Insurance companies will cover costs of contraceptives at Catholic colleges
Women who work at religiously-affiliated colleges will receive free contraceptives as part of their health care coverage, but the colleges will not be required to pay for them, President Obama announced Friday, according to an article published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. His new policy marks a change from his announcement last month, in which he said the nonprofits would have to cover the cost of preventative services in their employees' health care plans.
Under this plan, the insurance companies would have to offer free contraception to females at these institutions directly, according to CBS News.
Many politicians and religious leaders are opposed to the policy. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the policy "an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country," the Huffington Post reported.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said it is not willing to compromise on the issue.
"The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for (the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services," the bishops said in a statement Friday.
But many students at Catholic colleges support the measure. "When we hear conservative Catholic organizations ask what we expected when we enrolled at a Catholic school, we can only answer that we expected women to be treated equally, to have their medical needs met," Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke told the Huffington Post.
Callie Otto, a student at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. said condoms are not distributed on campus. "I'm paying $50,000 a year to go to college," she told the Post. "I think that I should be able to get birth control with that $50,000."
Former teammates testify against Huguely in Love trial
After five-and-a-half days in court during which more than 50 people were questioned, the jury has not yet reached a verdict on whether George Huguely V, the former boyfriend of University of Virginia student Yeardley Love, is guilty of causing her death, according to ABC News.
Ken Clausen, one of Huguely's former lacrosse teammates at the University of Virginia, told the court about Huguely's aggressive behavior on the night that he allegedly murdered his then-girlfriend Love, according to the New York Daily News.
Clausen said there were holes in the story Huguely told him and his roommate concerning his whereabouts that night. He also said Huguely was a heavy drinker, the Daily News reported.
The trial continued Thursday, when the defense brought in a brain scientist who said Love's death could have been caused from suffocation, and not a heavy blow to her head as the prosecution is alleging, according to ABC News. Love may have accidentally suffocated herself after drinking heavily, the expert said.
If Huguely is found guilty, he could face life in prison, ABC News reported.
New site lets professors rate themselves
In January, Northeastern sophomore Daniel Abram launched KnowThyProf.com, a new site where professors can briefly describe their courses and teaching styles to potential students, according to an article published in Inside Higher Ed.
The site functions as an alternative to sites like RateMyProfessors.com where students anonymously submit numerical evaluations of teachers.
"There are no ratings or rankings. It simply tells you what kind of person the professor is," Abram told Inside Higher Ed.
