http://www.pieronline.orgLatest news release from PierOnlineFri, 03 Jul 2009 10:36:30 GMThttp://www.pieronline.orghttp://www.pieronline.org/Images/logoPier.gifhttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1667In the aftermath of the April 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila which claimed nearly 300 lives and left thousands injured, the university has virtually shut down. Among those who died, 55 were from the university's 23,000-strong student body."Most of the university buildings are currently inaccessible and it will take at leastThu, 02 Jul 2009 15:03:08 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1666The Hong Kong Government is inviting bids from overseas universities to establish campuses there as part of a drive to boost its knowledge economy.In an announcement last week, it unveiled an economic development strategy that includes plans to reserve two prime urban sites in the densely populated region for "self-Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:53:41 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1665As universities and private colleges sought to deflect responsibility for the crisis, Monash University's Chris Nyland called on the Senate inquiry into the treatment of overseas students to consider whether the US Clery Act should be introduced in Australia.Professor Nyland, who has been co-researching a book on international student securityThu, 02 Jul 2009 14:21:27 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1664In a challenge to the burgeoning economic and political power of universities, demographer Bob Birrell and commentator Andrew Norton have questioned whether education really is Australia's biggest services export.Universities Australia and its half-owned overseas arm IDP Education Australia Ltd have used Australian Bureau of Statistics-derived data combining overseas student feesThu, 02 Jul 2009 14:16:29 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1661State and territory coroners, under the National Coroners Information System, have refused an application by The Age for data on the deaths of overseas students in the year to November 2008.A spokeswoman for Victorian Coroner Jennifer Coate said last night that the information would not be made public because itWed, 01 Jul 2009 15:31:25 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1660About 50 international student delegates at a NUS conference in Melbourne yesterday agreed to form an advisory committee to guide the union during the next six months. The body will consider changes to the NUS constitution and the creation of an international student office. The office effectively would replace theWed, 01 Jul 2009 13:50:33 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1659But while they have planning frameworks to manage these risks the plans aren’t necessarily effective, according to an audit report tabled in Victorian Parliament last week. The study by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office looked at risk management for on-campus international higher education at three universities – Melbourne, Monash and BallaratTue, 30 Jun 2009 13:58:01 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1658“Parents of Indian students have a legitimate right to express their concern,” said a bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari. “We should not push the problem under the carpet.” Protests were staged in Melbourne last month following attacks on Indian students in Australia, prompting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raiseTue, 30 Jun 2009 13:50:08 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1657Indeed, even the term part time warrants quotation marks because there can be little doubt that excessive working hours are exposing many international students to a greater degree of threat and risk as they make their way home after long stints in the convenience store or the service station, oftenTue, 30 Jun 2009 11:40:38 GMThttp://www.pieronline.org/default.aspx?page=newsArticle&NewsId=1656BOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado student Emily Martersteck is beginning a diligent hunt for scholarships that she hopes will lead her to France next spring.The biology student wants to supplement her education with liberal-arts courses — such as history, theater and literature — in an academic program abroad.Study-abroad programs,Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:58:54 GMT