News Related to Higher Education and LGBTQIA+ Stakeholders
This is a collection of reports where issues related to sexual orientation and/or identity relative to administration of colleges and universities have made the news. It is important for administrators, faculty, staff, students and other NMU constituents to be aware of what is happening across the postsecondary education landscape so we are prepared to manage changes in social conditions and/or policy.
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 January - June 2024
A comprehensive list:
NAIA, small colleges association, bans transgender athletes from women's sports competitions
NAIA believed to be first national college governing body to mandate athletes compete according to assigned sex at birth
April 8, 2024
"Athletes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will only be allowed to compete in women's sports if they were assigned the female gender at birth, the national small-college organization announced Monday."
More at CBS Sports at www.cbssports.com/general/news/naia-small-colleges-association-bans-transgender-athletes-from-womens-sports-competitions/
America has legislated itself into competing red, blue versions of education
April 4, 2024
"Of the expansive laws and policies The Post analyzed, the majority — 69 percent — require or expand education on race or racial issues, especially on Black history and ethnic studies. About a quarter add or enhance education on both LGBTQ and racial issues. Just 8 percent focus solely on LGBTQ lives and topics."
More at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/04/education-laws-red-blue-divide/
Is Pluralism the Next DEI?
April 4, 2024
Patel said a lot of the DEI training focuses on the division between oppressors, who are identified primarily as heterosexual cisgender white males, and the oppressed class, which includes women, LGBTQ people, and racial minorities.
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/is-pluralism-the-next-dei
UT lays off at least four employees previously in DEI-related position, sources confirm
April 2, 2024
Some conservative lawmakers, who have celebrated ending DEI programs at universities and colleges, have said the Legislature's work to end 'woke' policies, or identity politics, at institutions of higher learning is not finished. UT, like all public universities, went through drastic changes in the weeks and months leading up to SB 17's Jan. 1 effective date. In December, UT announced it was replacing its Gender and Sexuality Center with the Women’s Community Center, shifting the center's focus from LGBTQ+ issues to gender-related matters."
More at Austin American-Statesman at www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/04/02/texas-senate-bill-17-anti-dei-ut-fires-four-staff-related-positions-two-sources-confirm/73179902007/
See also:
April 04, 2024
UT Austin Closes Former DEI Division
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/04/ut-austin-closes-former-dei-division-lays-employees
UT-Austin announces round of firings in latest step to comply with Texas’ DEI ban
The firings come after state leaders criticized universities for not doing enough to enforce the ban. Students say UT-Austin has already overcorrected.
April 2, 2024
at The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org/2024/04/02/university-texas-austin-firings-dei-ban/
Kentucky DEI Programs Survive Legislative Threat
April 2, 2024
"Kentucky lawmakers appear to have run out of time to pass GOP legislation that would have banned public colleges and universities from spending 'any resources' on 'diversity, equity and inclusion offices' or 'initiatives.'"
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/02/kentucky-dei-programs-survive-legislative-threat
See also:
GOP Kentucky House votes to defund diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities
March 15, 2024
"While she insisted the bill would foster a culture that’s 'inclusive and welcoming to all,' Democrats said it would hurt minority students on campuses. That includes racial minorities and LGBTQ students but also can be people who are disabled, from rural areas or from low-income families."
More at AP News at https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-legislature-diversity-equity-inclusion-7d86a0dbf1df73decd3be90790aafff8
The Triumph of ‘Equity’ Over ‘Equality’
Academic ideals have shifted in recent decades.
April 1, 2024
"Too often, those critics pointed out, aspirants to equality and equal rights had been forced to deny their differences (of gender, ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation) in the name of an alleged common humanity that was in truth formed in the image of the white, heterosexual, male (the original identity of identity politics). Refusing the 'blackmail' of a specious universalism that occluded particular differences, critics responded by asserting 'differences as the very meaning of equality itself,' to quote the historian and feminist theorist Joan Scott. This was a demand for inclusion not on the basis of some shared or universal human attribute. Rather, it was, as the philosopher Sonia Kruks later summarized, a demand for inclusion because of them."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-triumph-of-equity-over-equality
Revealed: US professor was behind extremist site that spread conspiracies
Documents show Scott Yenor ran Action Idaho, which attacked LGBTQ+ people and Republicans deemed not rightwing enough
March 29, 2024
"The article and separate reporting in BSU’s student newspaper did not report on the content of the preaching, but in a separate incident at New York’s Binghamton University last October, Darrell reportedly said that death sentences for gay people were justified and that 'step-by-step consent is a boner killer'."
More at The Guardian at www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/29/boise-state-university-professor-scott-yenor-action-idaho
Firing of LGBTQ+ Staff Leaders Raises Questions
Four Appalachian State staff members, who led an affinity group for LGBTQ+ employees, say they were fired with no notice and little explanation.
March 29, 2024
"Appalachian State University has fired four leaders of a group for LGBTQ+ employees, three of those former employees told Inside Higher Ed in interviews."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/sex-gender/2024/03/29/firing-4-lgbtq-staff-leaders-raises-questions-fears
What College Applicants Really Think About Republicans’ Campus Panic
March 28, 2024
"Republican leaders in the most reactionary states are banking that their appeals to moral panics about teaching history, race, gender and identity will attract donors and political favor. Bills already passed in Florida and Alabama are examples of shortsighted, counterintuitive legislative overreach. This political theater lifts up a caricature of college, one on which coddled minds are seduced into liberal ideas."
More at The New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2024/03/28/opinion/dei-ban-college-students.html
Biden Title IX rules on trans athletes set for election-year delay
Proposed regulations would outlaw state bans on transgender athletes but allow some targeted restrictions
March 28, 2024
"The Biden administration’s proposed regulation, published in April 2023, took a nuanced approach. It would outlaw blanket state bans but gives schools a road map for how they can bar transgender girls from competing in certain circumstances, particularly in competitive sports."
More at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/28/title-ix-trans-athletes-biden/
See also:
Report: Title IX Rule on Trans Athletes Delayed Until After Election
March 29, 2024
Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/29/report-rule-trans-athletes-delayed-until-after-election
Gender and Its Enemies
Five scholars discuss Judith Butler’s new book.
March 25, 2024
"The last decade or so has seen the rise of a curious crusade against 'gender' — which at times seems to mean an academic field of study, at other times the existence of LGBTQ+ people in certain spaces and the social recognition of their existence. Anti-gender politics make strange bedfellows: disappointed radical feminists and Catholic theologians, far-right strongmen and assorted reactionary centrists. In Who’s Afraid of Gender?, the philosopher Judith Butler suggests that the anti-gender movement is ultimately 'as much an attack on feminism, especially reproductive freedom, as it is on trans rights, gay marriage, and sex education.' 'Gender,' at least as it is used by its critics is an 'overdetermined' 'phantasm.' And resistance to 'gender' has emerged as a powerful weapon to be wielded against liberal democracy itself — from Hungary to Brazil to the United States."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/gender-and-its-enemies
Idaho bans public colleges from having mandatory 'diversity statements'
Providence College Accused of LGBTQ+ Discrimination
March 22, 2024
"Faculty, students and alumni at Providence College in Rhode Island have accused the administration of 'hypocrisy toward and systemic oppression of LGBTQ+ people at PC,' The Providence Journal reported Thursday."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/22/providence-college-accused-lgbtq-discrimination
Alabama Governor Signs Bill Targeting DEI, ‘Divisive Concepts’
March 22, 2024
"Despite protests from students on multiple campuses, Alabama’s governor signed into law Wednesday legislation that will, within public higher education institutions, limit so-called 'divisive concepts' plus diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender individuals’ access to campus bathrooms."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/22/alabama-governor-oks-bill-targeting-dei-divisive-concepts
See also:
The Newest DEI Ban Targets Alabama’s Colleges. Here’s How It Compares.
March 21, 2024
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/alabama-curtails-colleges-diversity-efforts-under-new-law
Alabama governor signs law banning college DEI funding
The legislation, which will take effect Oct. 1, reflects a broader trend of state bills moving to limit or prohibit diversity programming in public education.
March 20, 2024
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/alabama-governor-signs-law-banning-college-dei-funding/710910/
Alabama Lawmakers OK Bill Targeting DEI, ‘Divisive Concepts’
March 20, 2024
"The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature passed a bill Tuesday that would, within public higher education institutions, limit so-called 'divisive concepts' plus diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender individuals’ access to campus bathrooms."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/20/alabama-lawmakers-ok-bill-targeting-dei-divisive-concepts
Alabama passes wide-ranging bill banning college DEI programs, training
March 20, 2024
at AL.com at www.al.com/educationlab/2024/03/alabama-sends-bill-banning-college-dei-programs-training-to-governors-desk.html
The Chaos of Compliance
How public colleges in two states are actually responding to DEI bans.
March 22, 2024
"For instance, Weilhammer, who is also vice president of OUTLaw, an LGBTQ organization on campus, has been planning an identity-affirmation clinic, which aims to help people navigate the legal roadblocks of changing their gender. While the group could have requested funding for the event and found a space on campus, they worried it could get them in trouble, she said. Instead, a local gay bar agreed to host the clinic for free."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-chaos-of-compliance
Goldwater Institute Sues Arizona Regents Over DEI Training
March 20, 2024
The complaint, filed Tuesday by the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute in Maricopa County Superior Court, argues that ASU violated state law when it required Owen Anderson, a philosophy and religious studies professor, to complete the “Inclusive Communities” training. The virtual training presented information about sexual identities, white supremacy and microaggressions, among other issues, and included a quiz on the material, according to the suit.
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/20/goldwater-institute-sues-arizona-regents-over-dei-training
How Queer Theory Turned Its Back on Gay Men
When anti-normative faux-radicalism devours a field.
March 20, 2024
"The field of queer theory has become peculiarly animated by apparent hostility to some of its own objects of study. The denunciation of gay men as agents and dupes of neoliberalism is now routine."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/how-queer-theory-turned-its-back-on-gay-men
College Athletes Sue NCAA Over Trans Eligibility Policies
March 19, 2024
"More than a dozen former and current college athletes recently sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The lawsuit accused the NCAA of violating their Title IX rights by allowing University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, to participate in the 2022 national championships, the Associated Press reported."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/19/college-athletes-sue-ncaa-over-trans-eligibility-policies
See also:
College swimmers, volleyball players sue NCAA over transgender policies
March 15, 2024
At AP https://apnews.com/article/transgender-lia-thomas-swimming-lawsuit-b7df63108a03100f36b2e4364d585cdc
Supreme Court Will Not Hear Texas Drag Show Case
March 18, 2024
The incident in question took place about a year ago at West Texas A&M University; an LGBTQ+ student organization tried to host a drag performance to raise money for suicide prevention. President Walter Wendler cancelled it, calling drag shows derisive and misogynistic.
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/18/supreme-court-will-not-hear-texas-drag-show-case
Also:
Supreme Court Stays Out of Dispute Over Drag Show at Texas University
An L.G.B.T.Q. student group had asked the justices to intercede, saying the performance was protected by the First Amendment.
March 15, 2024
At The New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/us/politics/supreme-court-texas-drag-show.html
Supreme Court denies request by student group to host drag show at West Texas A&M University
March 15, 2024
At CNN.com at www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/politics/supreme-court-lets-texas-university-block-drag-show/index.html
BYU now requires incoming students to read controversial 'musket fire' speech
The 2021 address, which defends "marriage as the union of a man and a woman," called on members of the Mormon church to defend its teachings with “musket fire.”
March 18, 2024
"LGBTQ students and advocates at Brigham Young University slammed the school for requiring all freshmen read a controversial 2021 speech that they say incited violence and hatred against the queer community."
More at NBC News at www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/byu-freshmen-controversial-musket-fire-speech-mormon-lgbtq-utah-rcna143891
Virginia Officials Scrutinize Two Universities’ DEI Course Syllabi
A spokesman for Governor Glenn Youngkin invoked concerns about “core curriculum mandates that are a thinly veiled attempt to incorporate the progressive left’s groupthink.” Two universities’ diversity education initiatives may be in peril.
March 18, 2024
"The flag means the university has confirmed that the courses teach diversity-related skills along with their main material. George Mason’s website lists 21 flag-bearing courses from wide-ranging disciplines. Among them are 'Peoples and Cultures of India,' 'Scientific Racism and Human Variation,' 'Modern Architecture,' 'Grand Challenges to Human Security' and 'Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies.'”
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/2024/03/18/va-officials-scrutinize-2-universities-dei-course-syllabi
Title IX rules are still behind. When will they be finalized?
Time is winding down before there’s a possibility that the rules could be blocked by a new Congress or presidential administration.
March 15, 2024
The broader Title IX proposal released in June 2022 would protect LGBTQ+ students under the federal anti-discrimination law for the first time. It would also change Title IX implementation in a way that public education experts say make it more practical for schools, including shortening investigation and resolution timelines.
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/title-ix-rules-deadline-congressional-review-act/709889/
In states with laws targeting LGBTQ issues, school hate crimes quadrupled
March 12, 2024
"Overall, there were an average of 108 anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes at schools reported to the FBI per year from 2015 to 2019 on both college and K-12 campuses. In 2021 and 2022, the most recent for which data were available, the average more than doubled to 232. (The number of reported hate crimes overall dropped in 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic shut down many school campuses, forcing learning online.)"
More at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/12/school-lgbtq-hate-crimes-incidents/ (or via gift link at https://wapo.st/3IwEzCv) 
Low Grade? Arizona Bill Would Let Students Allege ‘Political Bias’
Legislation that’s near passage in Arizona would create a “grade challenge department” for public universities. It could force professors to change students’ marks.
March 12, 2024
Some students and faculty members objected to it—the Arizona Republic reported that over 30 faculty members signed a letter saying that Kirk and Prager in particular attacked women, minorities and LGBTQ+ people—but the event still took place. However, Ann Atkinson, then-executive director of ASU’s T. W. Lewis Center for Personal Development, wrote in The Wall Street Journal in June that she was being fired and her center was being closed for organizing the panel.
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2024/03/12/low-grade-az-bill-would-let-students-allege
Democrats Make Their Case for DEI
A Republican described diversity, equity and inclusion offices as a “cancer.” Democrats pushed back, calling their understanding of the concept flawed.
March 8, 2024
Murphy stressed that DEI offices provide valuable services to more than students of color and LGBTQ+ students; they are often responsible for the well-being of student parents and first-generation students, too."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/03/08/democrats-fight-dei-campus-house-hearing
New College of Florida Hires Professor Who Champions Colonialism
The institution’s president has appointed Bruce Gilley—who’s argued that a “European moral revolution” ended Africa’s “endemic slave empires” and said the transgender flag symbolizes mutilating children—to teach.
March 8, 2024
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2024/03/08/new-college-florida-hires-scholar-who-defends
Students ask Supreme Court to allow drag shows at Texas college
March 6, 2024
"A student group at West Texas A&M University is asking the Supreme Court to rule that they have a First Amendment right to host charity drag shows on campus after the president of the college banned such performances from campus."
More at The Gazette at https://gazette.com/news/wex/students-ask-supreme-court-to-allow-drag-shows-at-texas-college/article_781c22d1-1fe8-5a86-8271-09748eb8db99.html
A warning about colleges focusing too much on diversity … from 1993
March 4, 2024
"He pressed forward, marveling that there were no repercussions for students who confronted the author of an essay that described homosexuality as 'a dirty, sinful lifestyle that doesn’t deserve any special rights.' And so on."
More at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/04/college-diversity-essay/
Students at Public Colleges Lost Their LGBTQ Spaces. Then Students at a Private College Stepped In.
March 4, 2024
"As more states restrict the kinds of programs college employees can organize, students will more often carry the burden of cultivating a sense of belonging on campus. For LGBTQ students, who report worse mental health and greater mistreatment in college than their non-LGBTQ peers, that community is crucial."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/students-at-public-colleges-lost-their-lgbtq-spaces-then-students-at-a-private-college-stepped-in
After Texas’ DEI Bans, Administrators Got ‘Creative.’ Then They Got in Trouble.
March 4, 2024
In Texas, SB 17 was signed into law in June by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. It requires that all DEI offices at public colleges be eliminated by January 1 and bans any programs or activities designated for specific races, ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Diversity training and statements are also prohibited.
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/after-texas-dei-bans-administrators-got-creative-then-they-got-in-trouble
As Alabama Republicans Target DEI, They Propose ‘Gag Order’ on Professors
Free speech groups and students have raised alarm about a bill that flew through the state’s Senate last week and awaits action in the House.
March 1, 2024
"The bill includes provisions curbing DEI programs, 'divisive concepts' and even transgender individuals’ access to campus bathrooms. While it’s moved quickly, so have its opponents."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2024/03/01/ala-gop-targets-dei-it-proposes-professor-gag-order
UF eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion offices
Chief Diversity Officer and DEI officers among those fired
March 1, 2024
"The memo did not disclose the future of the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, which received over $400,000 in the 2022-2023 UF operating budget, 85% of which was state-funded. The center oversees offices for Asian, Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ student engagement."
More at The Independent Florida Alligator at www.alligator.org/article/2024/03/uf-eliminates-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-offices
Ben Sasse wins over Florida faculty with moderation and money
Former Republican senator wins praise for energy, ideas and willingness to engage on contentious issues
February 28, 2024
"Dr Sasse is a former president of Nebraska’s 1,500-student Midland University who spent eight years as a Republican member of the US Senate before taking the Florida presidency from a veteran administrator who suggested frustration with the political battles. He arrived at the 60,000-student campus in Gainesville to some sustained protests, driven as much by his own record – notably his opposition to LGBTQ rights – as that of Mr DeSantis, who made persistent efforts as a presidential hopeful to demonise higher education and control its curriculum and speech."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ben-sasse-wins-over-florida-faculty-moderation-and-money
Academic Freedom Battles Roil Indiana University
The cancellation of an art exhibit and other recent moves by university leaders have turned the campus into a free speech battleground.
February 26, 2024
"But this academic year—which started off with questions about how IU should respond to the Indiana General Assembly’s ban on funding for the Kinsey Institute, the university’s historic sexuality research center—has been different."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2024/02/26/academic-freedom-battles-roil-indiana-university
Is Inclusion Possible on Campuses Today?
Campus leaders struggle to deliver on a core ideal.
February 26, 2024
"What’s happening in Florida, and in a growing number of states that are restricting DEI efforts, is unsettling to some students of color, women, and sexual and gender-minority students who enrolled at campuses in those states expecting to be affirmed in their identities and to be actively protected from harassment."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-end-of-inclusion
AAUP Sanctions New College of Fla., Spartanburg Comm. College
February 26, 2024
"The release notes that the board and the New College administration axed the diversity, equity and inclusion office and the gender studies program; it also says they 'attacked tenure and imposed new admission standards and athletic programs absent meaningful faculty involvement.'”
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/02/26/aaup-sanctions-new-college-fla-spartanburg-comm-college
Calvin President Resigns Over Inappropriate Messages
Trustees found Wiebe Boer’s alleged conduct “concerning” and “inconsistent with the high standard and character” the college expects of its leadership.
February 26, 2024
"Boer became president of Calvin at a time when the school had been under pressure to abide by the rules of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, in particular the church’s teaching about sexuality. In 2022, the denomination ruled that congregations and church members must abide by church teaching on marriage and sex—which state that only heterosexual sex within marriage is allowed."
More at Christianity Today at www.christianitytoday.com/news/2024/february/calvin-president-wiebe-boer-resign-messages-university-boar.html
Bryden Hattie wins his fourth SEC diving title
The out gay athlete blew away the competition to earn his third SEC platform title. Next up: the NCAAs and... the Olympics?
February 24, 2024
"Bryden Hattie has won his third SEC Championship for platform diving."
More at Outsports at www.outsports.com/2024/2/24/24082085/bryden-hattie-wins-his-fourth-sec-diving-title/
Anti-DEI Legislation Moves Forward in Alabama
February 23, 2024
"The legislation also includes what’s been called a bathroom bill, which would prohibit individuals on college campuses from using a restroom that doesn't correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth; violators could be disciplined or fired."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/02/23/anti-dei-legislation-moves-forward-alabama
College Reinstates Professor Who Allegedly Preached in Class
February 22, 2024
"A Texas community college has reinstated an adjunct biology instructor it fired after reportedly receiving complaints of 'religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter' in his classroom."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/02/22/college-reinstates-professor-who-allegedly-preached-class
Colleges Would Have to Eliminate Dozens of Jobs Under a New DEI Bill in Idaho
February 21, 2024
"Idaho’s Senate Bill 1357 lists 11 examples of centers and offices at public colleges that it would defund. Among them are several multicultural-affairs, LGBTQIA, women’s, and Black cultural centers, the University of Idaho’s Office of Equity and Diversity, and Idaho State’s Office of Equity and Inclusion."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/colleges-would-have-to-eliminate-dozens-of-jobs-under-a-new-dei-bill-in-idaho
Catholic University Fires Instructor Over ‘Abortion Doula’ Speaker’s Comments
The instructor was fired after a doula spoke in her class about clients having abortions. Antiabortion activists celebrated, while academic freedom advocates were horrified.
February 20, 2024
"The speaker, Rachel Carbonneau, described working with women undergoing abortions and transgender clients during the class in response to students’ questions. A student recorded Carbonneau’s comments and leaked them to conservative news sites, and news of the class spread across right-wing and Catholic media outlets."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/religious-colleges/2024/02/20/catholic-university-fires-instructor-over-speakers
Hidden cameras aim to expose DEI efforts in Texas colleges despite ban
The Texas lawmaker behind the ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public universities said he intends to ensure schools are complying.
February 15, 2024
"The new law prohibits state schools from having DEI offices and offering initiatives specific to certain races, ethnicities, gender identities and sexual orientations."
More at The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/02/15/hidden-cameras-aim-to-expose-dei-efforts-in-texas-colleges-despite-ban/
Professor Resigned After Sexual Harassment Inquiry—and Got More Work
An orchestra conductor left the Universities of Wisconsin in 2022 after an investigation into accusations that he forcibly kissed a student. Goshen College fired him Monday, saying it didn’t know.
February 14, 2024
More at Inside Higher Ed at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/tenure/2024/02/14/professor-quit-after-sexual-harassment-inquiry-got-more-work
ANTI-DEI LAW IMPLEMENTATION HAS BEEN A DISASTER
Kowtowing to the legislature, UT Austin disbanded all its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs wholesale—with little input from students or faculty.
February 13, 2024
"Passed during the recent, regular session of the 88th Texas State Legislature, SB 17 ostensibly prohibits the privileging of individuals based on race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation, thereby defunding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education."
More at Texas Observer at www.texasobserver.org/anti-dei-law-implementation-has-been-a-disaster/
The Critical Studies Revolution
How the word “critical” came to signify the leading edge of cultural analysis.
February 13, 2024
"Critical gender and sexuality studies draws on feminist and queer theory, cultural studies, history, and sociology to understand and critique the ways in which gender and sexuality are constructed, experienced and represented."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/2024/02/13/critical-studies-revolution
A Campus Space for LGBTQ Students Closed. A ‘Women’s Community Center’ Took Its Place.
February 12, 2024
"Advocates fear that students at the University of Texas at Austin will be alienated by the changes — a consequence of the state’s new ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-misnomer
Charlie Kirk speech at ASU courts furor, though his remarks avoid controversy
February 9, 2024
"The letter singled out Kirk and Prager, for particular ire. It called Kirk and Prager 'purveyors of hate' for attacks on women, minorities and the LGBTQ community."
More at Arizona Republic at www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2023/02/09/charlie-kirk-speech-at-asu-draws-protest-from-students-faculty/69887168007/
Title IX regulations advance to White House after significant delay
The Education Department is closer to finalizing the controversial regulation, which it aimed to release in March after two previous delays.
February 6, 2024
"Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department has focused on expanding Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students — a significant departure from the Trump administration’s enforcement of the statute. The Title IX civil rights law bans sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/title-ix-regulations-advance-white-house/706589/
See also:
February 06, 2024
Education Department Moves New Title IX Rule Forward
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/02/06/education-department-moves-new-title-ix-rule-forward
Teaching Ignorance in Florida
Prohibitions on knowledge draw attention to what they prohibit.
February 6, 2024
"Florida is merely in the vanguard; many other states have proposed similar restrictions targeting students’ knowledge of history, of sexuality, of racism. It’s in the red states that so many of these restrictions actually have become law. That is ominous. As we know, in our fractured politics, political affiliation now closely tracks levels of educational achievement. To teach ignorance is, as with Arnolphe, an attempt to keep people from listening to another voice, seeking a second teacher other than the totalitarian state."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/teaching-ignorance-in-florida
Alexandra Brozowski, Michigan State University – How Asexuals Navigate Romantic Relationships
February 1, 2024
"People on the asexual spectrum remain relatively under researched and invisible."
More at AAC&U's The Academic Minute at https://academicminute.org/2024/02/alexandra-brozowski-michigan-state-university-how-asexuals-navigate-romantic-relationships/
or Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/02/01/how-asexual-people-navigate-romantic-relationships-academic-minute
Hate Crimes Reported in Schools Nearly Doubled Between 2018 and 2022
Black students were the most frequent reported victims, followed by L.G.B.T.Q. and Jewish students, according to F.B.I. statistics.
January 29, 2024
"Black Americans were the most frequent victims, with a total of 1,690 hate crime offenses against them reported over the five-year period, followed by L.G.B.T.Q. people with 900 offenses; Jewish Americans were third, with 745 reported offenses."
More at The New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/us/hate-crimes-schools-universities.html
College Counseling Centers Need to Be Aware of Mental-Health Concerns Due to Discrimination, Report Says
January 26, 2024
"Students of color, LGBT students, and students from other underrepresented groups who say they’ve experienced discrimination have more severe mental-health symptoms than their peers, according to a new report."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/college-counseling-centers-need-to-be-aware-of-mental-health-concerns-due-to-discrimination-report-says
See also:
The 2023 Center for Collegiate Mental Health Annual Report and reports from previous years can be found here: https://ccmh.psu.edu/annual-reports.
Also:
January 29, 2024
Discrimination is a Form of Trauma for Some Students
In its 2024 annual report, Penn State’s Center for Collegiate Mental Health highlights the correlation between discrimination and mental health challenges.
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/students/physical-mental-health/2024/01/29/discrimination-exacerbates-student-mental-health
British Scholar Accused of Transphobia Wins Harassment Case
January 24, 2024
"A British employment tribunal ruled Monday that the Open University didn’t properly protect one of its professors from 'harassment' that included accusations that she’s transphobic."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/01/24/british-scholar-accused-transphobia-wins-harassment-case
See also:
January 22, 2024
Open University failed to protect gender-critical scholar – judge
Tribunal rules criminologist Jo Phoenix was forced out of institution, which was ‘fearful’ about being seen to support gender-critical beliefs
at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/open-university-failed-protect-gender-critical-professor
And:
January 29, 2024
Jo Phoenix: ‘every single v-c should read this judgment’
Scholar found to have faced ‘hostile environment’ due to gender-critical views warns ruling has implications for all universities, but fears more troubling cases to come
at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/jo-phoenix-every-single-v-c-should-read-judgment
New Youngstown State President, Ex-Legislator, Protested on First Day
January 23, 2024
"Johnson was hired on an 8-to-1 vote by the YSU Board of Trustees in November in a process lamented both for its alleged lack of transparency and for the outcome. Critics took issue with the fact that Johnson, a Republican congressman who formally stepped down Sunday, has questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, spoken out against same-sex marriage and supported then president Donald Trump’s 2017 travel ban on individuals from Muslim-majority countries."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/01/23/youngstown-state-president-protested-first-day
How to keep LGBTQ+ students safe when studying abroad
What can universities do to help their LGBTQ+ students study abroad and travel the world, without compromising their safety? Raquel Recuero provides advice
January 23, 2024
"Study-abroad programmes and transnational curricula are becoming more popular with students. Yet, for those in the LGBTQ+ community, they can pose challenges. Within the landscape of global education lies a complex interplay of legislative changes, cultural norms and personal safety concerns for this demographic that must be navigated with care."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-keep-lgbtq-students-safe-when-studying-abroad
The backlash against “wokeism” has led a growing number of states to ban D.E.I. programs at public universities. Thousands of emails and other documents reveal the playbook — and grievances — behind one strand of the anti-D.E.I. campaign.
January 20, 2024
"In candid private conversations, some wrote favorably of laws criminalizing homosexuality, mocked the appearance of a female college student as overly masculine and criticized Peter Thiel, the prominent gay conservative donor, over his sex life. In email exchanges with the Claremont organizers, the writer Heather Mac Donald derided working mothers who employed people from 'the low IQ 3rd world' to care for their children and lamented that some Republicans still celebrated the idea of racially diverse political appointments."
More at New York Times at www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/20/us/dei-woke-claremont-institute.html
Two final Title IX regulations will likely be delayed — again
The Education Department set a March deadline for the regulations but hasn’t yet cleared a key procedural hurdle, potentially pushing their release back by months.
January 19, 2024
Patel also noted the rise in state legislation targeting transgender students. More than 20 states have passed laws or regulations restricting transgender students from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identities.
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/title-ix-delay-march-release-education-department/705090/
When Colleges and Celebrities Cross Paths, the Attention Isn’t Always Welcome
January 19, 2024
"The whole bit was a joke — with a purpose. Lil Nas X (né Montero Hill), who is openly queer, would be unlikely to attend a university whose doctrinal statement condemns 'romantic coupling among persons of the same sex' as a sin 'prohibited by God.' Instead, the pseudo-acceptance letter was a marketing ploy, spoofing the university’s devout religious brand to draw attention to the coming release of Nas’s single 'J Christ,' which portrays the artist as a biblical figure who dunks on Satan."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/when-colleges-and-celebrities-cross-paths-the-attention-isnt-always-welcome
3 Ways That Anti-DEI Efforts Are Changing How Colleges Operate
January 18, 2024
"The University of Houston closed its LGBTQ+ Resource Center in August. The university’s website now refers students seeking support to other resources, such as the counseling center."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/3-ways-that-anti-dei-efforts-are-changing-how-colleges-operate
DEI Spending Banned, Sociology Scrapped in Florida
Florida’s State Board of Education imposed new prohibitions on DEI spending at state colleges, following a similar decision for state universities.
January 18, 2024
Equality Florida, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, released a statement accusing the board of rubber-stamping 'DeSantis’s agenda of censorship and surveillance.' It argued that board rules go beyond state laws against DEI spending and will harm student and faculty recruitment."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/trustees-regents/2024/01/18/dei-spending-banned-sociology-scrapped-florida
See also:
Florida education board votes to end diversity efforts at state colleges
The State Board of Education also downgrades sociology, identified as a topic that could “radicalize” students.
January 17, 2024
"In their rules, the State Board and the Board of Governors focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, often referred to as 'DEI.' They define them as 'any program, campus activity or policy' that classifies people by race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation and 'promotes differential or preferential treatment' based on those classifications."
at Tampa Bay Times at www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/01/17/florida-education-board-votes-end-diversity-efforts-state-colleges/
What debating gay marriage opponents taught me about the limits of free speech | Opinion
January 17, 2024
"Having spent several decades advocating for same-sex marriage — including participating in dozens of campus debates and two point-counterpoint books — I’m convinced of the value of engagement with 'the other side.' At the same time, I’m acutely aware of its costs. All things considered, I believe that the marketplace of ideas should err on the side of a big tent."
More at Detroit Free Press at www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/01/17/limits-of-free-speech-debating-gay-marriage/72242814007/
Amid National Backlash, Colleges Brace for Fresh Wave of Anti-DEI Legislation
January 16, 2024
"The proposal characterized DEI offices as 'divisive' and claimed they enforced critical race theory and related political orthodoxies as official campus policy. This has led, according to the authors, to a chilling of free speech and conservative viewpoints on campus, and has stoked hostility aimed at white cis gendered males".
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at https://www.chronicle.com/article/amid-national-backlash-colleges-brace-for-fresh-wave-of-anti-dei-legislation
Catholic College Fully Embraces LGBTQ+ Students’ Needs
Sacred Heart University in Connecticut is one of a few Catholic institutions to establish an LGBTQ+ students’ center and hire a manager of LGBTQ+ affairs.
January 12, 2024
"The small Catholic college in Fairfield, Conn., was breaking new ground with the newly created position of manager of LGBTQ+ affairs. Mark Congdon, an assistant professor of communication at Sacred Heart, thought Humphreys might be a perfect fit for the role."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/religious-colleges/2024/01/12/catholic-college-hires-manager-lgbtq-affairs
Campus Pride Terminates Founder, Considers Merger
The organization’s board alleges that former executive director Shane Windmeyer—who was also Campus Pride’s only full-time employee—mismanaged over $100,000.
January 10, 2024
"The executive director of the nation’s most prominent LGBTQ+ higher education nonprofit, Campus Pride, has been terminated due to allegations of embezzlement. Now the board members that ousted the director are searching for a way to keep the organization’s programming alive, which may involve merging with another nonprofit."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/sex-gender/2024/01/10/campus-pride-terminates-founder-alleged-fraud
See also:
Campus Pride board chair on what's next for the group after CEO ousted for mishandling finances
January 11, 2024
at Advocate at www.advocate.com/news/campus-pride-ceo-sacked
Concern over HIV cases among Australia’s international students
Resurgence of virus among vulnerable overseas students prompts calls for better awareness campaigns and pharmaceutical subsidies
January 9, 2024
"Andrew Grulich, head of HIV epidemiology at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, said students featured prominently in a 'remaining epidemic' of HIV concentrated in foreign-born gay and bisexual men. While infections among their Australian counterparts had fallen by about 70 per cent since 2014, he said, the international cohort had seen no such decline."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/concern-over-hiv-cases-among-australias-international-students
Saint Mary’s reverses decision to consider transgender applicants
The Roman Catholic college rolled back the new policy after facing backlash from alumnae and local church leadership.
January 3, 2024
"Saint Mary’s College, a Roman Catholic women’s institution in Indiana, has reversed its decision to allow transgender women to apply for its undergraduate programs."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/saint-marys-reverses-decision-to-consider-transgender-applicants/703435/
See also:
December 21, 2023
Saint Mary’s Reverses Decision to Admit Trans Women
Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/12/21/saint-marys-reverses-decision-admit-transgender-women
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