Abdelfattah Abusrour to Speak on Campus

This week The MS in Human Services Program at UMass Boston will host a presentation by Abdelfattah Abusrour, the director and founder of the Al-Rowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Center in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.

Abusrour (Ashoka Fellow, Palestine) founded the Al-Rowwad Center in the Aida Refugee Camp (4000 people, 650 families) to combat violence among children, teaching them to be promoters of peace. Abed works with the children through programs offering sports, arts, and theatre to teach them alternate means of expression, acceptance of others and non-violent communication. Complementing these programs, he also trains parents and community members in nonviolent resistance. He has gained worldwide support by touring internationally with his children’s theatre troupe, and national recognition for his moving movies that show relevant films in public spaces such as the separation wall.

The event will take place on Wednsday, February 27 from 6:30-8:00PM in the Wheatley Student Lounge on the fourth floor. Light refreshments will be served. For more information or if you have a disability and require accommodation, please contact Kelly Ward Mason at [email protected] or 617.287.7421.

FDA approves meat and milk from cloned animals

For dairy farmer Colorado Robertson, dairy science and agricultural business senior, technology results in efficiency in the agricultural field, and this soon will include the use of cloned animals in the food-supply industry.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in a Jan. 15 news release that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine and goats are safe to eat. The FDA issued three documents outlining their approach – a risk assessment, a risk management plan and guidance for industry.

Robertson, speaker of the Student Senate said consumers do not need to worry. Only 150 of 9 million dairy cows in the U.S. have been cloned. He said “consumers drive the market,” and cloned products will not enter the food industry if consumers are against the idea.

Robertson said cloned animals are “mainly used for research” at this time. (By Amanda Eisman, The Daily Reveille (LSU))

Housing, GPA tied at colleges

Now a low GPA can mean more than just mom and dad breathing down your neck — some colleges are starting to kick their students out of housing because of low GPAs.

The State University of New York at Old Westbury has required students be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.0 to be eligible to live on campus since 1994, but this year is the first time the policy has been enforced.

“The concept behind this policy is to ensure students understand the importance of their academic experience with us,” said Michael Kinane, Old Westbury assistant to the president for advancement. “The use of campus residence halls is a privilege and our goal is to extend that privilege to serious students who wish to study and learn on our campus.”

Kinane said students and faculty members have been aware of the planned policy enforcement and students received a letter directing them to the academic support services available on campus. (By Lynn Marie Franco, The Daily Free Press (Boston U.))