[...]

The Key used several “side doors.” One was through college-entrance examinations like the SAT and the ACT. Clients were told to have their children ask to extend the time in which they took the tests, sometimes by claiming to have learning disabilities. That tended to give the students an “individualized setting” in which to take the tests. The Key would then bribe officials overseeing those settings to let someone else take an exam in a student’s place. Clients would pay $15,000 to $75,000 per test for that service. The resulting fraudulent scores were submitted to colleges.

Another “side door” was through athletic designation. From 2011 to 2018, parents paid the Key about $25 million to bribe coaches and administrators to identify the parents’ children as recruited athletes, thereby giving them a leg up in the admissions process. Coaches are typically granted a certain number of “admissions slots” in which they alert the admissions office to their teams’ needs; coaches who accepted the Key’s bribes agreed to designate one “slot” to an applicant even though he or she was not a recruited athlete. (The Key created fake athletic “profiles” for those students, even going so far as to Photoshop their faces onto the bodies of real athletes.)

Okay, okay. So these folks clearly did a bad thing (or, more likely things). And I'm reading today that there will be some real consequences for Olivia Jade:

Sephora has officially ended its partnership with Olivia Jade Giannulli, the 19-year-old YouTuber and daughter of Lori Loughlin, who's at the center of the nationwide college admissions cheating scam.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the makeup giant said that "after careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia
Jade."

...and even bigger consequences for Lori Loughlin:

First it was Hallmark Channel cutting Lori Loughlin loose earlier today after her indicted involvement in the elite college admissions fraud scheme. Now it seems inevitable that Netflix will not be inviting the actor known around the world as Aunt Becky back for the fifth and final season of Fuller House.

But, my biggest concern coming out of all of this is not the tut-tutting surrounding the college admissions process and the idea that the rich can essentially get whatever they want - though it is certainly worthy of a few tut-tuts. Rather, it's the idea that standardized testing may have been an issue among the numerous other issues in the scandal:

The allegations also extend to cheating on the SAT and the ACT. According to the indictments, those involved in the conspiracy encouraged students they were being paid to help to file papers with ACT or the College Board saying that they had learning disabilities. When they received permission to take the test under special circumstances (typically with extra time), these applicants were told to use one of two testing centers that one of the defendants said he could "control." Those taking the tests were then told to come up with fake reasons, such as a family wedding, for needing to take the exam in one of these centers, which were far from their homes. Bribes were then allegedly given to have others take the tests.

[...]

In many of the cases discussed in the indictments, parents working with Singer appear to have engaged in all kinds of violations of the rules of standardized tests: lying to get certified as someone with learning disabilities, lying to justify taking tests at certain testing centers, and bribing proctors. Both the College Board and ACT said that the indictments showed that this type of alleged wrongdoing will be found out and punished. Both said that they were cooperating with the federal investigation.

A statement from the College Board said, "Today’s arrests resulting from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts send a clear message that those who facilitate cheating on the SAT -- regardless of their income or status -- will be held accountable. The College Board has a comprehensive, robust approach to combat cheating, and we work closely with law enforcement as part of those efforts. We will always take all necessary steps to ensure a level playing field for the overwhelming majority of test takers who are honest and play by the rules."

A statement from ACT said, "ACT contracts with thousands of people to locally administer the ACT around the country. These individuals certify to follow ACT's policies and procedures to administer the ACT test. In these cases, the two charged individuals allegedly did not follow ACT's rules. ACT is committed to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned in school through their hard work. No student should have an unfair advantage over any other. The integrity of the ACT scores that we send to colleges and scholarship agencies is of critical importance to students and their parents. ACT works hard to ensure that the ACT scores we report to colleges are fairly earned."

My emphasis.

So here's the big question that I have (among the rest of the questions that I have): what happens if it is determined that there was tampering with standardized test results? How far will the impact extend? Something like that could potentially invalidate scores for hundreds (or more?) of students.

Lots of folks are asking if this scandal will be the straw that finally breaks the proverbial horse's back, and that's a worthy question for the future. But what happens now if the results come in and we find that scores need to be invalidated?

Jon Boeckenstedt, the AVP of Enrollment Management at DePaul University - and a really smart guy, had this to say on Twitter the other day:

So what if: A) Singer has to turn over his entire client list over several years, B) College Board and ACT cross it against the compromised test centers, C) they cancel all those scores, and D) they notify every college where students are enrolled?

— Jon Boeckenstedt (@JonBoeckenstedt) March 13, 2019

Indeed.

I, like many in higher education, will continue to watch this story with great interest. My hope is that only the guilty in this story will be punished.

Via an exclusive at Deadline:

The decision to rehire Gunn –he was fired last July by Disney after alt-right journalists made public a fusillade of decade old social media missives that made light of pedophilia and rape — was one that was mulled and actually made months ago, following conversations with Disney studio leadership and the team at Marvel Studios. Why the change of heart? After the firing, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn met with Gunn on multiple occasions to discuss the situation. Persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation after, Horn decided to reverse course and reinstate Gunn.

[...]

Ultimately, Gunn’s missives were poorly chosen words and not actions, though Disney’s quick trigger was completely understandable when the social media messages were first reported by outlets like Fox News. Those outlets reported that Gunn’s missives were exposed as payback for Gunn being a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

Gunn’s return to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 got complicated when he signed on to write and direct the Suicide Squad sequel for Warner Bros and DC. Marvel Studios has agreed to commence production on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after Gunn completes Suicide Squad 2. Making the whole thing easier though was the fact that Marvel Studios never met with or considered any other director for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, despite speculation that Thor: Ragnarok helmer Taika Waititi and Vice helmer Adam McKay were in the mix.

[...]

Prior to his dismissal, Gunn had written a script which Marvel confirmed would be used for the third Guardians of the Galaxy installment. I expect Gunn to confirm all this as he supports the release of Brightburn, the David Yarovevsky-directed Elizabeth Banks-starrer that he produced and Sony releases May 24.

I think that James Gunn did a fantastic job with the first two installments of the Guardians of the Galaxy. I can't wait to see

Okay. So I'm going to try to NOT spoil anything for you. But, if the mere thought of spoilers freaks you out, then get outta here.

Late last week, The Wife texted me that she and the kids had been chatting about going to see Captain Marvel in the theater. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Then I texted her back:



The Boy? Not surprised. He's been watching these movies with me for a while. Until recently, my daughter has expressed zero interest in "superhero" movies. She enjoys CW shows like "The Flash" and "Legends of Tomorrow" (DC, blech), but hasn't been interested in full-length, comic book movies. DC or otherwise. So for her to express interest in anything Marvel-related, let alone comic related, was shocking.

So on Sunday afternoon we went to the AMC Big-D in Altoona.

Full disclosure: I was not overly familiar with the backstory of Captain Marvel prior to seeing the movie. I had a basic understanding of the character, but the movie did a great job filling in the blanks. The writers were really good at explaining the origin of the character without doing a half-hearted job of it in the first 10 minutes. Rather, it took most of the film for viewers to really understand where Vers/Carol Danvers comes from.

The whole ordeal was fantastic. The cinematic spectacle was great (I would watch any Marvel film on a really big screen). The writing was excellent. The supporting cast - particularly Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg as a young Nick Fury and Phil Coulson - also fantastic.

As someone whose formative years were in the 1990s, one of the best parts of best parts of the flick was the fact that a large portion of the movie takes place on earth in the 90s. The soundtrack was straight-up excellent. With the likes of No Doubt, TLC, Hole, Nirvana, and Salt'N'Peppa, how can you go wrong? Another fantastic bit was the fact that Kevin Smith's movie Mallrats was referenced in the movie.

Kevin Smith's reaction to being referenced in the flick  (spoiler alert coming - if you don't want to be spoiled, skip watching this video):



LOVE ME some Kevin Smith! (If you haven't seen Mallrats, go stream it now. I think that it's on Amazon Prime or Netflix...)

And I'm not the only one who liked Captain Marvel. The box office receipts tell a similar story:

Captain Marvel shattered expectations, and the hopes of hundreds of angry trolls, this past weekend. The Marvel Studios origin movie raked in a whopping $153 million at the domestic box office, making it the best-performing opening weekend of the year. The Captain Marvel box office received an even bigger push internationally, soaring past $455 million at the global box office to become the sixth-highest worldwide debut ever.

This, despite butt-hurt fanboys dissing the movie prior to its release.

Lastly, and what I think is the best part, I would describe Captain Marvel in four words: kick ass girl power. Like Black Panther before it, Captain Marvel was an homage to the idea that the individual that saves lives (nay, the world) doesn't have to be a white dude. And this is why it was a great introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for my daughter.

Bonus: after we got out of the movie theater we had to formulate a plan for my daughter to get caught-up with other MCU movies so that she would be ready to watch Avengers: Endgame when it comes out next month. This includes us watching:

• Captain America: the First Avenger
• The Avengers
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Thor: Ragnarok
• The Avengers: Infinity War

So we've got our work cut out for us.

...because I'm a YouTube star!



My piece of the gig starts at the 2:50 mark. Supreme kudos to the students at Everett Area High School who put this project together.

Editor: Haley Morningstar
Videographers: Haley Morningstar, Brianna Shipley, McKenzi Nesbit, & Leroy Clark.

Lots of great slow-mos, beautiful snowy scenes, and a pretty awesome bow tie too! Thanks for the invitation to participate, and for making me look good while doing it!

Gah. So excited.

That last coda with Thor, "Stormbreaker", and Captain Marvel? Perfection.

Over at The Atlantic there is a really interesting article about trade schools versus college. Money:

In the United States, college has been painted as the pathway to success for generations, and it can be, for many. Many people who graduate from college make more money than those who do not. But the rigidity of this narrative could lead parents and students alike to be shortsighted as they plan for their future careers. Yes, many college graduates make more money—but less than half of students finish the degrees they start. This number drops as low as 10 percent for students in poverty. The ever sought-after college-acceptance letter isn’t a guarantee of a stable future if students aren’t given the support they need to complete a degree. If students are exposed to the possibility of vocational training early on, that might help remove some of the stigma, and help students and parents alike see a variety of paths to a successful future.

Indeed.

I have had this very conversation with my kids; you don't have to go to college immediately following high school. You don't have to go to college at all.

(Yes. I'm aware of the ridiculous irony of someone who claims the mantle of "Admissions Dude" saying these things.)

I know this because I shouldn't have gone to college. At least, not immediately following my secondary schooling.

Back in the mid-90s when I was a high school student, it was an expectation that I would be going to college. This expectation was not a pressure that I received from my parents or family members. Rather, this was something more like peer pressure. Nearly all of my circle of friends was planning on higher education of some sort - so naturally I would be doing the same.

The difference between me and the rest: I wasn't yet mature enough to go to college.

I have long maintained that I should have joined a branch of the military or took some time to work and save money for my education. I should not have gone to college.

And yet, I did go to college.
And I learned a lot.
And I really enjoyed myself.

But, I was not a strong student. And - perhaps most regrettably - I did not take advantage of all of the tremendous opportunities that I should have.

My goal for my kids is to pass along the idea that there are many different pathways to success. Sometimes that pathway goes through a college education. Sometimes that pathway goes in a different direction. Neither is right or wrong.

A colleague just forwarded this story to me. What the WHAT?

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged nearly 50 people, including Hollywood actresses and coaches at top universities around the country, for paying for or accepting bribes to admit student applicants.

At a news conference in Boston on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, called the case the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted by the Justice Department.

Both coaches and private admissions counselors received millions of dollars for helping to get students admitted as athletes to Yale, Stanford and University of Southern California, regardless of their academic or sports ability, officials said.

Along with Hollywood stars Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, those charged included prominent business leaders, a fashion designer and a top lawyer, officials said.

This is a developing story, so I can't wait to see what else happens...

Don't know what 311 Day is? Go here.

photo credit: Twitter

...but not really.

Needless to say, this was HUGE news late last week:

On Thursday morning a high-school senior in Texas received a strange email. “You are now presented with a unique opportunity,” it said, “to purchase your entire admissions file.”

The message appeared to have been sent by Grinnell College, to which the student had applied. But Grinnell hadn’t sent the message; apparently, someone outside the Iowa campus had. Whoever it was claimed to have accessed the college’s admissions database. As if to provide proof, the message included the applicant’s correct date of birth.

The mysterious sender offered the student a chance to see his file, including comments by admissions officers, assigned ratings, interview notes, teacher recommendations, and a tentative decision. “Although the price tag is substantial,” the message said, “this offer presents a unique opportunity to look at yourself from the inside of Grinnell Admissions office absolutely unfiltered.” All he had to do was pay one Bitcoin, or about $3,900.

That student wasn’t alone. Other applicants to Grinnell, as well as to Hamilton College, received the same message, though it wasn’t immediately clear how many. In a tweet on Thursday, Grinnell said it had learned that “some” prospective students had received the offer. The college urged recipients not to respond to the message, and said that it had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Debra Lukehart, vice president for communications at Grinnell, told The Chronicle that applicants’ financial information and admissions data are stored separately. The college, she said, was poised to hire a data-security expert to aid in its investigation of the incident.

In an email to The Chronicle, Michael J. Debraggio, associate vice president for communications at Hamilton, confirmed that multiple applicants had received an email offering information about their application files in exchange for Bitcoin. The New York college was investigating the incident, he said, and had contacted all applicants to inform them of a possible data breach, “to be safe.”

[...]

Grinnell and Hamilton have something in common: They both use Slate, a popular software system, to manage their vast troves of applicants’ information. The email offering to sell applicants hacked information said: “Let this message serve proof that Slate has indeed been breached.”

Not so, according to Slate’s creator. “Slate remains secure, and Slate has not been accessed without legitimate user credentials,” Alexander Clark, chief executive officer of Technolutions Inc., wrote in an email to The Chronicle on Thursday. “We are aware of three colleges where an unauthorized party used the college’s password-reset system (hosted by the college, not by Technolutions/Slate) to reset a college staff member’s password and then used that legitimate user account to gain access to their Slate database and to other campus systems.”

Oof.

At Penn State we have just engaged with Slate and are in phase I of the "roadmap". As soon as this news came down, several different staff came to me with concerns about our move to use Slate. The overwhelming question was, "What if it's not secure?"

In reading all of the articles around the web, coupled with the message that came from Alexander Clark himself to the Slate community:

We are aware of an unauthorized party that has used legitimate user credentials to gain access to Slate and other campus systems. This party has used the password reset systems of a college's single sign-on system to change the passwords of college staff. The single sign-on and password reset systems are hosted by the college, not by Technolutions/Slate.

...I am confident of two things:

1. Slate itself has not been compromised, and; 
2. Grinnell and Hamilton colleges (and anyone else who fell victim to this "hack") will shortly be instituting two-factor authentication for all of their systems.

Penn State has long had two-factor authentication for our student information system and in the last five years or so has instituted 2FA for all administrative systems (including our email).

But back to the original article...

Not long after receiving the email, some Grinnell applicants received a follow-up message from Diane Evergreen that also appeared to come from the college. The email explained that the initial offer had been greatly reduced: “We decided to lower the price to $60 dollars worth of Bitcoins. For this price you will get admissions comments and your interview report (if any).”

But there was no price tag for the headache that the incident was sure to cause for affected colleges.

Headaches indeed. I can only imagine.

I haven't had much of an opportunity to check-in this week, as travel and work have kept me busy. But I have to say that the Alliance conference that I attended Sunday through Wednesday was a great experience.

I had the opportunity to connect with colleagues from other colleges and universities regarding their application and evaluation processes, as well as re-connect with some of my colleagues from Penn State. Additionally, a couple of my co-workers and I gave a presentation on how we developed a self-reported academic record process, and how it integrates into our student information system. All of this while reveling in the sun at the Walt Disney World resort.

We stayed at the Swan & Dolphin Hotel (in the Dolphin), which is walking distance to both the Epcot and Hollywood Studios parks. While we didn't have time to go into the parks during the day, a vendor event allowed us to go to Epcot on Monday night. There we had food and watched "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" (the big fireworks show at that park). Afterward, we went to ride Test Track. Nice work if you can get it!



















While I had a great time, it is nice to be back in Happy Valley where I can get back into a good routine. Plus, my family will be headed out on an actual vacation to Disney World in just a few short weeks!

[click any image to embiggen]

Perhaps this is completely normal and I have simply never encountered it elsewhere. This is what I think of when I picture a fire hydrant:



But yesterday I was walking through the Walt Disney World resort and noticed something eerily familiar as I passed a fire hydrant:


The similarity is striking.

Coincidence? J.J. Abrams (the founder of the Bad Robot company) is now working on another Star Wars film (which is now owned by Disney). It's a fire hydrant conspiracy folks!

I previously wrote about the Marvel shows that are coming to the Disney+ platform. But apparently there are also a host of potential Star Wars shows in the hopper at the fledgling streaming network:

Disney+ is gathering up a lot of interesting projects including a wave of Marvel Studios produced shows that include Loki, Vision & Scarlet Witch, and a series that would see Bucky and Falcon teaming-up.

Lucasfilm is no different they’ve already lined up two shows for the streaming service with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian (recently wrapped) and Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor prequel series is next up. It sounds like they’re not stopping with the two shows we’ve already heard about.

We’ve now got our hands on a list of potential Star Wars shows that could be put into development. The five shows on the list our source provided us includes streaming series focusing on characters such as Princess Leia (young), Captain Phasma, The Knights of Ren, Rose Tico, and the big standout that caught our eye was one for Sith Lord Darth Bane.

To be crystal clear this is very very early days and these are not shows about to go into production these are just ideas they’re considering internally at Lucasfilm/Disney.

So my initial reaction to this article was Cassian is getting his own show?!. I hadn't heard about that.

After the shock of that news wore off, I started to ruminate on the potential with the five ideas mentioned.


Princess Leia. Yes. All of the time. A story about a young Leia growing up on Alderaan would be fantastic.

Captain Phasma. Meh. Okay, I suppose. Phasma didn't impress me in either of the two most recent Star Wars saga entries. I felt as though the character was shallow and only the husk of a female-version-of-Boba-Fett. It's certainly possible that a great origin story could be told that would fill in the blanks - but I think that writer's time would be better spent on some of the other options.

Knights of Ren. See my response to Leia. YES. I'd love to see how Kylo Ren put together the Knights, and what badassery they got into under his tutelage.

Rose Tico. Really? I mean sure, she held a pretty pivotal role in The Last Jedi. And it's clear that there is something going on with her and Finn. I just don't see an entire show devoted to that character. Perhaps I'm alone in feeling this way, but I didn't think that Rose added much to the overall story.

Darth Bane. Interesting. If you're unfamiliar with Bane, check out this quick tutorial. I think that a story about Bane would be great. Given that all we have ever gotten from cannon is that he established the "Rule of Two" (there are only two Sith at any given time, a master and an apprentice), it would be nice to have a little more detailed information in the saga cannon.

All in all I think that Disney+ could do a show for every one of these characters. But, of the five options, the two clear stand-outs for me are Leia and the Knights of Ren. What do you think?

Purdue University is rolling out a new program that blocks streaming services like Netflix in classroom buildings:

Purdue University students planning to use university Wi-Fi to watch videos, play games or listen to music will soon have to find a new way to stay awake during class.

When students return from spring break on March 18, they will find access to Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Steam, iTunes and Pandora blocked in all academic spaces on campus. System updates to Apple devices will also be barred.

Purdue tested blocking access to five streaming sites in four lecture halls at the beginning of fall semester 2018. The pilot program has run continuously since then and has been extended to more spaces on campus. The list of streaming sites that are banned has also grown.

Access to streaming sites over Wi-Fi in lecture halls, classrooms and labs across campus will now be restricted from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Residence halls, hallways and other areas where students congregate will not be affected. Access to streaming services via computers with wired internet access also will not be affected. Students will continue to be able to access the streaming sites in lecture halls or anywhere on campus using their cellular data.

[...]

In some lecture halls, professors were finding that it was not possible for students to participate in online class activities because a few people were streaming videos, music or games in class, Sonstein said.

In an analysis conducted in 2016, the IT department determined that just 4 percent of internet traffic over the Wi-Fi network in the university's life science building was from academic sites such as Blackboard, the learning management system. Sonstein said before the streaming site ban was applied, Blackboard was 79th on the list of websites being most used over the lecture hall's Wi-Fi -- now it's in the top 10.

Makes sense to me. Students should be paying attention in class. If they're not, they should pay for the bandwidth themselves.

This. Flick. Looks. Great.

I'm not a huge DC Comics guy. I've written about Batman before, and I (mostly) liked what DC did with the Justice League-related films. But growing up, I didn't actually read DC comics. Characters like Shazam are largely unknown to me. Oh sure, I have a peripheral awareness of the character, and what his powers are, but I don't know how Shazam fits into the overall DC-universe, as it were.

All of that said, back in the day The Wife and I really enjoyed Zachary Levi in "Chuck". The premise of Shazam looks good, and I think that Levi is the perfect actor to pull it off.

Plus, the Eminem track "My Name Is" as a backdrop is a fantastic touch.

New America wants to end early decision and legacy admissions programs:

In January, several Democrats in the U.S. Senate sent out letters to higher education experts asking for ideas on how to narrow racial and ethnic gaps in student debt and access to higher education. The results that have come in include numerous ideas about Pell Grants and loan programs, as one might expect.

One group, New America, is going for changes that it termed "radical" (along with plenty of other proposals that aren't). Officials at New America believe these ideas just might get more attention this year than they would have previously. The group is proposing that colleges that have a preference for alumni children lose access to federal aid programs. Ditto for colleges that have early-decision programs. And the group wants to require universities that seek federal research grants to replace admissions systems with ones in which a lottery plays a prominent role (among applicants who have made it over some bar).

The ideas would involve an assertive role for the federal government, and are certain to draw strong opposition. But New America says it is trying to prompt debate by challenging conventional wisdom about college admissions being meritocratic. In addition, the proposals come at a time of growing concern that a loss for Harvard University in the lawsuit it is facing over its affirmative action programs could reduce the diversity in the student bodies of leading American colleges. And the proposals come as Democratic politicians are increasing their focus on racial inequities -- and are speaking out about what they see as flaws in college admissions.

[...]

The lottery requirement proposed by New America would be imposed on any college or university seeking either federal student aid or federal research grants. Traditional admissions systems would have to be replaced by a lottery. Colleges could have minimum requirements based on SAT/ACT score and/or high school grades, to assure that only those able to do the work would be admitted. But all applicants who get over the bar would go into the lottery. No preferences for legacies. No preferences based on race or ethnicity. And to show just how radical this idea is, the proposal specifically states that athletes would also be admitted through this lottery, without any special treatment.

A lottery would "make the admissions process more transparent to students and families," New America's proposal says.

My emphasis. Radical indeed.

This proposal would create more bureaucracy in an already overly bureaucratic process. Who would police institutions' admissions/evaluation policies? How much information about the evaluation of applicants would an institution be required to share? Now we're getting into issues of personally identifiable information and data breaches.

And lastly, I'm sure that the NCAA would have something to say for that bit about student athletic recruits and the lottery system.

Look, I'm all for the leveling of the proverbial Playing Field with regard to college admission. But this idea - while very creative - is just not plausible in the current landscape of higher education.

Featuring @dodie. Just gross and so good.

Speaking of Disney World, I'll be attending the Higher Education User Group Alliance Conference in Orlando, Florida this week. Posting may be sporadic, but I'll certainly come back with some great pics - and hopefully some new knowledge and skills!

Collider reports that a whole slew of Marvel-related programming will be available on the new Disney Plus (aka Disney+) streaming service. But, the really interesting piece is that the Marvel MCU will still be fully intact for these shows (as opposed to the Marvel properties that have appeared on Netflix):

While Netflix may have just cancelled all of its Marvel TV shows, Marvel is gearing up to launch its most substantial TV endeavors yet. We learned last year that as part of the upcoming Disney streaming service Disney+, Marvel Studios is creating a number of brand new series that may be limited in nature. The only one confirmed thus far is a show centered around the character Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston, but other series reportedly in development are a Vision and Scarlet Witch show starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany and a Winter Soldier/Falcon team-up series starring Sebastan Stan and Anthony Mackie.

These shows are shaping up to be a departure from the existing Marvel shows in a big way. For one, they’re going to star the actual movie stars—likely due to the fact that they’re going to be limited series runs, so the actors only have to commit to anywhere from six to 10 episodes at a time. For another, they’ll be run by an entirely different creative team.

Indeed, shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s Inhumans, and the Netflix series like Daredevil and Luke Cage were overseen by Marvel Television, which is run by Jeph Loeb. That arm of Marvel is separate from Marvel Studios, which is run by Kevin Feige and oversees all the movies. This is why there was little to no crossover between those Marvel shows and the films—the creative teams working on each were literally separate.

But that won’t be the case with the Disney+ shows, which will fall under Marvel Studios’ purview.

One word: SWEET.

So, what shows will we get at Disney+ that feature Marvel characters?

the launch is being used as an opportunity to expand the MCU with a whole host of original content. Marvel Studios is known to be working on a number of six-to-eight-episode-long, big-budget TV shows, intended to rival the very best that's available to Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers. So far, all the confirmed and rumored Marvel Studios TV shows have been spinoffs from the movies, featuring big-screen stars like Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Mackie. But it's also possible Marvel Studios will use these to introduce entirely new ideas into the MCU; given Kevin Feige's recent comments about Ms. Marvel, for example, a lot of fans are hoping Kamala Khan's story will be adapted into one of these series.

The article goes on to mention the confirmed shows:

• A Falcon/Winter Soldier team-up
• A Scarlet Witch series that might also feature Paul Bettany as Vision
• And a series featuring Thor's adopted brother Loki

In addition, there are also several shows that are rumored to be in the works:

• Hawkeye 
• Nick Fury
• The New Warriors

The latter is absolutely fascinating to me. More from the article:

Described as a "docu-comedy," the show's core cast include Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, Derek Theler as Mr. Immortal, Jeremy Tardy as Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy as Speedball, Matthew Moy as Microbe, and Kate Comer as Debrii.

New Warriors was expected to air on Freeform but was pulled last November, after testing performed even better than Marvel had hoped. It's generally believed Disney intends to share the series on their streaming service.

This is fascinating to me because over at Comic Vine, Squirrel Girl is described thusly:

A hero with squirrel-like abilities and features, Squirrel Girl is not always taken seriously, but she has nonetheless defeated many of the Marvel universe's greatest villains. She is a longtime member of the Great Lakes Avengers, and briefly served as a nanny for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.

I guess I shouldn't be that surprised though, given the popularity of a vulgar, trigger-happy raccoon paired with a tree that has a three-word-vocabulary.

I'm really looking forward to what is in store for the Marvel Universe...

It seems as though it has been a pretty tumultuous week with regard to issues of race and inclusion in higher education.

The University of Iowa is struggling to help it's students from underrepresented backgrounds feel welcome:

credit: @temyia

The #DoesUIowaLoveMe movement, which began on Instagram and Twitter, urged UI students to share their stories at 8 p.m. Monday. Within two hours of the movement’s inception, dozens of tweets and photos highlighted concerns of discrimination and inequities on campus.

The movement comes after the UI began its #iloveUIOWA social-media campaign in celebration of the institution’s 172nd birthday.

In a statement released Tuesday from the DoesUIowaLoveMe Twitter account, the movement’s organizers said “a small group of students, faculty, and staff came together at the Latino Native American Cultural Center” on Feb. 21 after feeling unsupported at the UI.

“Our intention was to build a coalition with the mission of cultivating and promoting a platform that allows underrepresented students to speak their truth and share their experiences,” the statement said.

Yearbook photos surfaced of Wake Forest's dean of admissions standing in front of a Confederate flag:

credit: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center click to embiggen

Martha Blevins Allman, dean of admissions at Wake Forest University, sent a statement Thursday acknowledging she posed in the picture that was published 37 years ago in the school yearbook.

The photo shows her and members of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity standing on a staircase that has a Confederate flag hanging on it, The Howler yearbook shows.

“That flag was a symbol of pain and racism then just as it is now, and I understand that much differently in 2019 than I did in 1982,” Allman said in her statement.

Students during a forum Thursday “raised concerns” about the yearbook photo, university spokeswoman Katie Neal said in an email.

And UNC Chapel Hill appears to have censored a student's free speech with regard to a parody website that she had created:

A student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alleges that the institution took down her parody website that lampooned officials' handling of race relations and only restored it after a lawyer and civil rights group intervened.

screenshot via InsideHigherEd.com

The website, called UNC Anti-Racist Jeopardy, modeled off the game show, asked questions about the university’s history and ties to racism and police and administrators' interactions with activists. For instance, in the category "violence against students," the game asks what was deployed against students at a dance party in August. Answer: pepper spray.

The accusations of censorship come at a particularly strained time for the University of North Carolina System’s flagship. UNC has been embroiled in a debate on the Silent Sam Confederate monument. And the website -- which officials considered “personal work” and not appropriate for the university’s service -- was shut down despite many other instances where students’ blogs were allowed to remain up. The student, Annie Simpson, said administrators likely flagged her creation because of her campus activism, partially around the Silent Sam statue.

What to do about the monument, which protesters tore down in August, seemingly spurred the exit of Carol L. Folt, former UNC chancellor. Folt announced her resignation simultaneously with the decision to remove the remnants of Silent Sam from the center of campus, a controversial move that many students celebrated but that did not erase the lingering tensions between them and politicians who liked the idea of a Confederate statue on campus.

I don't purport to have the answers. But I will say that, while I'm sure these are painful situations at each institution, the mere idea that people are (hopefully) engaged in (meaningful conversations about race, inclusion, and sensitivity to these issues should be one positive outcome.

Sorry gang - late to the party. Meant to post this one last week. The National Association of College Admission Counseling tweeted this gem on February 19th:


Really NACAC? A GIF image of Homer Simpson loading cases of Duff beer into the car represents prospective students visiting colleges?

[NOTE: for the record, I'm not so naive as to say, 'drinking doesn't happen at college campuses'. Rather I'm pointing out that, given how much colleges and universities struggle with binge drinking on campus, using an image that essentially promotes drinking at college is something that must have slipped past the social media editorial folks at NACAC. I just think that - not unlike Duff beer - it was posted in bad taste.]