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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2004 Disagreements Continue over How to Collect SEVIS Fees Lack of Oversight Blamed for E-Rate Problems Fighting Cell-Phone Cheating in Schools Senate Bill Would Criminalize P2P Networks DISAGREEMENTS CONTINUE OVER HOW TO COLLECT SEVIS FEES The American Council on Education, the Association of American Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges this week sent a letter to college presidents outlining a proposal for collecting fees from foreign students for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has suggested requiring that students pay the fee, in U.S. dollars, before they apply for visas. Officials from higher education have criticized that approach as presenting yet another obstacle for foreign students. Under the plan outlined by the three associations, universities would pay the fees for all of their foreign students in one lump sum and then collect fees from those students individually. The three groups have a week to decide if they will send their proposal to DHS. Critics of the proposal said colleges and universities should not be in the business of collecting fees for the federal government. A better plan, according to Murray G. Welsh, director of the international office at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Institutions, would be for U.S. consulates to collect the SEVIS fees, though the State Department has resisted that possibility. Chronicle of Higher Education, 18 June 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/06/2004061802n.htm LACK OF OVERSIGHT BLAMED FOR E-RATE PROBLEMS At a Congressional hearing this week, H. Walker Feaster III, inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said a lack of adequate funding for oversight was to blame for much of the fraud and abuse of the E-Rate program. Beginning in January 2003, a series of investigations into the E-Rate program has turned up evidence of widespread fraud and waste, such as $23 million of unused computer equipment and a $58 million network that rarely gets used. Companies including SBC and a subsidiary of NEC America have agreed to repay millions of dollars as a result of federal investigations into alleged abuses. The Office of the Inspector General requested $2 million to conduct audits into the program, which was later raised to $3 million, according to Feaster, but those funds were not included in the FCC's final budget. Feaster said that approximately one-third of the 122 audits conducted by his office during the past year showed substantial violations. Internet News, 17 June 2004 http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3370131 FIGHTING CELL-PHONE CHEATING IN SCHOOLS The high-tech age presents students with a wide range of new possibilities for cheating, and school officials are always looking for ways to prevent dishonesty. Using cell phones to send text messages or even photos of exams to other students has emerged as an easy way for students to cheat, and the common approach to dealing with the situation is to confiscate cell phones prior to tests, according to Benedetto Di Rienzo, the head of the Enrico Tosi Technical Institute school in northern Italy. Di Rienzo's institution, however, is testing a new device, developed by military contractors, that jams cell-phone signals. The device, called C-Guard, interrupts cell-phone signals within a 262-foot radius and, according to Di Rienzo, has been very successful at his institution. Use of the device reportedly may be expanded into Italian universities. Reuters, 18 June 2004 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=5459016 SENATE BILL WOULD CRIMINALIZE P2P NETWORKS Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is expected to introduce a bill next week that would criminalize the creation of products or services that facilitate violations of copyright law. The Induce Act would make P2P networks illegal and would punish purveyors of such technologies with civil and criminal penalties. The bill represents the latest in a long series of steps aimed at limiting or ending digital piracy. Critics of the bill, including Jessica Litman, a copyright specialist at Wayne State University, said it is overly broad and would not only stifle technological innovation but also criminalize a wide range of products including ReplayTV and VCRs. In a landmark 1984 case, the Supreme Court ruled that video-recording devices--specifically Sony's Betamax recorder--are legal because they offer "substantial noninfringing uses," despite the possibility that they could also be used to violate copyright. Opponents of the Induce Act said it would effectively overturn that ruling. CNET, 17 June 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5238140.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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