Latest news with #Behringer
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana's war on 'useless' degrees hurts all students
Indiana's elimination of over 400 university degree programs represent an unprecedented attack on academic freedom. A new state law threatens the existence of an overwhelming number of degrees. Public universities are cutting or consolidating about 20% of the degree options available in Indiana. This troublesome legislation limits access to the types of degrees and majors Hoosiers are able to pursue. Gov. Mike Braun said these changes will help students make wiser decisions about degrees that will lead to better career prospects. Bachelor's degree programs are safe if they produce an average of 15 graduates over a three-year period. The threshold is seven for master's degrees. In Indiana, it now seems like a degree is only as good as its potential to land you a high-paying corporate job. Career-readiness and professional development are undoubtedly important aspects of a college education, but they aren't the only types of growth and learning that matter. Mia Behringer, a rising senior at Indiana University-Bloomington, rejects the notion that the only goal of a college degree is to find a job. "Higher education is more than looking for a way to make money," Behringer said. "You go to school to expand on your lifelong learning." Behringer, who majors in art history and environmental sustainability, wasn't surprised when her art history degree was targeted. But the Ph.D program for art history at IU has been impacted by the legislation, too. Hicks: Indiana's college crisis has nothing to do with woke campuses or high costs 'It would have been nice to be able to have the option to go to higher education in my home state, but that's just kind of disheartening to see that cut off,' Behringer said. 'My plans now are to probably go study in Spain. I'd like to continue and probably do something abroad after kind of seeing the attack on academic freedom in the United States. And we don't really hold importance in sustainability programs or art history programs, and I can feel that.' The cuts make it increasingly difficult for humanities students to pursue higher education in their fields, overlooking academic careers that require these specialized programs. "To equate education with job readiness and making money is misguided," recent IU graduate Lilly Luse said. "The market will always change." Luse graduated this year from IU with degrees in comparative literature and film studies. The comparative literature major is on track to be suspended and merged due to the legislation. Luse hopes to use their degree to become a professor of cinema studies and plans on pursuing higher education to reach that goal. They find that pursuing a less popular degree has its perks, including smaller class sizes, more attention from teachers and increased collaboration with other students. Opinion: Indiana should cap out-of-state student enrollment to solve brain drain The success of a particular degree should not exclusively be defined by how many graduates it produces. Some advanced degrees are meant for academics and professionals within a field of study that might be far more niche than others. 'If we lose critical thinking skills, we're going to fall victim to certain messages,' Luse said. Luse is right. Stifling academic freedom restricts freedom of thought — part of a broader anti-intellectual trend Indiana lawmakers have embraced. 'People are so afraid to have challenging conversations about things like stifling queer life in Indiana (or) like the book bans,' Luse said. "We're going back to these really outdated modes of thinking that certain things are to be feared or not to be talked about." Opinion: Indiana should cap out-of-state student enrollment to solve brain drain Indiana is continuing down a path that diminishes the role and impact of a college education and learning as a whole, putting not just students, but all Hoosiers, at risk. This legislation claims to prepare students for the workforce, and it's clear that academia doesn't make the cut. There is always value in learning something new. Exposure to new perspectives and ideas helps us become well-rounded people. Learning for the sake of learning is important, too.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
North Jersey man charged with attempting to cast illegal vote, false registration
PARK RIDGE — A borough man was charged with attempting to cast an illegal vote after a joint investigation from the Bergen County Superintendent of Elections and Bergen County Prosecutor's offices. Bruce E. Behringer, 69, was charged with tampering with public records, false registration, and attempting to cast an illegal vote. The investigation revealed that between September 2020 and November 2024, Behringer falsely completed one New Jersey Voter Registration Application and three mail-in voter ballots in the name of another person. 'The Superintendent of Elections' investigators work very closely with the Bergen County Prosecutor's office by referring all alleged voter fraud cases to their team," the Superintendent of Elections' office said. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Confidential Investigations Unit received information from the Superintendent of Elections' office in March regarding the alleged voting offenses. As a result of the investigation, Behringer was arrested on May 27 and charged with third-degree tampering with public records or information, third-degree false registration and third-degree attempting to cast an illegal vote. He was released pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack. This article originally appeared on North Jersey man charged with trying to cast illegal vote
CBS News
10-02-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
More rainy weather, cold temps in store for San Francisco Bay Area
People are being advised to keep warm coats and umbrellas on hand as the Bay Area's frigid temperatures will merge with a pair of windy, rainy storms that are expected to arrive later this week. Tuesday's forecast calls for frigid temperatures and sunny skies throughout the region, with increasing cloud cover creeping in as the storms shape up Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. "We'll have another chilly morning tomorrow and then Wednesday we kind of start to get into a rainy pattern," said Weather Service meteorologist Dalton Behringer. Tuesday's low temperatures will range from 28 degrees to 36 degrees in much of the region's inland areas, resulting in freeze warnings and frost advisories across the Bay Area. The earliest bands of rain could arrive Tuesday evening before increasing in strength Wednesday morning. Wednesday's storm will be less rainy than Thursday's and will drop from about .5 inches to 1 inch of rain that. Combined with the cold temperatures in the forecast, it could dust peaks above 2,500 feet with a little snow, according to the weather service. Following an expected break in the rain Wednesday, a second, stronger storm is forecast to arrive Thursday morning, tapering off Friday and over the weekend. After all is said and done, rain totals of between 2 inches to 3 inches are likely throughout the region, with up to 6 inches to 8 inches in the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains. During the peak storm periods, southwest winds will be "crankin'," Behringer said. "Along the coast and some of the higher peaks along coastal rages could see 40 mph to 45 mph gusts and potentially higher," he said. Additionally, the forecast calls for some urban and small stream flooding, while saturated soils could result in landslides in localized areas. The Sacramento office of the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for both the Sierra and the Southern Cascades and the Coast Range in Shasta County. The watch will be in effect in the Sierra and the Southern Cascades for elevations above 4,500 feet starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday night and going until 10 p.m. Friday evening. ‼️ With active weather on the way later this week, we have issued a Winter Storm Watch for: -Sierra/S. Cascades above 4500': 10 pm Wed - 10 pm Fri -Coast Range/Shasta Co. above 2000': 10 pm Wed - 4 am Fri ❄️ Take time now to prepare for expected winter impacts! #CAwx — NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) February 10, 2025 The Coast Range watch will be for elevations above 2000 feet also starts at 10 p.m. Wednesday, but expires earlier at 4 a.m. Friday morning. Longer term projections indicate somewhat of a lull in storm activity for maybe a week or so following these storms, with the potential for more unsettled weather arriving later in the month.
