Suspicious package shuts down parts of George Washington University campus

A suspicious looking “brown luggage bag” left outside George Washington University’s Fulbright residence hall prompted police to shut down Washington D.C.’s 23rd Street for two hours on Tuesday afternoon, according to the school’s student newspaper, The GW Hatchet.

Two university buildings were evacuated and several other locations around the scene were blocked off, including the Foggy Bottom Metro Station. Access to Washington Circle was also prevented.

University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard told The Hatchet disruptions to classes were minimal, but police stood guard outside campus buildings in the area to keep people away while they investigated.

Quintin Peterson, a Metropolitan Police Department officer, told The Hatchet no hazardous materials were found.

Stanford University looking to sell $1 billion of illiquid investments

In face of a 25-percent decrease in its endowment portfolio, Stanford University is looking to sell about a billion dollars of its illiquid investments, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In the past decade, Stanford has preferred to invest in illiquid assets rather than private equities. However, the failing economy has diminished the value of these assets, sucking up their liquidity and leaving the university strapped for cash needed to run school operations.

Stanford is considering offers on all $5 billion of its investments but is only looking to sell about 10 to 20 percent of its holdings, according to the Wall Street Journal article.

Millikin University faced with lawsuit after objecting to student’s service dog

Millikin University in Illinois has recently been confronted with a federal discrimination lawsuit after forcing a legally blind, epileptic student to move out of her dorm because she acquired a service dog, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The lawsuit alleges that Catherine Nielsen, a student at the university during the 2005-2006 academic year, was told that having a guide dog would not be an issue. However, when she got the dog, Nielsen was forced to move to another, less accessible dorm, according to the Chronicle’s article.

The suit claims that the move caused Nielsen discomfort, stress and increased epileptic episodes. If the university loses the lawsuit, it would be forced to pay Nielsen's medical expenses, compensation for “emotional and physical distress,” and an additional monetary penalty, the Chronicle reports.