A ‘Day of Action’ for Abortion Protections
"Plan B in vending machines. Free at-home pregnancy tests. Time off to get and recover from abortions. Better financial support for student parents. These are just a handful of the asks, both big and small, that students will make of their colleges and universities on Oct. 6. On what has been dubbed the Day of Action, students across the country plan to hold rallies, protests, strikes and other on-campus demonstrations that will call on university leadership to take steps to protect reproductive and transgender rights." – Inside Higher Ed, 10/5/22
Woke Capture at UT-Knoxville
"It’s by now a commonplace story: State universities in 'red' states, where most of the voters and legislators dislike progressive ideology, are being infiltrated by administrators and faculty who insist on implementing radically leftist policies and courses. ... Another state where this battle is being waged is Tennessee." – James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, 10/5/22
GRE Now Accepted at More Than Half of Law Schools
"The Graduate Record Examination is now accepted at 100 law schools, more than half of the 199 American law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. The Educational Testing Service first promoted the GRE for use in law school admissions in 2016, when the University of Arizona did so." – Inside Higher Ed, 10/5/22
Federal data change means colleges can’t count unfinished applications in admit rates
"A seemingly trivial tweak in how colleges report application numbers to the federal government could cause them to more closely scrutinize barriers, like fees, that make it hard for students to finish applying, enrollment experts say. In turn, this change could help demolish roadblocks that prevent historically underrepresented students from seeking a college education." – Higher Ed Dive, 10/5/22
‘Different Meanings’ or an ‘Attack on Students’?
"Faculty members at Lakeland Community College in Ohio are voicing opposition to a motion passed by the Board of Trustees to create a special committee of trustees to 'review equity, diversity, and inclusion language in Lakeland Community College’s plans and policies.' The motion passed with a 5-to-2 vote in early September." – Inside Higher Ed, 10/5/22
What colleges can learn from COVID-19 relief to improve other emergency aid programs
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, most colleges advertised emergency financial aid for students widely and repeatedly online. But some students were still unaware of the help that was available, according to new research from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and NASPA, a higher education association for student affairs administrators." – Higher Ed Dive, 10/5/22
NYU Professor Gets Canned for Doing His Job Too Well
"[O]rganic-chemistry professor and notorious medical-school dream-killer Maitland Jones Jr. was discharged from NYU after his students started a petition against him, claiming his course was too difficult. Yet he was doing what he was hired for: to teach organic chemistry by challenging students to go beyond their comfort zones. Jones’s termination is the academic equivalent of ochlocracy and should concern everyone who cares about the preservation of meritocratic excellence." – National Review, 10/4/22
Wisconsin group says Biden’s student debt plan has ‘improper racial motive’
"A group in Wisconsin claims President Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt violates federal law by intentionally seeking to narrow the racial wealth gap and help Black borrowers. The allegation is among the claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by conservative legal outfit Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of the Brown County Taxpayers Association." – Washington Post, 10/4/22
Ex-Northeastern Employee Charged Over Hoax Report of Explosive Device
"A former manager of new technology at Northeastern University in Boston was arrested on Tuesday and charged with making a false report that he had been injured when a suspicious package that he opened exploded inside a campus building last month, federal prosecutors said." – New York Times, 10/4/22
The Reckless Rankings Game
"Last month U.S. News & World Report released its 2023 college rankings. The most notable move belonged to Columbia University, which for decades had been steadily rising in the ranks toward the very top of the list. This year it tumbled from No. 2 to No. 18. That’s better than might have been expected." – Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/4/22
