Hotel tax hits UMass: New law strips exempt status

AMHERST - The Campus Center Hotel at the University of Massachusetts will start paying the same room tax as other similar businesses, a change that Amherst officials have sought for more than 15 years.

College fundraising hits wall: the economy

Colleges usually exceed or at least meet their annual fundraising goals, gathering pools of cash that support scholarships, financial aid, faculty ranks and other educational goals.

But the recession has changed the nature of giving across the nation and in the Valley, and some colleges didn't meet their targets when campaigns ended at the close of the fiscal year Tuesday.

Forgive, forget? Not quite, but college loan relief program can help

NEW YORK - Repaying a student loan could soon be a little less painful.

Starting this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program that caps monthly payments based on income, and forgives remaining balances after 25 years. Those choosing to work in public service could have their loans forgiven after just 10 years.

Conference goal: help women veterans get all they can get

HOLYOKE - Enlisted women returning from war don't always feel like veterans, says Heidi Kruckenberg, director of the Women Veterans' Network of Massachusetts.

This feeling of not being a veteran can lead women to not take full advantage of services available to veterans, she said. Of the 26,000 women veterans in Massachusetts, about half, or 12,000, are in contact with the network.

Fighting from afar: Iranian students from Valley embrace protests at home

AMHERST - In Tehran, protesters calling the Iranian presidential election a sham have been met with violence; on Tuesday, in Amherst, they were met with sporadic demonstrations of support. In the Valley and across the globe, people are demonstrating against the disputed June 12 election and in support of thousands of Iranians risking their safety on the streets of Tehran to call for fair elections.

Higher ed funding on path to meltdown?

If Smith College were to raise its tuition and fees by 5 percent a year over the next 15 years, attendance would cost a student $100,000 per year - or $400,000 in all.

"I don't think we'll find students and families able and willing to pay those costs. For that reason we all really need to think about how to reduce operating costs."

University: Honors program loses funding, but will remain

AMHERST - Although state funding for the University of Massachusetts honors program is uncertain, the program's future is not.