News In Brief

SORRY, YOU'LL HAVE TO STAY

Many top colleges employ the principle of educational darwinism - only the smartest survive. Then there's La Sapienza University in Rome. It kept a student from taking her final exams because she was "too clever." Incoronata Boccia, a media studies major, completed her five-year program three years ahead of schedule. Although she averaged a 29 score - out of a possible 30 - on her 26 mandatory tests, the school's administration is refusing to let her finish before the five years are up. Her lawyer is appealing the university's decision.

SO, ANY MORE QUESTIONS?

Speaking of whiz kids, Chris Walsh was only 3 when he first demonstrated his skill at mathematics. Thirteen years later, the Niskayuna, N.Y., high school junior achieved a rare academic feat: He earned perfect scores on both the SAT and ACT college entrance tests. The College Board, which administers the SAT, said "only three or four students" have done that in the past decade.

Workers regularly purge e-mail accounts, survey finds

In the space of just a few years, e-mail has revolutionized communication in the workplace. Vault.com, an online resource for career information, recently surveyed 1,000 people - mostly US employees - to gauge attitudes about this phenomenon. Following are some of the survey's questions, and the percentage of respondents who answered yes to each:

Do you regularly delete your e-mails? 83%

For the majority of your business correspondence, has e-mail replaced snail mail? 80%

Do you have a separate account for personal e-mails? (e.g. Hotmail, Yahoo) 79%

Does e-mail increase/improve communication with your boss? 70%

Are there people with whom you communicate strictly via e-mail? 66%

Do you think the tone of your e-mails is sometimes misunderstood? 51%

Are you worried about your employer monitoring your e-mails? 42%

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