Social controversy and legal ambivalence have been prevalent regarding homosexuality. Guardians of tradition, have all moved toward decriminalization in their own fashion. Yet this thrust has been halted by a recent Supreme Court decision. The homosexual may have to retreat to the closet unless renewal occurs. (Author)

The counselor needs to be in the forefront of child advocacy, interviewing on behalf of children who show possible symptoms of abuse or neglect. The counselor plays a vital role in conjunction with other persons in the medical and helping professions in identification, referral, and treatment of abused youth. (Author/PC)

This commentary reviews the history and ideology of nondisclosure, considers the realities of modern treatment and record-keeping, and describes the contemporary legal dilemma in this context. Model legislation is proposed to provide patients a property right of direct access to their records. (LBH)

To explore the general issue of reverse discrimination, this comment focuses primarily on preferential hiring practices that have been contested in the courts. (LBH)

Discusses the Buckley Amendment and its relationship to counselor's responsibilities around confidentiality. Problems arising from implementation of this law are discussed. Additional legislation is suggested with possible alternatives for counselors. Counselors' dilemma about permitting access to confidential information is stressed. (Author/MC)

Legal problems concerned with shoplifting suspects are addressed, including common law, criminal penalties, and the merchant's liability. Tangential questions and answers are presented along with discussion of pertinent court cases. (LBH)

Legal problems in the constitutional protection of the press are addressed in this commentary of the right to know. Emphasized are court rulings of prior constraint. The desirability of allowing courts to judge communications before they are made, at least as a matter of first amendment theory, is questioned. (LBH)

Although the Supreme Court has held that the fourteenth amendment guarantee of privacy extends to the woman a qualified right to decide with her physician whether to terminate her pregnancy, it did not rule on how this right would extend to minors or the father of the fetus. Available from: 57-59 Worth Street, New York, N.Y. 10013. (LBH)

Increasingly, in response to donor concerns, college fund raisers are purging from their files donor information that is not directly related to gifts and may be sensitive if released under subpoena for probate court or open-records laws. In some cases, the reduction in information makes fund raising more difficult. (MSE)

The intention of S.1090 is to improve the existing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but in its current form, it is technologically out of date, will burden the administrative process, and will delay disclosure. Examines general considerations for amendments, technology and information law, and technological and administrative problems with the…

This study, which evaluates the Benjamin Banneker Scholars Program, was undertaken in response to litigation challenging the University of Maryland's right to operate a scholarship reserved exclusively for high-achieving African Americans. Using varied data sources, the study found that the Banneker scholarship program continues to be necessary as…

Provides an overview of copyright regulations and examines issues of special concern for distance educators, including ambiguities in fair-use regulations. Notes rules concerning exclusive rights of copyrights holders, fair-use provisions, factors used to determine fair-use eligibility, and exemptions for "face-to-face" instruction. Provides…

Stanford University (California) restructured its legal services office, for both cost containment and service improvement, by outsourcing legal work. The new system consists of a smaller in-house legal staff, for largely preventive work (academic and medical affairs, policy formation), and contracts with three outside law firms to work in…

Advocates single-sex computer instruction as a temporary alternative educational program to provide middle school and secondary school girls with access to computers, to present girls with opportunities to develop positive attitudes towards technology, and to make available a learning environment conducive to girls gaining technological skills.…

Discusses Internet access and monitoring in light of H. G. Wells' idea of a world brain or encyclopedia, or mind of the species. Topics include the evolution and effects of Internet access, including employee productivity, network bandwidth, and legal liabilities or negative publicity; and Internet usage and security policy. (LRW)