Schröder barely holds off "center-right" in German elections

Incumbent German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union coalition has won the general elections with a razor-thin majority. With 306 seats, Schröder edged the conservative opposition led by Edmund Stoiber and the liberal Free Democrats who could only muster 295 seats. Still, Schröder's coalition only garnered 47.1 percent of the vote, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Early Monday, Stoiber had claimed victory only to concede defeat later. The finish came after an election campaign that was dominated in its closing stages by divisions over Germany's stance on the U.S.'s planned military action towards Iraq. Stoiber accused Schröder of damaging relations with the U.S. but Stoiber seems to have suffered from Deputy Leader Juergen Moellemann's condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies. This led to accusations of anti-Semitism and calls for Moellemann's resignation, according to the BBC. The turnout was 79.1 percent, and the results will not be considered final until they are certified in about two weeks' time.

National: Washington, D.C.

Study finds big increase in minority enrollment in college

The number of minority students attending American colleges and universities jumped 48 percent in the 1990s according to the American Council on Education and The New York Times. All minorities experienced double-digit gains in college enrollment. However, among African Americans, more than 43 percent of women are attending college, while less than 34 percent of men are enrolled. The study also found that Latinos trailed whites and Asian Americans in graduation rates, according to The Times. The Council found that total minority enrollment in institutions of higher education had increased to four million in 1999 from 2.7 million in 1990, with gains of 68.3 percent among Latinos, 31.6 percent among African Americans and 58.9 percent among Asian Americans. Joseph Viteritti, professor of education at New York University, told The Times that the report's findings were "encouraging," but said he was troubled by graduation rates of 38 percent for African and Native American college students, and 46 percent for Latinos. "Even though they're getting into college at a higher rate," Viteritti said, "they're not getting out at the rate they should."

Local: Amherst, Massachusetts

Town officials meet to discuss destructive student parties

UMass and Amherst town officials met Monday night to address the issue of "massive student parties," according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette. The urgency of this discussion was emphasized over the weekend when town police had to break up a party at the Townhouse Apartments, which was attended by more than 1,000 UMass students. Eleven police officers arrived shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday in response to noise complaints, only to be pelted with bottles and cans. The officers worked for nearly three hours to disperse the students, according to The Gazette. Residents reported slashed tires, smashed windows and general destruction of property. "What really causes us concern is that the demeanor of the crowd was much more hostile to the police and to property," said Lieutenant Robert O'Connor to The Gazette. Amherst Police also expressed concern that this incident prevented timely police responses to other events Saturday night. Dealing with out-of-control student parties has been a constant discussion topic for the Problem-Solving Partnership, a five-year-old group of residents, business people, students and town, university and College officials.