Senate Committee Boosts NSF, NASA Funding
BU IN DC
BU alumna Carrie Hessler-Radelet (CAS ’79) was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 19th director of the Peace Corps on June 5.
Karen Antman, Provost of the Medical Campus, attended the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans board meeting on June 2 and 3.
Paul Withers of the College of Arts & Sciences attended the semiannual meeting of the Committee of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society on June 5 and 6.
Former Student Government President Dexter McCoy discussed student loan debt during a White House roundtable with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Dr. Jill Biden on June 5.
SENATE COMMITTEE BOOSTS NSF, NASA FUNDING
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a funding measure on Thursday that would increase the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget to $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2015, about $83 million above the current level. The Committee also set a $5.2 billion level for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate, approximately $49 million more than the current level. The full U.S. Senate will consider the bill later this summer, and then a final bill will be negotiated with the U.S. House of Representatives. The House passed a bill last week that would provide $7.4 billion for NSF and $5.19 billion for NASA Science.
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SENATOR HOLDS SECOND SEXUAL ASSAULT FORUM
On Monday, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) held the second of three roundtable discussions on issues related to campus sexual assault, this time focusing on implementation of Title IX, the federal statute that prohibits gender discrimination. Participants representing the U.S. Department of Justice, sexual assault survivors, women’s rights organizations, and university Title IX coordinators discussed whether to alter federal statutes governing the timeline for reporting or addressing a campus sexual assault, penalties for violations of Title IX, the ability to sue for civil damages, and the responsibilities of universities. Participants acknowledged the overlapping federal laws governing campus sexual violence and the uneven enforcement of existing statutes. A third roundtable later this month will focus on the interaction between law enforcement and universities.
Watch the roundtable
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Consumer Policy (OCP) announced the launch of the Financial Empowerment Innovation Fund to support novel strategies and tools that promote financial literacy and access to sound financial services. OCP will award approximately $6 million for research and evaluation in three areas: disbursement of payments, higher education decision-making, and financial capability. Applicants must submit a white paper by June 27, and those with the most promising proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal by August 13.