Taxing internet purchases

The AFT is geared up for a battle over Internet taxation. This spring, two measures on this issue were introduced in the 108th Congress. The first, offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), would "indefinitely extend the existing moratorium on new and discriminatory Internet taxes." The second, introduced by Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), would "permanently ban taxes on Internet access, as well as taxes on Internet transactions by multiple jurisdictions, and discriminatory taxes that unfairly target Internet transactions"--in other words, e-commerce.

The AFT supports efforts by states to collect a reasonable sales tax on products sold on the Internet and will oppose a federal ban on such collections. The union is keeping a close eye on a state tax compact that is trying to facilitate the sales tax collections. The challenge has been logistical: that is, creating a system to compute each state's Internet tax and collect it. Lately, because of the dire condition of most state budgets and the need for revenue, the compact's work has progressed at a rapid pace.

Earning virtual teaching certificates

U.S. Secretary of Education Roderick Paige is hoping a new online competency-based Teachers College that opened in March will help address the nation's teacher shortage. The college is affiliated with Western Governors University, which received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2001 to start the Teachers College. WGU received accreditation by four regional accrediting agencies in February. The college will offer accredited certificate, undergraduate and graduate academic degrees for current and prospective teachers. For more information, go to www.wgu.edu/tc.

Rating professors online

The newest tool to help ease a student's path through college is Pick-a-Prof, an online service that functions as a kind of "Consumer Reports" for college course selections. Once a college is added to the site, students get access to information on courses and the professors who teach them. The information is usually available in different venues on campus, but the creators of the Pick-a-Prof site have compiled it all from public records and made it user-friendly for students. The data include semester schedules by department, student reviews and professors' grading histories. These grading histories seem to be the biggest hit on the site because they provide students with information that allows them to avoid the toughest taskmasters. But other students compliment the site for making it easier to plan a semester and register for classes. Some faculty appreciate it too, because they can post their syllabi, course descriptions and links to their home pages. Last year, the University of Maryland student government ponied up the $10,000 required to make the feature available to students. The university is renewing the service this year, even though it's not clear that many students are using it. Maryland is one of 51 institutions on the site, which can be found online at www.pickaprof.com.

Colleges slow their technology spending

No matter how cash-strapped an institution is these days, the technology engine still must be fueled. Colleges expect to spend $5.2 billion on academic and administrative technology in this current school year. That's a 5 percent increase over last year, which showed a 14 percent increase over the year before. Administrative departments account for 45 percent of that spending, according to Market Data Retrieval, the marketing firm that annually surveys all U.S. colleges and universities. The survey also found that 61 percent of institutions have wireless technology, and 67 percent are offering distance education. The MDR Web site is www.schooldata.com.