The Chronicle of Higher Education

Story notes that the Chronicle’s third annual Shark Tank: Edu Edition, held during the South by Southwest Edu conference in March, featured five people pitching ideas — some concrete, some theoretical — to improve higher education. One of the participants was Kyle Parker, a senior software engineer at Ball State University, who helped create an app that students can use to keep track of their photographs, journal notes, and other materials while traveling on study-abroad programs. He’s since helped turn it into a commercial product, The Traveler, which includes an Android app and a companion website.

As state legislatures continue to debate whether to allow people to carry concealed firearms on college campuses, a survey shows that most students oppose the idea. The survey, conducted by Ball State University, found that 78 percent of students at 15 Midwestern colleges were against the carrying of handguns on campuses and would not obtain a permit to do so if it were allowed. A similar majority, nearly four in five students, said they would not feel safe if students, faculty members, and visitors were allowed to carry guns.

Women at the meeting here said there are some bright spots in the discipline. At a table in a room displaying philosophy books for sale, three undergraduate women sat with copies of the undergraduate philosophy journal Stance. Undergraduates at Ball State University produce it, and all of its authors are students. The journal was started by a female student in 2006, and its current editor is female, as are the authors of about half of the papers in its latest issue. David W. Concepcion, chairman of Ball State's department of philosophy and religious studies, is the journal's managing editor. He cajoled Kiley Neal, a soft-spoken senior majoring in creative writing with a minor in philosophy, to be this year's editor in chief. "Being editor of a journal is a big step for me," said Ms. Neal. "But if Dave thinks I can do it, I can do it." Note: Subscription required