Topic: University of Texas System

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Affordable colleges: a new tool for cost comparison

Affordable colleges might be easier to track down now with a new online tool out from the US Department of Education, which compares the cost of attending different kinds of institutions. We put together a list of the most and least expensive 4-year or longer institutions, in three categories: public institutions, not-for-profit institutions, and for-profit institutions. Prices are based on the "net cost" of each, which is the average price after grants or scholarship aid is subtracted from the total cost of attendance. Often, the average net cost is quite different from an institution's listed tuition. The numbers here are based on costs for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 09/28
Gallery: NFL DRAFT: No. 1 draft picks that made the Pro Football Hall of Fame
In Pictures: March Madness mascots

All Content

What's an American Indian? Warren case stirs query

Native Americans have a high rate of intermarriage with other groups. Many are not identifiable by appearance, which has made it possible for almost anyone to assume a Native persona. That seems to have been the case with US Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren.
Oldest Mayan calendar found, and it goes way beyond Dec. 12, 2012 (+video)

A Mayan calendar was found deep in the Guatemalan rainforest. But this ancient Mayan calender refutes claims that the world will end Dec. 21, 2012
Was it right for Elizabeth Warren to identify as a minority? Will voters care?

A genealogist is supporting Elizabeth Warren's claim of Cherokee ancestry. But what could linger with voters is whether it's right for someone who is 1/32 native American to claim minority status.
Groundhog Day in court? California ban on affirmative action is upheld. Again.

A three-judge panel from the Ninth US Circuit cited a 1997 appeals court decision upholding the affirmative action ban, which led to a sharp decline in minority enrollment at California state universities.
Facebook stalking in the name of affirmative action

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on affirmative action, I recall how at Roll Call newspaper, I was told that one of our three interns had to be from a racial minority. Diversity is important, but giving someone an advantage beyond his experience degrades the applicant and the hirer.
Cover Story
Gun nation: Inside America's gun-carry culture

Why Americans now carry handguns in so many public places, from parks to college campuses. Is it making the country safer or more dangerous?
The dinosaur that dressed like Anna Wintour

Gliding through trees in what is now China some 130 million years ago, the microraptor sported shimmering black feathers, a new study reveals.
Right-wing 'patriot' groups girding for actual class warfare, report says

The Southern Poverty Law Center says an 'explosive' growth in the number of antigovernment 'patriot' groups is tied to fears of economic cataclysm and civil war between rich and poor.
National Enquirer ignites furor with Whitney Houston casket photo

If and when to depict the dead are questions that vex ethicists and newsrooms everywhere. Whitney Houston casket photos on the cover of the tabloid National Enquirer are taking that debate public.
How Supreme Court ruling on Texas could reduce affirmative action across US

The Supreme Court, which has shifted to the right, may use the Texas case to overturn the 2003 decision that achieving classroom diversity could justify the use of race-based affirmative action.
Affirmative action in college admissions goes back before Supreme Court

US Supreme Court is taking an affirmative action case about the University of Texas admissions policy, which permits race to be a factor in deciding which applicants are admitted.
'$16 house' scheme gets man kicked out of $340,000 home

$16 house? Not really. Dallas man gains notoriety for his curious housing scheme. However, he was kicked out of the $16 house on Monday.
Super Bowl ad makes New York Mayor Bloomberg gun control king

The gun control movement has faltered in recent years. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vowed to spend his own fortune to buck that trend, most notably with a Super Bowl ad.
Why California's reeling economy still has a 'golden' lining

In many ways, the California economy is a mess. But the Golden State is holding on to its high-skilled workers better than any other state – and avoiding a 'brain drain' is no small thing.
Do little words give big insights?

In a new book, James Pennebaker argues that people reveal vast amounts of information about themselves through their use of pronouns.
Frankenstein moon: Astronomers vindicate Mary Shelley's account

Frankenstein moon: 'Frankenstein' author Mary Shelley claimed that the tale came to her in a vision late one night as the moon streamed through her window. Her account was disputed, but astronomers at Texas State University have now substantiated her 'Frankenstein moon.'
Texas's record as death penalty capital: a help for Rick Perry?

Gov. Rick Perry, a top-tier GOP presidential candidate, has public opinion on his side on the death penalty. With another execution set for Thursday night in Texas, the danger may be if moderate voters perceive him to be cavalier about taking human life.
West Memphis Three: Internet campaign, Hollywood drove their release

The West Memphis Three, charged in the 1993 slayings of three Cub Scouts, were released Friday. Social media, the Internet, and Hollywood have helped raise critical questions about their convictions.
Affordable colleges: a new tool for cost comparison

Affordable colleges might be easier to track down now with a new online tool out from the US Department of Education, which compares the cost of attending different kinds of institutions. We put together a list of the most and least expensive 4-year or longer institutions, in three categories: public institutions, not-for-profit institutions, and for-profit institutions. Prices are based on the "net cost" of each, which is the average price after grants or scholarship aid is subtracted from the total cost of attendance. Often, the average net cost is quite different from an institution's listed tuition. The numbers here are based on costs for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Worried about jobs, college women go 'geek'

A rising share of computer science majors at top schools are women. High-tech jobs offer stability in an uncertain economy.
Obama visits ravaged Alabama; Texas governor says, 'What about us?'

Obama surveyed tornado damage in Alabama Friday, after declaring the state a disaster area. A disaster request from Texas over raging wildfires remains unanswered. Are requests often denied?
Gov. Rick Perry sees Texas wildfires as statewide emergency. FEMA doesn't?

Ten days have elapsed since Gov. Rick Perry (R) asked for a federal disaster declaration, to get more US help to fight Texas wildfires. Why a slow answer could backfire for both Obama and Perry.
Backchannels
Hetherington, Hondros, and the risks journalists take

The two photojournalists Hetherington and Hondros, both men at the top of their craft, were among 10 people killed in the western Libyan city of Misurata yesterday.
The deep roots of Libya's psychology of violence

For more than four decades, Libya's self-declared 'Brother Leader,' Muammar Qaddafi, has waged a brutal form of psychological warfare against his own people, analysts say. Rebel forces have also been shaped by that violent history.
Is 'Check it out, bro, I'm in prison!' an appropriate Facebook status update?

Prisoners aren't allowed smart phones, but that doesn't keep at least a few enterprising inmates from using Facebook and Twitter. South Carolina is considering a ban on prison Facebook updates.