GWU and student settle mental health lawsuit
George Washington University officials and a former student settled a lawsuit brought by the student against the university, according to the Associated Press.
They did not disclose the exact details of the settlement, according to the AP.
GW threatened to suspend or expel the former student, Jordan Nott, after he checked himself into a hospital in 2004 for depression. The university claimed that Nott's condition was a threat to other students and violated their code of conduct. Rather than risk suspension or expulsion, Nott decided to transfer to another school a few months later.
GW officials said they were revising their policy of mandatory mental health withdrawal and hope to announce a new plan by the end of the current semester.
"Currently, the way we handle involuntary withdrawals is a judicial one," GW spokeswoman Tracy Schario told the AP. "We're looking at how to make it an administrative process."
Md., Va. report record absentee ballot requests
Election officials in Maryland and Virginia received a record number of requests for absentee ballots for the 2006 midterm elections, according to NBC4.com.
Officials at the Maryland State Board of Elections said they received more than 166,000 absentee ballot requests before the application process closed last Tuesday. Maryland voters can fill out a late application for an absentee ballot at their local Board of Elections office until 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the state's Board of Elections Web site.
The previous record for absentee ballot requests in the state occurred prior to the 2004 presidential election, when around 138,000 people made requests.
The Virginia State Board of Elections received around 114,000 absentee ballot requests for this election cycle before the process closed last Tuesday. Voters could request absentee ballots in person at their local Board of Elections office until Saturday. During the 2002 election cycle, 44,500 Virginia voters used absentee ballots, according to NBC4.com.
