Quick Takes: Penn Drops Charges Over Sex Photos, Laureate Adds Colleges in Brazil and Cyprus, Stanford Earns $336 Million on Google Stock, Southern U. Revokes 10 Degrees, $70 Million for Scholarships at Indiana, Lumina Advice for Community Colleges

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In a meeting Thursday evening between University of Pennsylvania administrators and a student who had been charged by the Office of Student Conduct with harassment for taking pictures of a couple engaged in sexual activity in a dormitory window, the university dropped all charges. “We have decided not to pursue further disciplinary action, but we are disturbed by the photographer’s conduct in this matter,” Lori Doyle, a spokeswoman for Penn said after the meeting. “We have asked the student photographer to apologize and sincerely hope he does.” Andrew Geier, a graduate student who served as the student’s adviser to the Office of Student Conduct, said that the student’s reaction was “part relief, part vindication -- because he stood up for what he believed in.” He added, "It’s the university that should apologize to him for ever bringing these charges in the first place.”
Laureate Education on Thursday announced that it was adding colleges in Brazil and Cyprus. Laureate typically buys a controlling or significant interest in existing colleges abroad and works to improve them. In Brazil, Laureate purchased 51 percent of Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, which has four locations in Sao Paulo. In Cyprus, Laurate purchased 45 percent of Cyprus College.
Stanford University earned $336 million on the sale of its shares of Google stock, The San Jose Mercury News reported. Stanford owned a large share of stock because of a deal to allow the company's founders, who were graduate students, to use technology on which the university holds patent rights.
Southern University at Baton Rouge has revoked 10 degrees after determining that they were awarded based on credits students purchased but did not earn, The Baton Rouge Advocate reported. In the wake of the grade- and credit-purchasing scandal, the university announced reforms designed to bar such abuses.
Indiana University on Thursday announced an anonymous gift of $70 million for scholarships.
The Lumina Foundation for Education on Thursday released a new report to help community colleges improve a range of services that will help students. "Data Don't Drive: Building a Practitioner-Driven Culture of Inquiry to Assess Community College Performance" is available online.