With millions of students in attendance at various schools of higher learning across the US, campus life is the frequent topic of discussion in the news. From victory on the basketball court to the slaying of students and faculty members by a mad gunman, university news has its place in the public sector. Let’s take a look back at five of the top campus news breaking events for 2007.

Duke Lacrosse Case — Three Duke University lacrosse players were wrongfully accused of rape in a case that dated back to March 2006. Taking the word of a stripper, Durham County (NC) attorney, Mike Nifong, pursued three students before the case was dismissed in April 2007 and Nifong discredited. Duke’s lacrosse coach, Mike Pressler, was forced to resign and the impacted students are now suing.

Appalachian States Stuns Michigan — The 2007 college football season was one filled with turbulence as so many schools with a top ten ranking lost, almost on a weekly basis. The upsets started with a bang when 1-AA Appalachian State roared into Lansing, Michigan and knocked off then #5 1-A Wolverines, 34-32. The Mountaineers then went on to win their third consecutive 1-AA national championship earlier this month.

Slaying At Virginia Tech — On April 16, a gunman massacred 32 students and faculty members on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. The killer, a troubled college senior by the name of Seung-Hoi Cho, killed himself. The incident was the worst case of school violence ever in the US.

Big Donor Aids Wisconsin Students — The ever increasing cost of higher education is making it difficult for some families to pay for their children’s schooling. For Wisconsin students, a former state resident and philanthropist has promised $175 million to aid as many as 3000 students annually beginning next year. John Morgridge pledged the monies in honor of his brother who paved the way for Morgridge to attend college.

University of Florida Taser Event — “Don’t tase me, bro!” became the rallying cry of a University of Florida student who begged police not to use a taser on him when he interrupted a speech by Senator John Kerry. A video capturing the event was posted online, giving millions of people the opportunity to witness the incident as it happened. You can see the remixed version of the video here.

What other events of significance in 2007 stand out for you? Feel free to add to this list by including your comment today.

Tags: Appalachian State, Duke Lacrosse, Duke University, University of Florida, University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Massacre, Wisconsin

Whether you call it the NCAA 1-AA Football Championship or by its new name the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the Appalachian State Mountaineers have won their third consecutive title defeating the Delaware Blue Hens in convincing fashion, 49-21. The Boone, NC Mountaineers completed what amounts to be a truly historic season, one that began way back on September 1 when they shocked the then #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines 34-32 in Ann Arbor. The Mountaineers are the FCS first team ever to win three straight national championships.

Yesterday’s game was expected to be much closer than what it actually was, with Delaware fired up and ready to unseat AppState. Unfortunately for the Blue Hens, the Mountaineers were eager to complete what they had started out to do earlier in the year — win it all once again.

Delaware was never in the game as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 21-0 early in the second quarter. On the strength of Armanti Edwards’s arm and legs (3 td passes, 198 yards passing, 89 yards rushing) the AppState offense controlled the game throughout. Although Edward’s performance fell short of his record-breaking performance in last week’s semi-final contest against Richmond, the Mountaineers had all of the fireworks they needed to rout Delaware.

Two of the more notable plays by the Mountaineers included a 99-yard drive in the first quarter that put the team up 14-0 and a 60-yard bomb just before the half which effectively canceled out the Blue Hen’s lone touchdown of the first half which Delaware had registered less than a half of a minute earlier.

Delaware QB Joe Flacco had a decent game, throwing for 334 yards and one touchdown. However, when it counted the most, the Blue Hens could not keep up with the Mountaineers with AppState’s defense stopping Delaware deep in Mountaineer territory three times in the first half.

Congratulations, Appalachian State!

Tags: Appalachian State, college football, Football Championship Series, Michigan Wolverines, NCAA, University of Delaware