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The article discusses the reversal of a 2010 decision that found that Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, known as Virginia Tech, was in violation of the U.S. Cleary Act on campus-crime-reporting in its response to the shootings that occurred there on April 16, 2007. It examines the position of U.S. Department of Education administrative judge Ernest C. Canellos and comments on the impact of the shootings on law and policy in the U.S.

The article reports that a jury in the state of Virginia has ruled that the administration of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) was negligent in its actions regarding its reporting of information to students and faculty during an April 16, 2007 shooting on its campus. The civil lawsuit granted the families of Erin N. Peterson and Julia K. Pryde, both victims in the shootings, $4 million in damages. Comments regarding the verdict are provided by Virginia Tech president Charles W. Steger.

The article reports that nearly all of the families whose relatives were killed in a school shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007 have reached final settlements with the Commonwealth of Virginia that preclude their filing lawsuits alleging that the state or the university is to blame. The terms of the settlement offer the families financial compensation and other benefits, with each family receiving $100,000, additional compensation for medical and mental-health expenses, and meetings with state-government and university officials.

The article highlights news briefs related to athletics at Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama) and James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia). It is reported that an Auburn committee investigating whether two professors' independent-study classes propped up athletes has found that while the professors were excessively obliging to all students, the fraction of athletes who took courses from Thomas A. Petee and James E. Witte was still much larger than the proportion of athletes at the university over all. James Madison officials assert they were forced to cut 10 sports programs to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which requires institutions that receive federal funds to offer male and female students equal opportunities to participate in sports.

The article reports that Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg has sacked its troubled star quarterback, Marcus Vick. During the January 2 Gator Bowl against the University of Louisville, Vick stomped the leg of a downed opponent, a move that was scrutinized on television, criticized by fans and eventually labeled a willful act by Tech officials. University officials initially decided just to suspend the player for two games.

This article reports that Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, is granting its students new sartorial freedoms. The university's Student Government Association had proposed the changes on multiple occasions, and this time their requests were accepted by the administration. L. Mark Hine, vice president for student affairs said that the Liberty campus has grown by nearly a million square feet in the past year and it was time to make a more reasonable, more comfortable dress code for the students who are walking great distances for their classes. Incoming and returning students were informed of the amended dress code, which took effect immediately, via e-mail.