Catholic Schools on the Web

NATIONAL CATHOLIC COLLEGE ADMISSION ASSOCIATION, March 19 — The National CCAA has launched a new Web site, www.catholiccollegesonline.org, with sections for parents, high school college counselors, and prospective students. The site addresses questions like, When should I begin the college search? How can I find the best financial aid package? What should I bring to college? The site's search engine can also list all the colleges fitting a particular description — for example, “small liberal arts school in the Midwest.”

Harvard Can't Handle Pro-Life Posters

JEWISH WORLD REVIEW, March 14 — Matt Evans didn't think “Smile! Your mother chose life” was an inflammatory message, the online magazine reported.

Evans, a third-year student at the Harvard Law School, posted small signs with that message on student bulletin boards. Students ripped down the signs. A few days after a student confronted Evans about the posters, he was summoned by the dean of students and told that the dean was coming under pressure to ban all political messages from the bulletin boards. Evans was instructed to include contact information on his fliers, which had been unsigned.

Students posted unsigned anti-Evans fliers reading, “Smile! You're a simpleton.” The university did not attempt to locate the authors.

Loyola Scraps Classical Studies

CHICAGO TRIBUNE, March 15 — Loyola University Chicago has made a preliminary decision to dissolve its classical studies department in order to ease its financial woes, the Chicago daily reported.

The Jesuit university's decision would disperse the study of Latin, Greek, and ancient philosophy and literature throughout the school's other departments. Jesuit Father John Murphy, the department's head, protested, “In the principles of the Jesuit education, classics is primary.” He added that he had received no advance warning of the decision.

The change would cut funding for new books, visiting speakers, summer programs and other features. The final decision will be made in May.

Loyola has faced bad publicity and financial disarray, leading to a 33% drop in freshman enrollment in the last two years.