Beyond Edinburgh

- A report on the prevention of hazing and a re-evaluation of the definition of such practices has been presented by the Committee of Hazing and Initiations at Yale University, Yale Daily News reports.

The committee was appointed in January to look into the practice of hazing within registered and unregistered undergraduate organisations, following a ritual by fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon last year where so-called pledges shouted “inflammatory remarks”.

The report recommends the forming of an inter-fraternity and sorority council to discuss “best practice” within the student organisations, and the establishing of a fund to encourage positive initiation traditions through workshops and team-building activities.

- A professor at Cambridge University has used astrological, theological and scientific evidence to determine what he argues is the true date of Easter.

According to Sir Colin Humphrey, the Last Supper took place on 1 April 33 AD, meaning ‘Maundy Thursday’ is in fact a Wednesday.

Prof. Humphrey claims to have set to rights the age-old question of why the dates differ between John’s Gospel and Matthew, Mark and Luke: it is because John, and Jesus, worked from an older calendar than the then-official Jewish one.

As a result of this year’s late Easter, many students are returning to university and the exam period with some reluctance after the holidays, having spent their time revising rather than hunting for Easter eggs.

Prof Humphrey was quoted in Varsity saying: “I just think it would be more convenient for general life if the date was fixed to the first Sunday in April.”

- Universities in Sweden geared up for Valborg last weekend, an annual celebration of the arrival of spring held on 30 April. Students across the country are thoroughly engaged in the festivities, especially at the more tradition-steeped universities.

At Uppsala University Valborg marks the day to don graduation caps, drink champagne and take part in a boat race where imaginative, homemade rafts compete in tackling Fyrisån’s falls.

Project manager for the race, Christoffer Lindqvist, was quoted in the university’s paper Ergo saying: “They will gather good speed, but if someone falls off, the divers won’t have any problems picking them up.”