News Related to Higher Education and LGBTQIA+ Stakeholders
Below are archived, still relevant, articles from August - December 2022.
Highlighted Articles Page
Some news has greater potential implications for NMU students and/or the NMU community. The highlighted stories at this link are included in the comprehensive list, but are pulled out on a page to help folks at NMU find the most important and useful news reports with local implications.
Recent Articles Page
The Aftermath of Tenure Denial: A Professor Recounts What a Tenure Denial Did to Him
December 12, 2022
"Here I am, someone who’s an immigrant to the United States, someone who grew up in dire poverty, who just happened to find a way to come to this country, who lived in New York City undocumented for nearly a decade before I actually was able to go to school and get my Ph.D. Someone who has an accent, someone who has an identity of a gay person and a gender nonconforming person, who lives those identities very openly. The whole impostor syndrome thing is very real when you are different from anyone who can actually help you. It’s a terrible blow to your self-esteem because you’re appealing to administrators who — it’s almost like they’re making fun of you. They’re listening to you, but it’s so condescending. They really don’t get who you are, and they see you as so much less than they are."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-aftermath-of-a-tenure-denial
Many LGBTQ+ college students feel the weight of a national pile-up of negativity: Queer and transgender college students struggle to cope with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, rhetoric and violence
December 9, 2022
"Though few pieces of legislation and acts of violence targeted higher education directly, experts say LGBTQ+ college students are suffering from the national pile-up of negativity. "
More at The Hechinger Report at https://hechingerreport.org/many-lgbtq-college-students-feel-the-weight-of-a-national-pile-up-of-negativity/
Being Urgent: A Manifesto of Student Rights: The proliferation of legislative efforts to impose educational gag orders must be understood urgently—and centrally—as a violation of student rights, Maureen E. Ruprecht Fadem writes.
December 8, 2022
"Most target teaching and learning about topics related to race and, increasingly, gender and sexuality. While most target K-12 education, an increasing number concern colleges and universities."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/12/08/educational-gag-orders-are-student-rights-issue-opinion
Grand Valley State Earns NCAA 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Award
December 8, 2022
"One of the best examples of the athletics department's commitment to an inclusive environment is the Laker Inclusion Team. Created to initiate meaningful and measurable action that enhances diversity, equity and inclusion within the athletics department and campus community, the team developed an impact plan with six main points:.... 4. Remain student-led, student-driven and intentionally responsive to the unique needs of student-athletes and staff around issues related to racism, anti-LGBTQ biases and other oppressions."
More at Athletic Business at www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/governing-bodies/article/15304111/grand-valley-state-earns-ncaa-2023-diversity-and-incl
A Chill at BYU: Faculty members are being let go from Brigham Young University, and an opaque new office of the LDS church is apparently calling the shots. A common thread is LGBTQ issues.
December 1, 2022
"Two faculty members at Brigham Young University’s Idaho campus say they were suddenly told they can’t work there anymore. While the reason for the nonrenewals remains obscure, the professors both believe they were rejected for questioning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ stance on homosexuality."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/12/01/new-church-office-cutting-faculty-members-brigham-young
KS Supreme Court Justice Stegall leaves KU, cites uproar over conservative campus speaker
Updated November 30, 2022
"The organization has taken on cases seeking to block transgender athletes from competing in girls sports and supporting businesses that deny service to LGBTQ customers."
More at The Kansas City Star at www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article269399522.html
‘Private Little Hell’: A Florida committee once hunted for gay people in its universities. Sixty years later, the effects linger.
November 28, 2022
"In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a group of Florida lawmakers commonly known as the Johns Committee scoured public universities for any evidence of homosexuality. Students were plied for information on their peers and instructors. Professors were pressured into spilling intimate details of their sex lives under oath."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/private-little-hell
Biology Professor Reportedly Told to Stop Teaching Gender
November 17, 2022
"The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and PEN America are demanding answers from Valdosta State University over reports that it told a professor of biology to change how she teaches sex and gender following a parent complaint."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/11/17/biology-professor-reportedly-told-stop-teaching-gender
Anti-LGBTQ+ Hiring Policies Prompt Lower Bond Rating for SPU
November 17, 2022
"The Board of Trustees at Seattle Pacific University has been under fire for months for refusing to budge on a policy that bars hiring openly LGBTQ+ individuals, despite widespread opposition across campus. Now that stance, and the fallout, have led S&P Global to lower its bond rating for SPU."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/11/17/anti-lgbtq-hiring-policies-prompt-lower-bond-rating-spu
Affirming LGBTQ Rights—at a Cost: Eastern University says it will now hire LGBTQ employees, risking its membership in prominent group for Christian colleges.
November 16, 2022
"Eastern University’s membership in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities is on hold, following changes to Eastern’s stance on hiring LGBTQ employees."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/11/16/eastern-u-hold-christian-council-over-lgbtq-stance
Gettysburg Postpones Event Critical of ‘White Cis Men’
November 15, 2022
"An event at Gettysburg College promoted as being for people 'tired of white cis men' was postponed after prompting widespread criticism, according to The Washington Examiner."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/11/15/gettysburg-postpones-event-critical-%E2%80%98white-cis-men%E2%80%99
Deeply Divided: Yeshiva University announced plans to start a new LGBTQ club while continuing its legal battle with the existing one. The ordeal gets at bigger questions roiling the Orthodox campus about who has a right to decide how LGBTQ students gather.
November 7, 2022
"A recent move by the Yeshiva University administration has revealed fractures among students, faculty and staff members regarding what LGBTQ inclusion on campus should look like and who has the right to decide."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/11/07/yeshiva-university-announces-lgbtq-club-amid-lawsuit
Calvin Permits Faculty to Dissent From Antigay Views
November 4, 2022
"The board of Calvin University, a college in Michigan owned by the Christian Reformed Church, said last week that faculty members could dissent from a clause in a confession of faith that regards sex outside of heterosexual marriage as sinful, the Religion News Service reported."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/11/04/calvin-permits-faculty-dissent-antigay-views
What a 1960s housewife Can Teach Us About Politics in Higher Ed: Decades later, the boundaries of academic freedom are still not settled.
November 3, 2022
"Some professors suspected of having engaged in homosexual activity were forced out of the University of Florida. The academic climate in the state chilled considerably."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/what-a-1960s-housewife-can-teach-us-about-politics-in-higher-ed
Board of trustees retains faculty who disagree with CRCNA on LGBTQ+ relationships
November 1, 2022
"Calvin’s board of trustees decided last Friday to approve the Professional Status Committee (PSC)’s recommendation to retain all faculty in the 'pioneer cohort' — a group of faculty who were the first to file statements of confessional difficulty in response to decisions made at Synod in June. The statements were prompted by the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA)’s decision to elevate its stance on LGBTQ+ relationships to confessional status."
More at Chimes at https://calvinchimes.org/2022/11/01/board-of-trustees-retains-faculty-who-disagree-with-crcna-on-lgbtq-relationships/
Why Do We Hate Each Other?: Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, are on a multidisciplinary mission to determine why people feel hatred.
October 26, 2022
“'We recognized that Islamophobia was a prevalent force in American society, and that was also worthy of study,' Myers said. 'And then we thought about the persistence of anti-Black racism in the United States and anti-LGBTQ expression. Later came a significant uptick in anti-Asian expression and violence. And I think we had the sense that there’s really, sadly, an unending series of case studies that could be included in our research undertaking.'”
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/10/26/ucla-launches-new-initiative-study-hate
‘Alternative’ or ‘Sham’? Yeshiva U. Created a New LGBTQ Club — but Won’t Recognize the One That Sued
October 24, 2022
"Yeshiva University on Monday announced the creation of a new undergraduate student club 'for LGBTQ students striving to live authentic Torah lives.' Yeshiva’s move is the latest in an escalating legal battle between former students and the Modern Orthodox Jewish university, which reached the U.S. Supreme Court last month."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/alternative-or-sham-yeshiva-u-created-a-new-lgbtq-club-but-wont-recognize-the-one-that-sued
The postdoc shining a light on the plight of China’s gay scholars: Coming out becoming ‘increasingly risky’ on Chinese campuses, says academic who left the country
October 14, 2022
"As Beijing cracks down on expressions of homosexuality, Western academics must be made aware of the plight of their gay colleagues in China, according to one of the few scholars studying the topic."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/postdoc-shining-light-plight-chinas-gay-scholars
Or at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/10/20/scholar-focuses-lgbtq-chinas-universities
Transgender students fear being ‘deadnamed’ at college: While colleges may let students update their names on records, some require it to match their legal names
October 14, 2022
"Universities across the country have varying policies on how they identify students by name or pronouns, and some have begun to review their rules in recent years. For some students, including those who are transgender and nonbinary, the process to be correctly identified can be daunting."
More at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/10/14/trans-students-fear-deadnaming-schools/
College GOP President Resigns Over Hateful Instagram Posts
October 14, 2022
"The president of the College Republicans at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse has resigned from her post after other members of the student organization posted antisemitic and homophobic messages on the group’s Instagram, Madison365 reported."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/10/14/college-gop-president-resigns-over-hateful-instagram-posts
The Inquisition: State intrusion on higher ed is nothing new. Decades ago, Florida lawmakers tried to purge campus 'immorality.'
October 11, 2022
"Some of their questions revealed how little committee members understood or cared to understand about homosexuality. Being gay was thought of as a sickness that could infect other people, says D’Emilio, the University of Illinois at Chicago scholar. Much of the information collected by the committee reflected the era’s stereotypes. An undergrad implicated a professor because of 'the way he carries himself,' such as wearing Bermuda shorts and French berets. Though, the student allowed, the man might 'just be eccentric.'”
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-inquisition
Professor Won’t Be Replaced for Statements on Gender
October 10, 2022
"The University of Southern Maine will not remove Christy Hammer from teaching a graduate class in education because she told the class that there are only two sexes, The Bangor Daily News reported."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/10/10/professor-won%E2%80%99t-be-replaced-statements-gender
Legal ruling may signal trouble for Biden’s Title IX plan, LGBTQ guidance: Judge rules against policies based on Bostock v. Clayton County, a case the White House used to support Education Department regulations.
October 7, 2022
"Some legal experts say a new federal court ruling striking down pro-LGBTQ employment policies from the Biden administration may spell trouble for similar guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and its mammoth regulatory proposal on Title IX. "
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/legal-ruling-may-signal-trouble-for-bidens-title-ix-plan-lgbtq-guidance/633458/
Fraternity Members Spray Bigoted Graffiti in Hazing Ritual
October 6, 2022
"Over the weekend, members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Illinois State University vandalized three other fraternity houses with anti-LGBTQ slurs, WGLT.org reported."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/10/06/fraternity-members-spray-bigoted-graffiti-hazing-ritual
ISU condemns frat hazing that turns into bigoted vandalism
October 4, 2022
"Members of the fraternity Kappa Sigma vandalized three other houses over the weekend (Tri Sigma, Alpha Sigma, and Acacia House), according to the dean's office. Fraternity members spray painted derogatory slurs directed at LGBTQ+ people on the buildings."
More at WGLT, NPR from Illinois State University at www.wglt.org/local-news/2022-10-04/isu-condemns-frat-hazing-that-turns-into-bigoted-vandalism
Instructor on Leave After Blaming Satan for Pride Event
September 30, 2022
"Wallace State Community College in Alabama put an instructor of history on leave, according to a CBS42 report about the instructor’s social media comments condemning a local LGBTQ pride event."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/30/instructor-leave-after-blaming-satan-pride-event
University of Michigan named a national ‘Best of the Best’ LGBTQ-friendly campus
September 30, 2022
"The University of Michigan has been named one of the country’s 'Best of the Best' schools by Campus Pride for establishing a safe and welcoming campus for its LGBTQ community members."
More at All About Ann Arbor at www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-arbor/2022/09/30/university-of-michigan-named-a-national-best-of-the-best-lgbtq-friendly-campus/
LGBTQ students with campus mental health services have lower suicide attempt rates, survey finds
September 29, 2022
"LGBTQ students with access to mental health services through their colleges were 84% less likely to attempt suicide in the past year than their counterparts that went without. "
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/lgbtq-students-with-campus-mental-health-services-have-lower-suicide-attemp/633019/
Survey: Campus Supports Help Save LGBTQ+ Lives: New research by the Trevor Project shows that LGBTQ+ students are at significantly lower risk of suicide if their college offers mental health and LGBTQ+-specific resources.
September 29, 2022
"LGBTQ+ college students with access to mental health and LGBTQ+-specific services through their institution are significantly less likely to seriously consider or attempt suicide, according to a new survey by the Trevor Project."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/29/mental-health-supports-reduce-suicidality-lgbtq-students
Alabama college instructor allegedly called for anti-LGBT rally, placed on leave
September 28, 2022
"A Wallace State Community College instructor is on leave after the employee allegedly made homophobic and racist remarks on social media."
More at AL.com at https://www.al.com/news/2022/09/alabama-college-instructor-allegedly-called-for-anti-lgbt-rally-placed-on-leave.html
Attack on Vanderbilt Clinic Has Ripple Effects: Vanderbilt’s transgender health clinic isn't the first to be targeted by right-wing media. The same tactics have made fear and risk an inextricable part of a field that already has access challenges.
September 26, 2022
"Haller said the culture war on transgender health has had a repressive impact on expanding access to this kind of care, however effective it’s proven to be."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/26/trans-health-clinic-weathers-political-firestorm
A Show of Solidarity: Faculty members back a K-12 teacher who distributed a list of terms about race and gender to high school students. Some say more of this kind of allyship is needed as public education faces divisive concepts and book bans amid teacher shortages.
September 26, 2022
"Professors at Southern Connecticut State University are rallying behind a local teacher investigated for sharing a list of terms about race and gender with 10th-grade students."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/26/professors-support-k-12-teacher-investigated-race-lesson
When to Move the Annual Meeting: As discriminatory state laws proliferate, higher ed associations need policies to guide decisions on whether to relocate the annual meeting, Erin Hennessy writes.
September 22, 2022
"As bills hostile to LGBTQ communities, people of color and women continue to proliferate, associations will increasingly face challenges as they navigate the legislative landscape. The uptick in these discriminatory laws at the state level flies in the face of the values and missions of many higher education organizations. Deciding where to host an annual national conference—and if or when to relocate—has become a much weightier and costlier decision, and one that is going to continue to surface for associations."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/09/22/when-should-associations-move-annual-meeting-opinion
Yeshiva University will restart clubs without recognizing LGBTQ organization
September 22, 2022
"Yeshiva University plans to soon restart clubs after reaching an agreement with a group that wants it to recognize a student LGBTQ organization, the university’s lawyers said Thursday."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/yeshiva-university-will-restart-clubs-without-recognizing-lgbtq-organizatio/632472/
Right-Wing Posts Target Trans Health Clinic at Vanderbilt
September 22, 2022
"Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Clinic for Transgender Health is the latest trans health-care provider to be targeted by right-wing activists."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/22/right-wing-posts-target-trans-health-clinic-vanderbilt
Montana Judge Strikes Down Trans College Sports Ban
September 21, 2022
"A Montana judge has ruled that three state laws passed during the 2021 legislative session cannot be enforced on college campuses due to a constitutional conflict."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/21/montana-judge-strikes-down-trans-college-sports-ban
Samford U Students Protest Exclusion of Pro-LGBTQ Clergy
September 21, 2022
"Dozens of Samford University students stood in silence for an hour Wednesday to protest the university’s exclusion of pro-LGBTQ churches."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/21/samford-u-students-protest-exclusion-pro-lgbtq-clergy
When Building a Diverse Leadership, Emphasize Culture, Not Quotas
September 21, 2022
"One of the 10 Action Steps Toward Racial Justice was establishment of a senior-level position focused on inclusion and equity. Shaya Gregory Poku, associate vice president for institutional equity and belonging, joined a cabinet whose members are now 50 percent female-identifying and 40 percent minority. Since 2017, Wheaton has also hired an LGBTQ-plus engagement coordinator, an interfaith-engagement coordinator, and a director for its Center for Social Justice and Community Impact."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/report/free/emphasize-culture-not-quotas
The Supreme Court Ordered Yeshiva U. to Recognize an LGBTQ Group. Then Things Took a Turn.
September 21, 2022
"The LGBTQ student group embroiled in a legal battle with Yeshiva University said on Wednesday that it would temporarily step back from seeking official recognition after the campus suspended all undergraduate club activity last week. That drastic step came in response to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court ordering the Modern Orthodox Jewish university to recognize the group while the university appeals a recent Supreme Court of New York State ruling against it."
More at Chronicle of Higher Ed at www.chronicle.com/article/the-supreme-court-ordered-yeshiva-u-to-recognize-an-lgbtq-group-then-things-took-a-turn
Gwinn School Board discusses pride flag ban
September 20, 2022
"The Gwinn Area School Board is discussing a new flag policy that would ban gay pride flags from classrooms."
More at TV6 at www.uppermichiganssource.com/2022/09/20/gwinn-school-board-discusses-pride-flag-ban/
Yeshiva U Suspends All Student Groups to Avoid Recognizing Gay Group
September 19, 2022
"Yeshiva University on Friday suspended all student groups, The New York Times reported. The move was in response to the Supreme Court lifting a stay of an order that Yeshiva recognize a gay student organization."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/19/yeshiva-u-suspends-all-student-groups-avoid-recognizing-gay-group
Yeshiva University shelves undergraduate clubs instead of recognizing LGBTQ group during legal battle
September 19, 2022
"Yeshiva University shut down all undergraduate clubs last week rather than recognize an LGBTQ club, a move coming after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to immediately intercede in a case pitting New York City human rights law against religious freedom."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/yeshiva-university-shelves-undergraduate-clubs-instead-of-recognizing-lgbtq/632171/
Seattle Pacific University staffer tells Christian campus: ‘I am a lesbian’
September 16, 2022
"Holt is among 16 staff, faculty, students and alumni who filed suit this week, claiming a group of trustees backing the policy is violating their fiduciary duty and pushing the school to the brink of ruin as it loses students, faculty, staff and dissenting board members."
More at The Seattle Times at www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/09/19/new-study-asks-what-high-school-students-think-liberal-arts
Yeshiva University Halts All Student Clubs to Block L.G.B.T.Q. Group: Earlier in the week, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a ruling to stand for now that required the university to recognize the group.
September 16, 2022
"Yeshiva University abruptly announced on Friday that it had placed all undergraduate club activities on hold, the latest maneuver in the legal battle by the Modern Orthodox Jewish institution to keep from recognizing an L.G.B.T.Q. student group."
More at The New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/nyregion/yeshiva-university-lgbt-student-clubs.html
The Title IX Comments Are In. Here Are 3 Things to Know.
September 15, 2022
"The Biden administration’s proposed rule would broaden the definition of sexual harassment, which was narrowed under the Trump administration’s interpretation. It would also codify rights for LGBTQ students by including protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as 'sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, [and] pregnancy or related conditions.'”
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-title-ix-comments-are-in-here-are-3-things-to-know
The public comment period for Biden’s Title IX proposal is over. What’s next?: The draft received more than 200,000 comments, about double the number received for the rule Betsy DeVos moved through the regulatory process.
September 15, 2022
"Nearly three dozen Republican lawmakers told the Education Department they believe the Title IX proposal is inconsistent with current law, largely homing in on how the plan would cement LGBTQ protections. Under the proposal, attacks on students’ gender identity and sexual orientation would constitute discrimination under Title IX."
"The proposal would also give colleges flexibility to pick a standard of evidence to determine a case, offer LGBTQ and pregnant students new protections under Title IX, and expand the definition of sexual harassment."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/the-public-comment-period-for-bidens-title-ix-proposal-is-over-whats-nex/631847/
With monkeypox, California colleges seek to control spread of two diseases at once
September 15, 2022
"Those include laboratory workers who perform monkeypox testing, people who have been in close contact with a positive case and men or trans people who have sex with men, a group that has been disproportionately affected by the disease. Similar groups of students would likely be prioritized on other campuses throughout the state, as vaccines become available."
More at Cal Matters at https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat-higher-education/2022/09/monkeypox-california-colleges/
Researchers are wounded in academia’s gender wars: The toxic dispute over the rights of transgender people and how freely these matters should be discussed remains academia’s most divisive issue. Laura Favaro explains what she learned from speaking to both sides
September 15, 2022
"But the topic seemed too important to ignore. In recent times, it has moved from Twitter (where it now trends almost daily) to the centre-stage of politics; would Liz Truss have been elected as the new Conservative Party leader by Tory MPs and party members without her consistent opposition to gender self-identification? Nowhere is the debate more febrile, however, than academia. It has ended friendships, research collaborations and even academic careers."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/researchers-are-wounded-academias-gender-wars
Yeshiva University must recognize LGBTQ club for now after Supreme Court backs out of case
September 15, 2022
"A New York court’s order telling Yeshiva University to recognize an LGBTQ club is back in effect after the U.S. Supreme Court declined Wednesday to continue a temporary pause of a lower court’s ruling."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/yeshiva-university-must-recognize-lgbtq-club-for-now-after-supreme-court-ba/631914/
Supreme Court Rejects Stay for Yeshiva U
September 15, 2022
"The Supreme Court lifted a stay of an order that Yeshiva University had to recognize an LGBTQ student group, the YU Pride Alliance. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Friday granted the stay but referred the case to the full Supreme Court. A New York judge had ruled that Yeshiva had to recognize the group last year."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/15/supreme-court-rejects-stay-yeshiva-u
Pro-LGBTQ Clergy Unwelcome at Samford: The Baptist university uninvited churches that support LGBTQ rights from participating in a campus ministry event.
September 15, 2022
"A group of Samford University alumni are calling out their alma mater after the Alabama institution’s administrators excluded two local churches from its annual campus ministry fair because of their support of same-sex marriage. Leaders of the alumni organization, which supports and advocates for LGBTQ students at Samford, say the recent actions by the university indicate that it is becoming more conservative."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/15/samford-drops-lgbtq-affirming-denominations-campus
New Title IX Rules Get 235,000 Comments: A step forward or backward? Title IX public comments show deep divisions.
September 14, 2022
"Cardona proposed significant changes to those regulations earlier this summer that would once again change how colleges investigate reports of sexual assault, make it easier for victims to report sexual harassment, end the requirement for live hearings and expand protections for LGBTQ+ students, among other changes."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/14/thousands-weigh-new-title-ix-rules
Lawsuit seeks ouster of Seattle Pacific trustees, interim president over anti-LGBTQ hiring policy
September 13, 2022
"Six Seattle Pacific University trustees — including the interim president — breached fiduciary duty by placing their religious beliefs above their responsibility to steward the Christian institution when they preserved an anti-LGBTQ hiring policy, alleges a lawsuit filed Monday."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/lawsuit-seeks-ouster-of-seattle-pacific-trustees-interim-president-over-an/631771/
A Religious University Is ‘Imploding’ Thanks to Its Anti-LGBTQ Hiring Policy, Lawsuit Says
September 13, 2022
"The lawsuit accuses Seattle Pacific University’s interim president and five of its current and former trustees of preserving a policy that bans people in same-sex relationships from being hired for full-time jobs — a guideline that has been widely criticized on campus. The policy in question states that employees are expected to refrain from 'cohabitation, extramarital sexual activity, and same-sex sexual activity.'”
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/a-religious-university-is-imploding-thanks-to-anti-lgbtq-hiring-policy-lawsuit-says
Monkeypox Infections Reported by Colleges Raise Concerns of Campus Spread
September 12, 2022
"With about 20,000 cases, the US outbreak of monkeypox is the world’s biggest, spreading through intimate contact mainly among men who have sex with men. While global rates have shown signs of cooling, dropping 21% in the week ended Aug. 21, concerns about the US outbreak are cresting as students return to school, ready to meet and form new relationships."
More at Bloomberg at www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-12/monkeypox-on-campus-reports-raise-concerns-about-fall-semester-spread
Supreme Court says Yeshiva University does not have to recognize LGBTQ student club for now
September 12, 2022
"Yeshiva University will not be required to recognize an LGBTQ student club while it appeals a trial court’s ruling in a case that pits New York City’s human rights law against religious protections."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/supreme-court-says-yeshiva-university-does-not-have-to-recognize-lgbtq-stud/631678/
Yeshiva U Wins Gay-Rights Case, for Now: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor rules that the university need not recognize an LGBTQ organization.
September 12, 2022
"Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ruled Friday that Yeshiva University may—for now—refuse to recognize a LGBTQ student group, the YU Pride Alliance."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/12/yeshiva-wins-stay-order-it-recognize-gay-group
The Mindset List: Marist College releases annual list of what freshmen know (and what they don’t know).
September 8, 2022
"Diversity, equity and inclusion: The Class of 2026 is the first cohort in recent memory for whom knowledge about a diverse country and world is actually regressing. Thirty-five states have recently introduced and/or passed legislation to either ban or censor teaching about race, sexual orientation, gender identity and American history in schools."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/08/what-years-freshmen-know-and-dont-know
In Tenn., a Lawmaker Tells Colleges to Scrub References to Gay and Transgender Rights Under Title IX
September 7, 2022
"A tug of war over gay and transgender rights has escalated across Tennessee in recent weeks as public universities statewide respond to a lawmaker’s letter telling them to scrub references to Title IX protections for these groups from their policies and websites."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/in-tenn-a-lawmaker-tells-colleges-to-scrub-references-to-gay-and-transgender-rights-under-title-ix
Tenn. Lawmaker Tells Universities to Suspend LGBTQ+ Policies
September 1, 2022
"A Tennessee state lawmaker has ordered state universities to suspend policies that designate LGBTQ+ students as a protected class, the Tennessee Lookout reported."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/01/tenn-lawmaker-tells-universities-suspend-lgbtq-policies
Government Operations chair tells universities to drop LGBTQ policies
AUGUST 30, 2022
"The House chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Government Operations Committee is unilaterally ordering state universities to suspend any policies making LGBTQ students a protected class amid federal litigation."
More at Tennessee Lookout at https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/08/30/government-operations-chair-tells-universities-to-drop-lgbtq-policies/
University of Michigan, Oakland University among most LGBTQ-friendly campuses in nation: Universities make Campus Pride’s 2022 ‘Best of the Best’ list for LGBTQ students
August 30, 2022
"Two Metro Detroit universities are being recognized for having some of the most LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices in the state and in the nation."
More at WDIV at www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2022/08/30/university-of-michigan-oakland-university-among-most-lgbtq-friendly-campuses-in-nation/
How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive
Reposted August 29, 2022
"The Safe Zone Project, a free online source of curricula and other activities related to LGBTQ identities, gender, and sexuality."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-make-your-teaching-more-inclusive/
Is There a Place for LGBTQ+ Students in Greek Life?: A nonbinary student failed to win acceptance into a University of Alabama sorority. Experts say Greek life has made progress on LGBTQ+ inclusion, but membership selection remains fraught.
August 25, 2022
"With Sikes out, the question of inclusivity in Greek life—a culture known for exclusivity—looms. Where do nonbinary and transgender individuals fit in a world that thrives on distinguishing males from females? How are fraternities and sororities approaching the era of gender fluidity?"
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/08/25/bama-rush-spotlights-lgbtq-inclusion-greek-life
Former Troy U Football Player Sues Teammate for Assault
August 24, 2022
"The lawsuit alleges that Dawson—who was also Haynes’s suite mate at the Troy, Ala., university—repeatedly abused and bullied Haynes, subjecting him to verbal homophobic harassment and slurs as well as 'molestation and violence.'"
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/08/24/former-troy-u-football-player-sues-teammate-assault
Not All College Presidents Are Straight White Men: We’ve failed to recognize LGBTQ presidents for the diversity they bring to campus.
August 23, 2022
"With all the talk about diversity and inclusion, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexually-identifying college presidents still go largely unrecognized by national organizations. And so, many LGBTQIA+ presidents like myself feel as if we are similarly seen as rare creatures — highly conspicuous and yet still invisible entities on campus."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/not-all-college-presidents-are-straight-white-men
Pressure Over Trans Activist: U of California, Santa Cruz, faces online mobbing over a trans student’s controversial activism.
August 19, 2022
"A conservative commentator is pressuring the University of California, Santa Cruz, to respond to his complaints about a Ph.D. candidate and trans activist there. And he’s urging his more than one million followers to do the same, prompting concerns about targeted harassment of the graduate student, Eli Erlick."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/08/19/uc-santa-cruz-grad-student-targeted-trans-activism
Monkeypox alarms US university campuses: College leaders wary of limited vaccines, Covid exhaustion and LGBTQ stigmatisation in an environment ripe for spreading, though serious harm judged unlikely
August 18, 2022
"US universities are entering the autumn semester with limited medical tools against an expected spread of monkeypox, relying instead on student awareness and caution as their best option for avoiding major outbreaks."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/monkeypox-alarms-us-university-campuses
State Gag Order Bills Increase for Higher Ed
August 18, 2022
"The bills generally focus on race and ban the teaching, for example, of critical race theory. But more bills would ban things related to LGBTQ issues. Last year, five bills banned these teachings, but this year 23 did so."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/08/18/state-gag-order-bills-increase-higher-ed
Our Students Don’t Need Identitarian Paternalism: Colleges have co-opted queer mentorship.
August 18, 2022
"My point is not that the contemporary university is becoming, in the guise of a progressive secular morality organized around care for and affirmation of 'identities,' its own sort of church. But the university’s occasionally churchy tone does reveal the common participation of ecclesiastical, pedagogical, and other American institutions in a new way of managing the self."
More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/our-students-dont-need-identitarian-paternalism
State educational gag orders targeting colleges are on the rise, report finds
August 17, 2022
"Conservative policymakers across the U.S. have started limiting what can be addressed in the classroom or presented in libraries, mostly going after curricula centered on race, diversity and inclusion and history behind those topics. They’ve also railed against education on gender, sexuality and LGBTQ issues."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/state-educational-gag-orders-targeting-colleges-are-on-the-rise-report-fin/629782/
Make Title IX Policies More Student-Friendly: New research finds students aren’t able to comprehend typical Title IX policies. Here’s why that’s a problem, Laura Beth Nielsen and Kat Albrecht write.
August 15, 2022
"That leaves a lot of students in the dark. Reliable ongoing research continues to find that one in four female undergraduates will be sexually assaulted during their college years, while one in 15 male students will be as well. LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming students are at an increased risk compared to their heterosexual, gender-conforming classmates."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/08/15/title-ix-policies-must-be-more-student-friendly-opinion
Colleges warn students about monkeypox risk as fall term approaches: A virus spread through intimate contact could pose a significant threat to people on campuses
August 13, 2022
"One by one, cases of the painful viral infection popped up this summer at George Washington, Georgetown and American universities. Now these schools in the nation’s capital and others across the country are warning their communities to be on guard against the potential spread of monkeypox in the coming weeks when students return to campus for the fall term."
More at Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/08/13/colleges-monkeypox-preparations/
Appeals Court Rejects Suit Against U. of Minnesota
August 10, 2022
"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed a lower court's ruling that Jen Banford was not fired from her position as head softball coach and director of operations for the women's hockey team at the University of Minnesota at Duluth for being a lesbian."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/08/10/appeals-court-rejects-suit-against-u-minnesota
Here’s what colleges should know to prepare for monkeypox: Health experts say institutions should work with groups that support gay and bisexual men, who are disproportionately contracting the virus.
August 10, 2022
"Monkeypox as of now is primarily circulating among men who have sex with men, and is most often being contracted during sexual encounters."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/heres-what-colleges-should-know-to-prepare-for-monkeypox/629280/
Can troubled campus police forces be fixed? One college says yes: After a particularly jarring moment on its fraternity-heavy campus, US institution tries teaching officers about tolerance and listening
August 9, 2022
"One year after its police appeared to have backed an attack against LGBTQ students, a US university is looking to become a model of tolerance and community-building in campus law enforcement."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/can-troubled-campus-police-forces-be-fixed-one-college-says-yes
CHIPS Act is Win for Combatting Sexual Harassment: One of many reasons to celebrate the CHIPS and Science Act is the inclusion of provisions that address sexual and sex-based harassment in science, Katherine Jordan writes.
August 9, 2022
"Another major factor that makes it difficult for institutions to address sexual harassment adequately is the tendency to ignore gender harassment, which the National Academies report found to be the most commonly occurring form of sexual harassment. The National Academies report defines gender harassment as 'verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey hostility, objectification, exclusion, or second-class status about members of one gender.' Gender harassment includes comments, cartoons, jokes, gestures and other insults to members of one sex/gender group. Women of color are especially likely to experience harassment that is based on both race and gender stereotypes. For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, harassment often includes comments about sexuality or gender presentation."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/08/09/chips-act-win-tackling-sex-harassment-opinion
As monkeypox spreads, university campuses prepare for another outbreak
August 9, 2022
"As the current outbreak has rapidly spread around the U.S., five campuses already confirmed cases this summer, even with most students away. Monkeypox is a viral infection that is primarily transmitted through close skin-to-skin contact. It is currently concentrated among communities of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, but it is not limited to those populations. Schools need to develop a clear communication strategy and plan to identify suspect cases, access testing and vaccines for students and staff, and provide contact tracing services, public health experts said."
More at Stat at www.statnews.com/2022/08/09/monkeypox-spreads-university-campuses-prepare-for-another-outbreak/
Seattle Pacific University says state attorney general’s investigation into hiring policies violates religious rights
August 9, 2022
"This case and others may hasten a showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court between anti-discrimination employment laws, many of which prohibit LGBTQ-based discrimination, and the First Amendment, which shields religious organizations from discrimination claims under certain circumstances."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/washington-university-AG-investigation-religious-rights/629178/
Colleges Brace for a New Viral Threat: Monkeypox: As the Biden administration declares a national health emergency, colleges are preparing for potential campus outbreaks while avoiding unnecessary panic and anti-LGBTQ+ stigma.
August 5, 2022
"Many experts are encouraging colleges to begin preparing for possible outbreaks, citing their densely populated residential settings and fluid social and sexual networks."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/08/05/colleges-prepare-potential-monkeypox-outbreaks
LGBTQ presidents ‘finding their voice’, says long-serving campus leader: Just 20 years after their very existence was uncertain, LGBTQ campus leaders now writing the book on how to learn from their personal schools of hard knocks
August 2, 2022
"LGBTQ scholars are increasingly progressing into the highest echelons in US universities but still face barriers including heteronormativity in the academic search process, according to the sector’s longest-serving gay university president."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/lgbtq-presidents-finding-their-voice-says-long-serving-campus-leader
Seattle Pacific Sues Washington AG: The Christian university is suing the Washington attorney general for investigating its anti-LGBTQ+ hiring practices, arguing it violates the institution’s First Amendment rights.
August 1, 2022
"Facing a state investigation for discriminatory hiring practices against LGBTQ+ individuals, Seattle Pacific University is going on the offensive, suing Washington attorney general Robert Ferguson."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/08/01/seattle-pacific-sues-washington-keep-homophobic-policies