With 2008 halfway over, SayCampusLife has published over 200 articles since we launched this site in December 2007. Your interest in what we have to share with you as well as your valuable input has helped us reach the point where we find ourselves today — a valuable source of information for college bound and matriculated students.

Quite a few of our articles have been very well received, information that has been picked up by wire services or linked to from other websites and blogs. There are too many to mention individually, but the following half dozen are among the highlight articles for the first half of 2008:

College Newspapers: A Dying Breed? — The fourth estate has long played an important part in shaping our nation. Free press on college campuses has done their part as well, but their very existence is threatened. Yes, some colleges no longer support an independent voice working on behalf of students, a change that has been picking up pace over the last few years.

Columbia Prof In Plagiarism Scandal –  Sadly, plagiarism continues to be a problem on many college campuses, no less frustrating then the occasional scandal involving a faculty member. Unfortunately, Columbia University, hasn’t done all that they can do to nip this problem in the bud, preferring to retain the services of one professor whose antics are nothing short of a disgrace.

Putting the Accent on Hyundai — We launched a new feature for this site, Campus Cars, earlier in the year to help students and their parents navigate the various small car offerings available to them. Understanding that some students need transportation while living on or near campus, we feature from time to time economical and fuel efficient cars that appeal to most college families.

The 19 Year-Old College Professor — Alia Sabur isn’t your typical on-campus 19 year old. Most people her age are in their first or second year of college, but Sabur finds herself in her first year of teaching as a college professor. The daughter of Iranian immigrants was a gifted student while quite young, therefore her parents accelerated her education to bring her to where she is today — teaching at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea.

Is There A Serial Killer Stalking College Men? — A pattern of mysterious deaths across our nation’s college campuses is turning up a chilling similarity — were as many as 40 men killed over several years time the victim of one or more people who did them harm? Some law enforcers do not see a pattern, while two New York detectives say that the “Smiley Face” killers are on the loose and hunting for their next victims.

Free Tuition Colleges Really Do Exist! — That’s right, there are a handful of colleges where tuition is covered and not just for the academically or athletically gifted student. With elite schools now charging just shy of $200,000 for four years of school, parents are desperately seeking alternative schooling options for their adult children. We cover those schools which take the pain out of higher education.

SayCampusLife extends a hearty “Happy Fourth of July!” to all of our readers and invite you to bookmark this site and subscribe to an RSS feed to keep up with the many interesting topics we plan to cover over the coming months.

Tags: Alia Sabur, Campus Cars, college newspapers, Columbia University, free tuition, Hyundai Accent, Recap, serial killer

Columbia University has sanctioned a psychology/education professor for plagiarism in a scandal that was aired last week on CNN.

The professor, Madonna Constantine, was not dismissed although the university recorded two dozen cases where Constantine lifted material from a former teacher as well as from two of her former students.

Noose Story: A Distraction?

Constantine is the same professor who notified the school last fall when a noose was found hanging from her door. It turns out that the noose might have been placed there as a distraction to the university’s investigation which began in 2006 and concluded this past December.

The professor is claiming that she is innocent and is accusing the university of conducting a witch hunt with their investigation.

Plagiarism In Academia

Plagiarism has long been a problem in academia, but almost always with students who failed to give credit by citing sources or lifting material at will.

Last week on her Guardienne of the Tomes blog, Colleen wrote in her Down and Dirty: Plagiarism that Ohio University’s engineering department was recently embroiled in a scandal when it was revealed that masters and doctoral students were actively encouraged to plagiarize when working on their theses and dissertations.

Colleen went on to call plagiarism what it really is: fraud and has vowed that she will never send her future children to Columbia as long as they handle plagiarism in this way. Indeed, for far lesser crimes many professors and teachers have been fired.

What’s up with that, Columbia?!

To help you in your search for a college, get your college planning guide and your financial aid information courtesy of SayCollegeSearch.com.

Tags: CNN, Columbia University, Madonna Constantine, noose on door, Ohio University, plagiarism