Moving Right

THE NEW YORK POST, Sept. 26—A generation gap between more conservative teen-agers and liberal parents has been detected by political science professors Merrill Shanks and Henry Brady of the University of California at Berkeley, reported the New York daily.

They found the gap was most pronounced on issues such as school prayer, with 69% of teenagers surveyed saying it should be allowed, compared to 59% of adults between the ages of 27 and 59.

On abortion, 44% of those aged 15 to 22 supported restrictions, while 34% of adults older than 26 shared that feeling.

Based on 1,258 telephone interviews, the survey has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Christmas Cheer

THE CATHOLIC EXPLORER, Sept. 24—An adult student at St. Francis College of Illinois' Albuquerque, N.M., campus is leading an effort to collect 14,000 Christmas ornaments for distribution to victims of this year's western wildfires, reported the newspaper of the Joliet Diocese.

Tina Derr, 46, lost her own New Mexico home to a wildfire in 2000 and was especially cheered by the gift of 28 Christmas ornaments from neighbors that helped make Christmas possible that year.

This year's collection efforts have spread to the main campus of University of St. Francis in Joliet.

“This is an example of how students are mentored in the Franciscan tradition of service,” said Maria Connolly, dean of the St. Joseph College of Nursing and Allied Health.

Phys Ed

MARYWOOD UNIVERSITY, Sept. 20—Ken Rundell, 50, has been named director of the Human Performance Laboratory, the Scranton, Pa., university announced. The laboratory is part of the Keith J. O'Neill Center for Healthy Families, a new health-research and teaching facility.

Rundell is a former senior sports physiologist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Marywood is administered by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

More MTV

THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, Oct. 4—The College Television Network has been purchased by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom Inc., for $15 million, reported the education weekly.

Known as CTN, the network is most visible in public spaces at about 750 American colleges and universities and offers news, music videos and some original programming.

Noting an advantage to the acquisition that will not please critics of the music network, Judy McGrath, president of MTV Networks, said, “We now have a terrific means of deepening our connection with a critical part of our audience.”

New Lease on Life

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 22—Bishop William Murphy said the Diocese of Rockville Centre on New York's Long Island will take over Mercy High School and raise $10 million to maintain the school over the next five years. Founded in 1957 by the Sisters of Mercy, the school faced possible closure because of decreasing enrollment.

The Riverhead, N.Y., school will be renamed Bishop John McGann High School after the second bishop of the diocese, who died in February.