Neil Parry's Biggest Step, San Jose Mercury-News
As he lay on the field at Spartan Stadium, bleeding from a compound fracture of his lower right leg, Neil Parry vowed he would play football again.

Life and limbs, Orange County Register
Prosthetics maker's donation saves a rare university program.

CSUCI celebrates Mexico's liberation, Ventura County Star
Independence event impresses consul.

Amputee a Spartan for the ages -- rejoins S.J. State squad, San Francisco Chronicle
Neil Parry couldn't have been harder on himself. Three years after a gruesome leg injury sustained on the football field, the 23-year-old San Jose State senior made history Thursday night on that same field, completing the long, painful round trip from college football player to amputee and back.

UC reveals 'ludicrous' cutback ideas, Contra Costa Times
The regents reviewed a range of options to deal with a state fiscal crisis that cut UC's budget by $424 million this year and may reduce it an additional 20 percent or $570 million next year.

UC Leader Departs as He Arrived -- Amid Crises, Los Angeles Times
The University of California president, who led his final Board of Regents meeting Thursday, is ending his eight-year tenure in the post as he began it — at a time of crisis for the university and the state.

Retiring UC president criticizes decision to drop affirmative action admissions, North County Times/AP
University of California President Richard C. Atkinson is leaving his post the same way he came in, firmly opposed to banning race and gender from the admissions process.

UC faces minority students' drop-off, Contra Costa Times
The University of California is losing to private colleges more of the top African-American, Latino and American Indian undergraduates it has already admitted than it has in the past, although the overall numbers are small.

Report shows revised UC admissions policy is meeting its goals, San Diego Union-Tribune
Two years after revamping an admissions policy designed to broaden the scope of the application process at the University of California, a faculty report has concluded that many initial concerns over the changes have dissipated.

UC Regents See a Bleak Budget Year, Los Angeles Times
Facing an ongoing crisis, officials discuss options, including salary and service cuts, a freeze in enrollment and a steep hike in out-of-state fees.

Limited enrollment slowing SCC students, Times-Herald
Most Solano College students try for Sacramento State, Sonoma State and San Francisco State, according to Pavao. Unfortunately, those are three of seven CSU campuses that are limiting enrollment.

Thousands ignore chance for kids to get free tutoring, Los Angeles Daily News
More than 186,000 low-income students in the Los Angeles Unified School District qualify for free tutoring, but only 4,000 have signed up, officials said Thursday.

2 English Tests Speak, New York Times
What is amazing, and confusing, is that many of the same students who failed the new E.S.L. test passed their English Regents diploma test.

Gates Gives Money to New York City to Start 67 Schools, New York Times
Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, announced $51.2 million in grants yesterday to create 67 small, theme-based public high schools in New York City.

Parking headaches continue at colleges, Contra Costa Times/AP
The hot topic on college campuses? Forget affirmative action, academic freedom or grade inflation. What really heats up students these days is trying to find a parking spot.

School safety law benefits few students, USA Today
A federal law meant to help children flee unsafe public schools this fall will apply to students in only six states and 52 of the nation's 85,000 schools, a USA TODAY/Gannett News Service survey found.

Yale in Deal With 2 Unions, Ending Strike, New York Times
Ending a three-week strike, Yale and its two main unions reached a tentative eight-year contract yesterday that will give many workers raises of more than 40 percent over the life of the pact and provide the embattled university with years of labor peace.

Amid Takeover Uncertainty, PeopleSoft Signs Colleges as Customers, Chronicle of Higher Education
Today was to have been the deadline for PeopleSoft Inc. to accept the Oracle Corporation's buyout offer. But PeopleSoft's Board of Directors rejected the bid, and Oracle officials have extended the offer to October 17, in hopes of winning over enough PeopleSoft shareholders to close the deal.

Chief Financial Officer at U. of Florida Foundation Is Charged With Embezzling $700,000, Chronicle of Higher Education
The chief financial officer of the University of Florida Foundation was charged on Wednesday with embezzling $700,000. Kenneth E. Hillier was arrested on Tuesday at the foundation's office, in Gainesville, by university police officers.

Editorial: The Case for Smaller Schools, New York Times
The small-schools movement got a big boost yesterday, when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it would provide seven nonprofit organizations across the city with $51.2 million, with the aim of creating 67 new schools along those lines.

Debate: Skyrocketing college costs, USA Today
For those who missed it yesterday, "Opposing View" was presented by CSU Executive Vice Chancellor Richard West.

Opinion: MEChA is no college pep club, North County Times
The North County Times played fast and loose with the facts in its Sept. 12 editorial, "MEChA issue is a red herring."

Dan Walters: How long will Californians' new interest in politics last?, Sacramento Bee
An unfortunate axiom of California politics has been that only a small percentage of potential voters has cared enough to pay attention to campaigns and cast ballots, and scant political coverage by big-city television stations has reflected and abetted that disinterest.

Editorial: Struggling Against Teenage Drinking, New York Times
Almost everyone deplores the epidemic of teenage drinking in this country, but it seems devilishly difficult to do much about it.

Editorial: The Real Learning Barrier, Los Angeles Times
Opponents of the school accountability movement complain about the time that standardized testing takes away from instruction.

Presentation helps decide budget reform's reception, Contra Costa Times/AP
A measure changing the California Constitution so that a state budget can be adopted by 55 percent of lawmakers, instead of the current two-thirds majority, is getting mixed reviews from voters, according to a poll released Thursday.

Schwarzenegger Hears It From Both Sides Over 'Scripted' Debate, Los Angeles Times
In a pincer move, Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante teamed up against a common foe Thursday, threatening to boycott the only debate Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to attend.

Chico State panel: Is recall 'healthy' or 'weird'?, Chico Enterprise-Record
Is the recall democracy in action, or it is a "weird" statement by the people that the state's political system is broken, or is it stark evidence that California needs a parliamentary system.

NOTE: For additional political coverage, visit the Rough & Tumble website.

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