All posts tagged: Departments

The nonprofit status of NCAA athletic departments is starting to raise questions

The nonprofit status of NCAA athletic departments is starting to raise questions

Published by Sam Flores

With all the talk of busted brackets, game-winning shots, point spreads and Cinderellas, it was easy to miss the eye-popping offer University of Michigan star forward Yaxel Lendeborg claimed to have received during the first weekend of March Madness. Lendeborg told The Associated Press that the University of Kentucky had dangled between US$7 million and $9 million to entice him to transfer there in 2025. Though University of Kentucky head coach Mark Pope called it “100% false” in a subsequent interview, the numbers being thrown around show just how big a business college sports have become. CBS and Turner are paying the NCAA about $1.1 billion annually through 2032 to air March Madness games. Recent court decisions, settlements and NCAA policy changes have opened the door for top college athletes like Lendeborg to earn millions of dollars. Yet athletic departments are still operating as tax-exempt nonprofits, even as a growing chorus of voices, from academia to politics, is wondering whether this designation should be reevaluated. The nonprofit mission Most private universities operate as 501(c)(3) organizations …

US Justice Department’s Deputy Antitrust Chief Steps Down

US Justice Department’s Deputy Antitrust Chief Steps Down

Published by Sam Flores

(Corrects grammar in headline) WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – ‌Mark Hamer, the second-in-command at ​the U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, announced on ‍Monday that he ​was departing the Trump administration ​after ⁠nearly a year in his role. Hamer, a deputy assistant attorney general, said in a post on LinkedIn that he had committed to ‌working in the public service for a ​year when ‌he accepted the ‍job. “The ⁠year 2025 was the high-water mark for civil antitrust enforcement, with the largest docket of civil antitrust litigation matters in DOJ’s history,” he said. “Our enforcement cases and investigations ​targeted high-profile competition concerns in technology, healthcare, entertainment, agriculture, real estate and financial services industries,” he added. Hamer said he was returning to private practice at Baker McKenzie, where he previously served as global chair of the law firm’s antitrust and competition practice. He joined the Justice ​Department last March as one of four deputies overseeing antitrust. In his role, Hamer oversaw litigation and civil enforcement. (Reporting ​by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed) Copyright 2026 …

NCAA Approves Uniform Patches, Opening up Revenue Possibilities for Athletic Departments

NCAA Approves Uniform Patches, Opening up Revenue Possibilities for Athletic Departments

Published by Sam Flores

The NCAA unearthed another revenue stream Friday when Division I leaders approved patches for uniforms in a move that could generate millions to fund athletic departments that are looking for new ways to pay players. Beginning Aug. 1, Division I teams can place up to two patches of no more than 4 square inches on uniforms for regular-season games. Those are in addition to the logos already allowed for the uniform manufacturers. Rules committees for the postseason will decide how to handle March Madness, the College World Series and other playoff tournaments, with attention being paid to making sure individual schools aren’t advertising for companies that compete with NCAA sponsors. The College Football Playoff has also been looking into how to allow patches for that sport’s postseason. Some NBA teams make eight-figure sums on selling parts of their team uniforms to advertisers. Sports Business Journal reported earlier this month that research has shown college football and basketball teams could earn between $500,000 and $12 million for their patches. It’s the latest move for schools to …

Minneapolis ICE shooting involved tactics many police departments warn against − but not ICE itself

Minneapolis ICE shooting involved tactics many police departments warn against − but not ICE itself

Published by Sam Flores

Minneapolis is once again the focus of debates about violence involving law enforcement after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, in her car. The incident quickly prompted dueling narratives. Trump administration officials defended the shooting as justified, while local officials condemned it. The shooting will also likely prompt renewed scrutiny of training and policy of officers and the question of them shooting at moving vehicles. There has been a recent trend in law enforcement toward policies that prohibit such shootings. It is a policy shift that has shown promise in saving lives. Decades ago, the New York City Police Department prohibited its officers from shooting at moving vehicles. That led to a drop in police killings without putting officers in greater danger. Debates over deadly force are often contentious, but as I note in my research on police ethics and policy, for the most part there is consensus on one point: Policing should reflect a commitment to valuing human life and prioritizing its protection. Many use-of-force …

Number of written questions to government departments doubles in a year | Politics News

Number of written questions to government departments doubles in a year | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

Key Whitehall departments had to answer almost twice as many questions from MPs and peers in 2025 as the year before – with AI blamed for the massive rise, Sky News can reveal. MPs have been accused of diverting resources and wasting public money after the number of Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) rose to 90,331, up from 49,125 in 2024, which was close to the average for the previous decade. Politics latest – follow live The Department for Health and Social Care saw a 97% increase in questions compared to the previous year. The Home Office saw a 92% increase, the Department for Education saw a 97% increase, and the housing department saw a 101% increase. Submissions from some MPs surged 10 or 20-fold in the second half of 2025 compared to the same period the year before, following the general election. Just 10 MPs accounted for 20% of the Commons WPQs submitted in the second half of 2025. These included a Lib Dem MP, Al Pinkerton, whose use increased more than 20-fold from 36 …

Politics Home Article | Departments Split On Size Of International Student Levy

Politics Home Article | Departments Split On Size Of International Student Levy

Published by Sam Flores

4 min read13 November Exclusive: There is disagreement within the government over how big the new levy on international students should be.  The proposed levy on international student income, announced as part of the government’s Immigration White Paper in May, would see universities taxed for each overseas student they enrol. Ministers are expected to use the new levy to fund the reintroduction of selective maintenance grants, announced by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at Labour Party conference in September, as well as the government’s skills agenda. The Labour government also wants to reduce net migration after high levels of legal immigration following the coronavirus pandemic.  When the policy was first announced, Labour MPs with universities in their constituencies expressed concern that it could exacerbate funding pressures facing higher education. While the levy was later all but confirmed as part of the Post-16 White Paper, the exact details of what form it will take are still being worked out, with more detail expected in the Autumn Budget later this month.  When first proposed, it was understood that the government was looking …