Notes in the Margins: Teacher recs, marriage and the higher-ed digital gap

More Non-Black Students Attending Historically Black Colleges A 2009 report says that the proportion of Hispanic, Asian, and multi-ethnic students enrolled in its member institutions jumped from 6 percent to 8 percent of the student population from 1986 to 2006. (universitybusiness.com)

Enrollment at Bemidji State University is highest in nearly two decades | Bemidji Pioneer Fuelling BSU’s enrollment increase is another sizable group of freshmen and new transfer students. (bemidjipioneer.com)

Duke Winces as a Private Joke Slips Out of Control For nearly two weeks, many here on the Duke University campus had been aware of a certain senior “thesis” that a recent graduate wrote, apparently as a private joke, about her sexual exploits with 13 student-athletes. (The New York Times)

International Conference Takes a Fresh Look at University Rankings Speakers at a gathering in Berlin discuss the growing global demand for tools to assess program quality, and the innovative approaches some regions are trying. (chronicle.com)

Note to Applicants: Admissions Officers Do Read What Your Teachers Say About You The dean of admission at Connecticut College calls the teacher recommendation the "wild card'' in the college application, and argues that sometimes the best reference letters come from teachers of classes in which the student struggled. (thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com)

Social Networking Can Bring Students Stress as Well as Connection, Survey Finds A new poll says undergraduates have many Facebook friends but few they would reach out to in a crisis. (chronicle.com)

College-educated more likely to marry, study says The gap between those who have a college degree and those who do not is widening -- this time when it comes to marriage. (CNN)

Internet Speed Gap Between Research Universities and Smaller Colleges Grows A recent National Science Foundation survey found that doctorate-granting institutions generally have faster Web connections than other types of colleges. (chronicle.com)

Enrollment tops 18,000 at St. Cloud State University Enrollment at St. Cloud State is growing as a number of Minnesota high school graduates falls. (St. Cloud Times)

Colleges Build Hubs to Track Social-Media Buzz About Their Institutions Bates College is one of a handful to set up a site that collects tweets from a cross section of its community. (chronicle.com)

One Step Closer to a National Digital Library Can the nonprofit world create a national digital library to put America's collective intellectual wealth within everyone's reach? Surprisingly, the biggest obstacle is not money but complicated copyright laws, especially those that govern so-called orphan works, whose copyright status is unclear. (chronicle.com)

Howard allows overnight guests in upperclassman dorm In the week since Howard began allowing overnight guests in Howard Plaza Towers, West - a modern brick high-rise on the edge of the Northwest Washington campus - university officials have reported no increase in problems. (The Washington Post)

On Campus: Under Pressure, For-Profit College Ceases Enrolling Wisconsin Students Westwood College Online administrators say they have temporarily stopped enrolling Wisconsin students after a state oversight agency sent them a cease-and-desist letter. (universitybusiness.com)

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