the news in brief

(U-WIRE) PRINCETON, N.J. – Juicycampus.com was subpoenaed by New Jersey Attorney General Anne… (U-WIRE) PRINCETON, N.J. – Juicycampus.com was subpoenaed by New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram earlier this month. The attorney general’s office is investigating whether JuicyCampus – a gossip site on which students from 60 universities post anonymous comments – misrepresented itself to consumers and violated the Consumer Fraud Act.

The Consumer Fraud Act is a civil act that “deals with non-disclosures or erroneous information in terms of a commercial transaction,” said Bill Potter, a partner at the Princeton-based law firm Potter ‘ Dickson. A violation of the Consumer Fraud Act warrants a civil penalty of up to $10,000 and subsequent violations carry a penalty of $20,000.

“What we’re seeking is factual information about the operation of the website and how it honors its representation,” said Jeff Lamm, a spokesman for the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

“We are currently not commenting on this matter,” said Brianne Pins, account supervisor for 5W Public Relations, JuicyCampus’ public relations firm.

There are several questions that the attorney general’s office wants addressed, Lamm noted. “[JuicyCampus] say[s] that if there’s something egregious, someone can file a complaint,” Lamm said. “When we went to the site, we don’t see that.”

JuicyCampus’ terms and conditions outlaw posting content that “is unlawful, threatening, abusive, tortious, defamatory, obscene, libelous or invasive of another’s privacy,” according to the site. Lamm noted, however, that the website includes “no mechanism for complaints to be reported.”

The site additionally forbids users younger than 18 to participate without a signed parental consent form, but the attorney general’s office questioned whether this is strictly enforced. Milgram also asked in the subpoena to explain how it confirms the university affiliations of people who are posting and how the website chooses its “supported campuses.”

In addition to the subpoena of Lime Blue, the owner of JuicyCampus, Milgram subpoenaed AdBrite, a company that advertises on the site, and Google, which only stopped advertising on JuicyCampus in February. – Kate Benner, The Daily Princetonian

(U-WIRE) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Whatever your major might be, there are some things about classes you can’t get around. Taking notes is done in different ways – with a keyboard, with a pen or there could even be a highlighter involved. In any case, notes are taken all around campus in a wide variety of subjects. What if all of those notes could be compiled into one resource available to all students?

That is the basic idea behind the new website schoology.com, which was launched last month by four students at Washington University in St. Louis. The site pays students to upload their notes and allows other students to download them free of charge.

“We tried to come up with a collaborative environment to bring together students and teachers in an online venue where they can find academic resources to their specific needs,” said Jeremy Friedman, junior at Washington University in St. Louis and co-founder of schoology.com.

The site allows users to search through all the uploaded notes or to filter them by school. Schoology uses 90 percent of its advertising revenue to pay students for uploading their notes, rather than paying them by charging other students to download those notes. The amount a student receives is determined by how many times his notes are downloaded.

Users can also register as tutors and set a rate by the minute. Friedman said that about one in five users on the site is also registered as a tutor. Schoology has users at more than 60 colleges across the country. The site also makes money by taking a cut of what the tutors earn on the site. While anyone can register to be a tutor, users can talk with the tutors before they decide if they want to pay for their services. – Phil Collins, Daily Illini (U. Illinois)

(U-WIRE) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A number of states are working to restrict the use of what is currently a legal hallucinogen, and proposed legislation could add Pennsylvania to the list.

Eight states have restricted the use of Salvia divinorum, and 16 have considered a ban, according to The Associated Press.

State House Rep. Karen Beyer, R-Lehigh/Northampton, introduced last year one of three bills that would restrict the substance, according to www.legis.state.pa.us.

Beyer said salvia is not well known but that it could become a greater problem if more concentrated forms are developed. The bill is still under the Judiciary Committee in the state House, she said. If the bill is not signed into law by November, it would need to be reintroduced next year.

Bernie Kieklak, chief of staff for Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, said another proposed bill to make salvia illegal has not moved from the Judiciary Committee to which it was referred nearly a year ago.

The suicide of a teenager who used the substance near Boscola’s district prompted Boscola to draft this legislation, Kieklak said.

According to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) website, Salvia divinorium could also be known as salvia, Sally-D, Magic Mint, Diviner’s Sage, Sage of Seers and Maria Pastora.

According to the website, salvia’s effects alter perceptions of bright lights, vivid colors and shapes.

Other effects include dysphoria, uncontrolled laughter, a sense of loss of body, overlapping realities and hallucinations. Adverse physical effects may include loss of coordination, dizziness and slurred speech, according to the site. – Mandy Hofmockel, Daily Collegian (Penn State)