At the last College Council meeting of the semester on Dec. 4, administrators and faculty members discussed the possibility of raising graduate tuition at Columbia by 5 percent in 2011.Graduate tuition is currently lower than undergraduate tuition and is also lower than graduate tuition at peer institutions. Louise Love, vice president for Academic Affairs, said Columbia’s graduate programs are currently “underpriced.”Accord...

Just nine months after Chicago leased its parking meters to a private company in a quick deal, Mayor Richard M. Daley made a statement that any city service is up for sale given the right price, according to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.Chicago is still in financial trouble despite the $1.15 billion meter deal with Chicago Parking Meters LLC in February, and the city is now reportedly open to selling off other service...

Since new female health care recommendations were announced Nov. 16 by the federal Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, many cancer survivors, doctors and women from around the country have been scratching their heads and shaking their fists.  Some are calling the announcements the beginning of rationed health care; some are calling it the end of preventive care.  Some...

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. is currently at odds with many city council members in the District of Columbia regarding a proposed same-sex marriage bill that will be decided on in early December. The Catholic Church said it would cut its social service contracts with the city if the bill is passed. If the church follows through on its threat and abandons social services, tens of thousands of people will be n...