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:
Nearly 700 More Colleges Don’t Have to Comply With New Title IX Rule
A recent injunction barred the Education Department from enforcing its new Title IX rule at colleges attended by members of two conservative student groups. Hundreds of colleges across the country are affected.
July 17, 2024
"Lawsuits challenging the rule, which strengthens protections for LGBTQ+ students, have come from Republican attorneys general and—until now—only affected the states they represent."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/07/17/title-ix-rule-hold-more-670-colleges
See also:
Groups argue Kansas injunction blocks new Title IX rule at nearly 700 colleges
There is still a lack of clarity about the July 2 injunction issued by U.S. District Judge John Broomes, a Trump appointee. Also: Biden taking on SCOTUS?
JUL 16, 2024
at Law Dork at www.lawdork.com/p/kansas-title-ix-injunction-colleges
New Title IX Rule Blocked in Texas
July 15, 2024
"Thursday’s court order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas makes Texas the 15th state where the new Title IX regulations are on hold. Texas and other states have taken issue with provisions in the new rule that strengthen protections for LBGTQ+ students, which they claim will allow men and boys into women’s and girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/15/new-title-ix-rule-blocked-texas
See also:
Federal judge temporarily blocks new Title IX rule from taking effect in Texas
The new regulations, which include protections for LGBTQI+ students, have been put on pause in at least 15 states.
July 15, 2024
at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/title-ix-rule-blocked-texas-lgbt/721414/
House Republicans Vote to Overturn Biden Title IX Rule
The party-line vote followed a heated debate over the regulations, which strengthen protections for transgender students.
July 12, 2024
"The House of Representatives on Thursday narrowly advanced a measure to block the Biden administration’s new regulations overhauling Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which in part provide greater protections for LGBTQ+ students."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/07/12/house-republicans-advance-resolution-block-title-ix-regs
GOP lawmakers raise pressure on Education Department after Chevron decision
In a letter to the agency, Reps. Virginia Foxx and James Comer said they will ensure adherence to the Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision.
July 12, 2024
"The letter cited the department’s recent Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ+ students as an example of the agency overstepping its authority and inquired into whether the department will 'pause or stop any existing rulemaking activities in light of the Court’s decision.'”
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/congress-education-department-inquiry-chevron-doctrine/721294/
See also:
Education Department could face ‘stronger and new challenges’ post-Chevron, Moody’s says
The credit ratings agency flagged several regulations that could fall under threat, including the new gainful employment and Title IX rules.
July 11, 2024
at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/education-department-regulations-chevron-doctrine/721158/
Title IX Regs Treat Students as Political Pawns
Students are not well served by the political nature of ever-changing Title IX regulations, Chris Linder writes.
July 11, 2024
"Few things make me more ashamed or angry than the way the federal government attempts to intervene in sexual misconduct on college campuses. Politicians use survivors and transgender students as pawns in a political power struggle."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/07/11/title-ix-regs-treat-students-political-pawns-opinion
Project 2025 Would Radically Overhaul Higher Ed. Here’s How.
The sweeping conservative blueprint for a second Trump administration would dismantle the Education Department, privatize student loans and end all ongoing Title IX investigations. Critics say it’s a road map to authoritarianism.
July 11, 2024
"Project 2025 reflects Republicans’ push against diversity, equity and inclusion policies across the federal government, calling for stripping DEI requirements and references to sexual orientation and gender identity, among other terms, from 'every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists.'”
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/07/11/how-project-2025-could-radically-reshape-higher-ed
GOP Platform: ‘Make Our College Campuses Safe and Patriotic Again’
July 9, 2024
"The party also plans to protect free speech, defend religious liberty and end 'left-wing gender insanity,' a reference to the Biden administration’s efforts to protect transgender students."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/09/gop-platform-calls-patriotic-campuses
Kansas legislators, governor release $35.7 million tied to public university adherence to DEI law
State Finance Council also approves $21.8 million in need-based student aid
July 9, 2024
"Compliance with the state law by public institutions meant recalibration of personnel procedures and the publishing of information about training or orientation programs to public websites. DEI refers to policies established to support people from diverse backgrounds. A DEI framework would take into account gender, race, sexual orientation and other factors relative to people with a history of being marginalized in higher education."
More at Kansas Reflector at https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/09/kansas-legislators-governor-release-35-7-million-tied-to-public-university-adherence-to-dei-law/
See also:
July 11, 2024
Kansas Releases $35.7M Linked to Colleges’ Compliance With Anti-DEI Law
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/11/kansas-releases-357m-colleges-meet-anti-dei-law
The GOP’s Bad Faith Focus on Campus Antisemitism
The party’s assault on DEI only undermines the ability of colleges to address antisemitism, Jonathan Feingold writes.
July 9, 2024
"Texas’s anti-DEI law also bans mandatory trainings 'designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.' On its face, this might not appear to implicate trainings on antisemitism. But as a legal matter, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects Jewish students (as it does Palestinian students) because those groups are understood in terms of ethnicity and shared ancestry. So while it might not be obvious, Texas’s anti-DEI law creates a barrier for antisemitism programming—just as it does for programs “designed or implemented in reference to” anti-Asian racism, anti-Black bias or anti-LGBTQ bigotry."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/07/09/gops-bad-faith-focus-campus-antisemitism-opinion
Federal judge blocks final Title IX rule in four more states
The ruling marks another hit for the U.S. Department of Education’s controversial regulation, which is now blocked from taking effect in 14 states.
July 3, 2024
"The agency’s inclusion of LGBTQI+ rights in the regulations also represents an overreach of power, according to Broomes."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-final-title-ix-rule-four-states-Kansas-Alaska-Utah-Wyoming/720610/
See also:
July 08, 2024
New Title IX Rule Blocked in Another 4 States
at Inside Higher Ed at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/08/federal-judge-blocks-title-ix-rule-another-four-states
Psychologists self-censoring ‘taboo’ beliefs, survey finds
US academics unwilling to share ‘socially costly’ views because they fear abuse, ostracisation and disciplinary action
July 3, 2024
Examples of “taboo conclusions” that respondents were asked to consider included the belief that biological sex is binary for the vast majority of people, that diversity in the workplace did not necessarily lead to better performance, or that men and women have different psychological characteristics because of evolution.
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/psychologists-self-censoring-taboo-beliefs-survey-finds
New Anti-DEI Legislation Goes Into Effect in 4 States
July 1, 2024
"Colleges are also not allowed to require an applicant or employee to 'pledge allegiance to' or make a statement in support of a political or ideological movement or a policy that would treat people differently based on their race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or religion. The law also severely limits when administrators can collectively weigh in on issues outside of an institution’s core mission, and requires each college to adopt a 'neutrality policy.'”
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/new-anti-dei-legislation-goes-into-effect-in-4-states
See also:
DEI Ban Prompts Utah Colleges to Close Cultural Centers, Too
As in Florida, Texas and other states that have passed anti-DEI legislation, Utah’s public institutions are applying the law with a broad brush.
July 1, 2024
The decisions to shut down cultural centers have been divisive. Some conservatives have lauded the move, arguing that cultural centers exclude white students and that LGBTQ+ resource centers ostracize cisgender and straight students. But liberals consider the centers important resources that help students of color and LGBTQ+ students succeed and feel a sense of belonging on campus.
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/students/diversity/2024/07/01/onset-anti-dei-law-utah-colleges-close-cultural-centers
The Supreme Court Just Weakened Federal Agencies. Here’s What It Means for Higher Ed.
June 28, 2024
Most immediately, Friday’s ruling is likely to fuel the ongoing legal challenges to the Biden administration’s recently released Title IX rule, which has already been blocked by judges in 10 states. Critics argue that the Biden administration exceeded the parameters of the gender-equity law by extending the rule to protect LGBTQ students.
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-supreme-court-just-weakened-federal-agencies-heres-what-it-means-for-higher-ed
See also:
The End of Chevron Deference
Neal H. Hutchens writes that the Supreme Court’s decision will have significant ramifications for federal higher education policy.
July 1, 2024
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/07/01/implications-chevrons-demise-higher-ed-opinion
SCOTUS overturns Chevron doctrine, limiting federal agency reach
One think tank previously warned that reversing the precedent would put some higher education regulations at stake.
June 28, 2024
at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/scotus-overturns-chevron-doctrine/720208/
Ohio House passes transgender bathroom and locker room ban for K-12 schools and colleges
House Bill 183 was added to Senate Bill 104 as an amendment on the House floor late Wednesday night, then S.B. 104 passed as amended with a 60-31 vote.
June 27, 2024
"The Ohio House passed a bill late Wednesday night amid its last session before going on summer break that would ban transgender students from using the bathroom and locker rooms that match up with their gender identity."
More at Ohio Capital Journal at https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/06/27/ohio-house-passes-transgender-bathroom-and-locker-room-ban-for-k-12-schools-and-colleges/
Law School Accreditor Rewriting Diversity and Inclusion Standard
A group of Republican attorneys general says the revised standard would violate the Supreme Court’s ban on race-conscious admissions. Critics say the AGs are “willfully misinterpreting the law.”
June 27, 2024
"The February memo states that 'the revisions make clear that a law school must demonstrate by concrete actions a commitment to access to all persons, including those with identity characteristics that have led to disadvantages in or exclusion from the legal profession,' including on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, Native American tribal citizenship or socioeconomic background."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/race-ethnicity/2024/06/27/law-school-accreditor-rewriting-diversity-standard
‘A Slap in The Face’: How UT-Austin Axed a DEI Division
The 49 staffers thought their jobs were safe. Then they were summoned to a Zoom call.
June 27, 2024
"Their work days, leading up to that day, had already been a blur of sudden and disorienting changes. A program for Black women, and another for LGBT students, were revised to serve all women. The name etched on the door of the Multicultural Engagement Center was scratched off with no official announcement that it was closing. A scholarship program for undocumented students was jettisoned and plans for affinity-group graduation ceremonies canceled. Titles and job responsibilities had been overhauled."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/a-slap-in-the-face-how-ut-austin-axed-a-dei-division
Title IX Legal Challenges Target LGBTQ+ Protections
Judges have temporarily blocked the new Title IX regulations in 10 red states so far. Experts expect a long legal fight that could end at the Supreme Court.
June 26, 2024
"The legal challenges primarily take aim at protections for LGBTQ+ students in the new Title IX rule, which was finalized in April. However, the injunctions thus far block every aspect of the new regulations, including new protections for pregnant and parenting students and changes to how colleges must respond to reports of sexual misconduct."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/06/26/title-ix-legal-challenges-target-lgbtq-protections
Education Department appeals block on Title IX rule to 5th Circuit
The department said it was reviewing the ruling prior to its appeal and that it “stands by” the final regulations, which conservative states have challenged.
June 25, 2024
The Education Department’s notice of appeal comes in the contentious back-and-forth over administration efforts to regulate protections for LGBTQ+ students under the landmark 1972 Title IX law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs.
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/education-department-title-ix-5th-circuit-appeal/719817/
These 2 Utah universities are eliminating all cultural centers — going beyond the state’s anti-DEI requirements
The University of Utah and Weber State University are making extensive changes under HB261.
June 25, 2024
"Women, too, will also lose their space at the flagship school that was devoted to their unique challenges, such as coping in the aftermath of a sex assault (which women are disproportionately more affected by). And those in the LGBTQ+ community — many of whom have described their center at the U. as their only safe spot on campus — will see theirs eliminated, as well."
More at The Salt Lake Tribune at www.sltrib.com/news/education/2024/06/25/these-2-utah-universities-are/
Viral video shows California mom accosting drag queens. UC Davis, her employer, responded
June 25, 2024
“'To the LGBTQ community, UC Davis is a place where you should feel seen and supported. June is when the nation celebrates Pride Month, and at UC Davis we’re committed to making sure this community has every opportunity to thrive and flourish on our campus,' the Tuesday statement read."
More at The Sacramento Bee at www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article289526072.html
The New Anti-DEI Bureaucracy
June 21, 2024
DEI critics say efforts like diversity training, diversity statements, employing DEI officers, and explicitly recruiting and hiring people based on their race, gender, or sexual orientation discriminate against white people, are expensive and ineffective, and diminish free inquiry. They also argue faculty are indoctrinating students with liberal ideology.
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/the-new-anti-dei-bureaucracy
Can Shaun Harper Save DEI?
He built his career advocating for underrepresented students. Now his movement is under organized attack.
June 20, 2024
As he climbed the ranks, Harper’s research expanded, from Black to Latino male achievement and from there to how people from all marginalized groups, including LGBTQ people, experienced higher education and later the work force. (Harper kept his own sexuality private well into adulthood, but in 2008, while accepting an award, he acknowledged his boyfriend, now husband, in the audience. 'People were taking out their phones to text the news,' he says with a slight chuckle.)"
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/can-shaun-harper-save-dei
What’s the Deal With the Blocked Title IX Rule? Here’s What Colleges Need to Know.
June 20, 2024
"The Biden administration’s Title IX rule, which promises greater protections for LGBTQ students under the federal gender-equity law, is now blocked in 10 states. Federal judges have answered Republican state officials’ legal challenges with preliminary injunctions."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/whats-the-deal-with-the-blocked-title-ix-rule-heres-what-colleges-need-to-know
New Title IX Regulations Blocked in Six More States
June 18, 2024
"The Biden administration’s new rule overhauling Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, is on hold in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia after a federal judge issued an order temporarily blocking the regulations from taking effect in those states Aug. 1."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/06/18/new-title-ix-regulations-blocked-six-more-states
See also:
Biden Administration’s New Title IX Rules Are Blocked in Six More States
Conservative groups and Republican attorneys general have argued that the protections for transgender students come at the expense of others’ privacy and conflicts with a number of state laws.
June 17, 2024
at The New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2024/06/17/us/politics/new-title-ix-rules-blocked.html
Title IX rule blocked in 6 more states
Conservative states contest the rule’s inclusion of LGBTQ+ students and have filed multiple lawsuits seeking to stop the rule from taking effect Aug. 1.
June 18, 2024
at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/title-ix-rule-blocked-in-six-states-injunction/719282/
UNC Fires Professor They Secretly Recorded
The university recorded Larry Chavis’s class without his consent for a professional review. Last week he was told his contract would not be renewed.
June 17, 2024
"Chavis, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, has been an outspoken advocate for Indigenous and LGBTQ+ rights in ways that have sometimes pitted him against university officials, he told Inside Higher Ed in April."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2024/06/17/unc-dismisses-professor-after-secretly-recording
131 college scholarships put on hold or modified due to Texas DEI ban, documents show
Memorial scholarships are among those affected as Texas universities strive to comply with a new law banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
June 17, 2024
"The DEI ban has forced the closure of numerous diversity departments across Texas, ending programs designed to benefit immigrants, nonwhite and LGBTQ students. Dozens of staff have been laid off or reassigned."
More at The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/06/17/131-college-scholarships-put-on-hold-or-modified-due-to-texas-dei-ban-documents-show/
See also:
June 18, 2024
131 Scholarships Affected by Texas DEI Ban
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/06/18/texas-minority-scholarships-frozen-amended-due-dei-ban
House Republicans Advance Resolution to Block New Title IX Regs
In a busy Thursday meeting, the education committee also advanced the first legislation to combat antisemitism on campuses and block student athletes from unionizing. But LGBTQ+ protections sparked the hottest debate.
June 14, 2024
"Republicans in Congress, who have loathed President Biden’s decision to expand protections for LGBTQ+ students in the new Title IX rule since it was rolled out, took the next step Thursday to overturn the rule—setting up a potential clash with the Senate and the White House."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/06/14/house-republicans-advance-legislation-block-title-ix-regs
Reed O'Connor jumps the gun to get ahead of Title IX rule challenges
When there's a Northern District of Texas will, there's a way.
June 12, 2024
"On Tuesday, an ultraconservative federal judge in the Northern District of Texas issued a ruling blocking the Biden administration’s interpretation of the sex discrimination ban in the Title IX education law to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
More at Lawdork at https://open.substack.com/pub/chrisgeidner/p/reed-oconnor-title-ix-guidance-documents-ruling
See also:
Texas court decision signals trouble for Title IX LGBTQ+ protections
A district court said the Education Department overstepped its authority in 2021 guidance that told states how to interpret the anti-sex-discrimination statute.
June 13, 2024
At Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/texas-district-court-trouble-biden-title-ix-lgbtq-protection/718925/
Federal Judge Blocks Title IX Rule in Four States
June 14, 2024
At Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/06/14/federal-judge-blocks-new-title-ix-regulations-four-states
Federal judge delivers first blow to Biden’s protections for transgender students
The case “demonstrates the abuse of power by executive federal agencies in the rulemaking process,” the judge wrote.
June 13, 2024
At Politico at www.politico.com/news/2024/06/13/title-ix-blocked-louisiana-00163364
Title IX athletics rule delayed yet again
The controversial rule’s deadline is up in the air in a regulatory agenda update that also includes timelines for student debt relief proposals.
July 9, 2024
"The U.S. Department of Education seems to be putting its long-awaited Title IX athletics rule on the back burner, according to a regulatory update from the Office of Management and Budget on Friday."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/title-ix-athletic-rule-delayed-2025-spring-2024-agenda/720859/
Hoping to block Title IX final rule, lawmakers invoke Congressional Review Act
If passed, the resolution would go to President Joe Biden, who is unlikely to allow the rule to be overturned.
June 6, 2024
"Nearly 70 House Republicans are backing legislation that seeks to reverse the Biden administration’s Title IX final rule, adding to conservative resistance against the controversial regulation released in April that protects LGBTQ+ students from sex discrimination."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/congressional-review-act-block-education-department-title-ix-2024/718295/
US faith-based campuses feel a political moment
Nation’s main higher education grouping sees lessons from religious focus during time of political pressure, while stirring some cautions and even alarm
June 5, 2024
"Universities infused with religious piety, 'by and large, are scary places to be for marginalised folks', said Erin Green, a graduate of two such institutions who now leads the Religious Exemption Accountability Project, a nationwide effort to help LGBTQ students."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/us-faith-based-campuses-feel-political-moment
Harvard’s Largest Division Drops DEI Hiring Statements
June 5, 2024
"The move comes at a time when DEI practices are being increasingly called into question, particularly by conservatives. As a private institution, Harvard is making the move of its own accord, but DEI efforts at various public colleges have been thwarted by Republican lawmakers in recent years. Red states including Florida and Texas have broadly sought to sideline DEI efforts by eliminating state funding and creating more oversight of what colleges are allowed to teach regarding race, gender and sexual orientation."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/06/05/harvards-largest-division-drops-dei-hiring-statements
It’s Time to Stop the Double Talk Around Diversity Hiring
First, let’s admit that it’s happening.
June 5, 2024
"By 'diversity hiring,' I mean using demographic factors (usually race and gender, occasionally sexual orientation and gender identity) as pivotal criteria in hiring faculty members."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/its-time-to-stop-the-double-talk-around-diversity-hiring
Cardona denies Title IX athletics rule delays are due to election year
Despite no release update, the U.S. Secretary of Education said releasing the rule alongside the broader Title IX final rule would have delayed the latter.
June 4, 2024
"The proposed athletics rule and the administration’s overall approach toward transgender student inclusion has already received strong pushback from the GOP. Republican leaders and policymakers claim the proposed athletics rule violates women’s rights and directly contradicts Title IX sex discrimination protections."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/cardona-title-ix-transgender-athletics-rule-delay-2024-election-ye/717953/
Texas Professors Sue to Further Limit Student Access to Abortion
June 3, 2024
"Texas, along with other red states, has sued over concerns about new Title IX regulations, particularly the expansion of Title IX sex discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students. Now UT-Austin professors Daniel Bonevac and John Hatfield have joined that lawsuit because of concerns about abortion—specifically, they argue that they would be required to excuse student absences for out-of-state travel for abortion, which they are unwilling to do. Abortion access has been severely curtailed in Texas after the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/06/03/texas-professors-sue-further-limit-student-abortion-access
AAUP calls out think tanks for ‘culture war against higher education’
More than 150 bills have been introduced targeting DEI efforts, tenure and the teaching of “divisive concepts,” according to the faculty association.
May 30, 2024
"The AAUP report, authored by Isaac Kamola, director of the organization’s Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom, traces the legislation to a backlash against progressive social movements, including Black Lives Matter and those pushing for LGBTQ+ rights."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/aaup-culture-war-higher-ed-report-DEI-critical-race-theory-bills/717559/
Survey: LGBTQ+ Students at Higher Risk of Mental Health Crisis
New data from national organizations finds queer students are more likely than their peers to experience emotional distress, suicidal ideation and loneliness. Here are some practical ways higher education can address these issues.
May 30, 2024
"Nationally, young people report high levels of mental health concerns, and recent studies point to a greater need among LGBTQ+ students, requiring institutions of higher education to provide targeted resources and support for these learners."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2024/05/30/four-ways-help-lgbtq-young-people-thrive-college
See also:
Report: Majority of College Students Feel Lonely, Many Face Psychological Distress
May 22, 2024
65% of College Students Are Lonely, New Report Finds
College students who report feeling lonely are over four times more likely to experience severe psychological distress.
May 23, 2024
at Campus Safety at www.campussafetymagazine.com/mental-health/65-of-college-students-are-lonely-new-report-finds/
Loneliness Associated With Mental Distress Among College Students
May 23, 2024
"Additionally, the rate of nonstraight college students who reported feeling lonely (70.3 percent) was nearly 10 points higher than their straight peers (60.6 percent)."
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/23/loneliness-associated-mental-distress-among-college-students
Pronouns, tribal affiliations now forbidden in South Dakota public university employee emails
May 27, 2024
"A new South Dakota policy to stop the use of gender pronouns by public university faculty and staff in official correspondence is also keeping Native American employees from listing their tribal affiliations in a state with a long and violent history of conflict with tribes."
More at CBSNEWS.com at www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/south-dakota-pronouns-tribal-affiliations-banned-university-email-signatures/
Gender-critical scholars claim discrimination over BMJ rejections
Researchers say emails suggest disapproval of social media posts on transgender issues contributed to rejections
May 23, 2024
"Two academics have raised concerns about 'ideological filtering' of submissions to a BMJ journal after emails revealed that an editor had labelled one of them 'transphobic' and that the other’s 'opinionated' social media posts had 'coloured our impression of [his] manuscript'."
More at Times Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/gender-critical-scholars-claim-discrimination-over-bmj-rejections
UNC System board approves policy gutting DEI efforts at NC public universities
May 23, 2024
"Callum Conklin, a student at Appalachian State University, noted that, in addition to providing services to LGBTQ+ students and students of color, DEI programs also serve rural and low-income students."
More at aol.com at www.aol.com/unc-system-board-approves-policy-151802927.html
See also:
More DEI cuts come to higher education: UNC board dismantles diversity policy
May 23, 2024
at USA Today at www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2024/05/23/dei-crackdown-public-universities-north-carolina/73822010007/
South Dakota Bans Pronouns, Tribal Affiliations in University Email Signatures
Civil liberties advocates and students say the South Dakota Board of Regents’ new policy is part of a larger effort to “erase queer people from the public university system.”
May 22, 2024
"A new South Dakota Board of Regents policy prohibits employees at the six public universities from including their preferred gender pronouns and tribal affiliations on their email signatures."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/sex-gender/2024/05/22/pronouns-tribal-affiliations-banned-south-dakotas-university
A University Title IX Official Is Suspended After Saying He’d Comply With Title IX
May 17, 2024
"The administrator who oversees Title IX and student conduct for the Texas A&M University system has been suspended, a system spokesperson confirmed to The Chronicle on Friday. Two weeks ago, the official spoke publicly about Texas A&M’s plans for complying with new changes to Title IX."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/a-campus-title-ix-official-is-suspended-after-saying-hed-comply-with-title-ix
See also:
Gov. Abbott instructs Texas universities to ignore rewritten Title IX rule
Abbott's directive follows a similar action he took last week when he ordered the Texas Education Agency to ignore the recent changes to the decades-old law.
May 8, 2024
at KVUE ABC at www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-governor-greg-abbott-titkle-ix-colleges-universities/269-7ce4c1f9-84c5-4348-888f-a0945c79239c
18 states challenge EEOC guidance on harassment based on gender identity
The agency has unlawfully expanded Title VII to include “all transgender-related employment issues,” the states argued.
May 16, 2024
"In making its argument, Tennessee pointed to a similar, now-vacated technical assistance document promulgated by the EEOC in June 2021 — Protections Against Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity — which also touched on dress codes, pronouns and sex-segregated spaces. That guidance sought to explain the Bostock decision and its implications to employers."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/18-states-challenge-eeoc-guidance-harassment-gender-identity/716240/
Iowa Governor Signs Bill Banning DEI
May 15, 2024
"The legislation bans public institutions from having DEI offices and from hiring or assigning anyone 'to perform duties' of a DEI office. The ban goes beyond the directives of the Board of Regents, which had left the definition of DEI open to interpretation, by defining the term to include... 'Any effort to promote or promulgate trainings, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.'”
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/15/iowa-governor-signs-bill-banning-dei
Political Standoff Over Title IX Puts Red State Colleges in No-Win Situation
Eight states—so far—say they’ll defy the Biden administration and not comply with the new Title IX regulations. That would imperil nearly $13 billion in federal aid for public universities in those states.
May 14, 2024
"Colleges are already facing a tight Aug. 1 deadline to comply with the new Title IX regulations that dictate how they respond to reports of sexual harassment and misconduct, accommodate pregnant students and protect students from sex-based discrimination, including those who are gay or transgender. The provisions codifying protections for LGBTQ+ students have received the most criticism from Republican lawmakers and officials, though they’ve also raised objectives to several other changes that they say infringe on the due process rights of those accused of misconduct."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/05/14/red-states-say-they-wont-comply-new-title-ix-rule
UNC-Chapel Hill Shifts $2.3M From DEI to Police, Public Safety
May 14, 2024
"The Raleigh News & Observer, which reported earlier on the DEI defunding, noted that the Board of Governors that leads the larger UNC System is voting next week on restricting DEI statewide. The newspaper reported that, in the 2021–22 fiscal year, half of the $2.3 million in Chapel Hill’s DEI budget was spent on personnel, 'with positions ranging from a chief diversity officer, to the director of the campus LGBTQ center, to the director of rural initiatives at the university’s School of Medicine, among others.'”
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/14/chapel-hill-shifts-23m-dei-police-public-safety
Mississippi governor signs law restricting transgender people’s use of bathrooms and locker rooms
May 13, 2024
"Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he has signed a new law regulating transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, making Mississippi at least the 12th state to restrict transgender students from using facilities that align with their gender identity."
More at AP at https://apnews.com/article/transgender-legislation-mississippi-bathrooms-dd439b50453e09ef335a3445ef2d02d6
Grace College Professor Terminated Following Facebook Campaign
Matthew Warner, who had tweeted about gay marriage, is the latest in a string of Christian college faculty who have lost their jobs after being accused of theological misalignment.
May 10, 2024
"While Flamm didn’t specify the reasons for Warner’s dismissal, it was preceded by an online termination campaign clear about its goals. Launched by conservative influencers and Grace College stakeholders, the campaign demanded Warner’s removal due to his social media posts about LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter, and critiques of the GOP. Almost all the posts predated Warner’s employment at the college."
More at Christianity Today at www.christianitytoday.com/news/2024/may/grace-christian-college-professor-matthew-warner-fired-twee.html
Cardona Tangles With House Republicans
In a fiery House hearing Tuesday, the education secretary apologized for FAFSA delays and pressed for more funding to support investigations into campus antisemitism. But many of his answers frustrated Republicans.
May 8, 2024
"Foxx’s opening remarks Tuesday set the tone for a contentious and lengthy hearing. The secretary faced a barrage of critical questions about his department’s handling of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, its response to a wave of protests and encampments roiling college campuses, its recently finalized rule overhauling Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to expand protections to LGBTQ+ students, and debt-relief policies that have forgiven $160 billion in student loans for 4.6 million Americans."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/05/08/cardona-faces-against-house-republicans-fiery-hearing
Gov. Abbott instructs Texas universities to ignore rewritten Title IX rule
Abbott's directive follows a similar action he took last week when he ordered the Texas Education Agency to ignore the recent changes to the decades-old law.
May 8, 2024
"Title IX refers to the law that protects students from discrimination based on sex. In April, the Biden administration expanded the rule to apply to students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community."
More at KVUE ABC at www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-governor-greg-abbott-titkle-ix-colleges-universities/269-7ce4c1f9-84c5-4348-888f-a0945c79239c
How ‘Diversity’ Became the Master Concept of Our Age
Across the ideological spectrum, it’s become a bedrock value. What does it mean?
May 7, 2024
"The meteoric rise of the value of diversity is transforming the moral economy of science and scholarship. Viewpoint diversity came to serve as the legal justification of affirmative action in student admissions, even though critical observers doubted that the diversity policies characteristic of American progressive institutions are primarily motivated by a valuation of perspectival pluralism. Considering recent right-wing efforts to censor the discussion of critical race theory and LGBT literature in schools and colleges, one might also question whether viewpoint diversity is what motivates conservative efforts like the Florida viewpoint-diversity survey in 2022. However, what adapting diversity to different ends shows is that, despite deep hostility between the culture-war parties, they all consider the value of diversity self-evident enough to package their political projects in diversity discourse."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/how-diversity-became-the-master-concept-of-our-age
How College Leaders Can Stand Up for DEI Workers and Programs
May 3, 2024
"But as anyone conversant with this work can attest, those charges are gross distortions of what DEI efforts actually look like on campuses across the country. DEI offices and programming are vital, mission-critical institutional initiatives. While they address racial equity and justice, DEI offices also work with LGBTQIA+, disabled, first-generation, and veteran students and employees. Leaders’ failure to vociferously correct the record — by explaining and advocating for these mission-critical student-success efforts — is a grievous miscalculation."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/how-college-leaders-can-stand-up-for-dei-workers-and-programs
Amid clampdown on DEI, some on campuses push back
‘Let’s not get tricked into being quiet,’ a college president says about attacks on what can be taught
May 2,2024
"Cantwell said DEI shows up in tasks such as student advising or ensuring that databases accommodate gender identities and meet federal regulations — efforts that have arisen over the past decade as a direct response to campuses growing more diverse, racially and in other ways. DEI also covers veterans, first-generation students, international students, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities and people of different faiths. The aim has been to institute policies and practices that allow all students to feel accepted."
More at The Hechinger Report at https://hechingerreport.org/amid-clampdown-on-dei-some-on-campuses-push-back/
15 states now suing over final Title IX rule
A flurry of lawsuits this week claim the Department of Education overstepped its authority when it finalized a Title IX rule including LGBTQ+ protections.
May 2, 2024
"The attorneys general behind the lawsuits take issue with the final rule’s inclusion of LGBTQ+ students as protected from sex discrimination under the landmark Title IX civil rights law. The rule, released April 19, provides protections for LGBTQ+ students who are misgendered or otherwise bullied, for example."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/15-states-attorneys-general-title-ix-lawsuits-department-of-education/715004/
Nearly 2 out of 5 young LGBTQ+ people considered suicide in last year, survey finds
Political rhetoric is a major cause of distress among young LGBTQ+ people, group says.
May 2, 2024
"A new survey from the Trevor Project of young LGBTQ+ people found that 39% of those surveyed said they considered attempting suicide in the past year, while 12% said they tried to take their own life."
"The survey included responses from 18,663 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 in the U.S."
More at Scripps News at www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/lgbtq/nearly-2-out-of-5-young-lgbtq-people-considered-suicide-in-last-year-survey-finds
University drag ban arguments focus on SCOTUS nondiscrimination policy decision
In response to questions from Judge James Ho, the student group's lawyer, from FIRE, said he was not there to "defend" 2010's Christian Legal Society v. Martinez decision.
April 30, 2024
"The only way that Judge James Ho apparently would be open to drag being protected on West Texas A&M University’s campus is if Christian student groups are allowed to discriminate against gay students."
More at Law Dork at www.lawdork.com/p/university-drag-ban-arguments-focus
States, Conservative Groups Sue to Block New Title IX Rule
April 30, 2024
"In two lawsuits filed in Louisiana and Alabama, the plaintiffs argued that several changes to the new rule, which was finalized earlier this month, contradict the text and purpose of Title IX. Specifically, they take issue with the Biden administration’s decision to expand the definition of sex-based discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/30/states-conservative-groups-sue-block-new-title-ix-rule
See also:
Texas, Louisiana lead challenges to Title IX rules providing explicit LGBTQ protections
Both Texas's lawsuit and the Louisiana-led challenge were assigned to conservative Trump appointees by design, and any appeals would go to the far-right Fifth Circuit.
May 1, 2024
at Law Dork at www.lawdork.com/p/texas-louisiana-title-ix-challenges
New Title IX rule draws first legal challenges
In two lawsuits, five states and several advocacy groups argue the regulations improperly expand Title IX’s protections and undermine student rights.
April 30, 2024
at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/new-title-ix-rule-first-legal-challenges/714776/
Louisiana sues Biden administration over Title IX rules that protect LGBTQ+ students
‘Do not comply,’ education chief tells school districts
April 29, 2024
at Louisiana Illuminator at https://lailluminator.com/2024/04/29/louisiana-sues-biden-administration-over-title-ix-rules-that-protect-lgbtq-students/
Subject: Race on Campus: Lived experiences of the anti-DEI movement
April 30, 2024
"Many organizations that served as the glue for communities of color and LGBTQ communities are losing funding, services, and their advisers."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/newsletter/race-on-campus/2024-04-30
How ‘History and Tradition’ Rulings Are Changing American Law
A new legal standard is gaining traction among conservative judges — one that might turn back the clock on drag shows, gun restrictions and more.
April 29, 2024
In November 2022, a group of L.G.B.T.Q. students at West Texas A&M University started planning a drag show for the following spring. They wanted to raise money for suicide prevention and stand up for queer self-expression at a time when conservatives in Texas, in the name of protecting children, were mobilizing to shut drag shows down.
More at The New York Times Magazine at www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/magazine/history-tradition-law-conservative-judges.html
Iowa Lawmakers Pass Last-Minute Ban on DEI, Institutional Statements
The Republican-controlled Iowa General Assembly ratcheted up restrictions issued by the state Board of Regents, sending the governor one of the nation’s broadest DEI bans.
April 26, 2024
"In the legislation, DEI offices are any university unit responsible for 'promoting … activities or procedures related to' DEI, and DEI encompasses any 'activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.' Unlike in some other states’ anti-DEI laws, these broad definitions would restrict programming beyond the university’s central DEI office, and would restrict programming that only references identities such as race and gender."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/2024/04/26/iowa-gop-oks-11th-hour-ban-dei-institutional-statements
See also:
Iowa State, UNI closing DEI offices after regent directives, legislation
‘We will eliminate essentially five positions’
April 25, 2024
More at The Gazette at www.thegazette.com/higher-education/iowa-state-uni-closing-dei-offices-after-regent-directives-legislation/
Why Conservatives Want New Title IX Rule Blocked
The wide-ranging regulation changes how colleges respond to reports of sexual misconduct, but most criticism focuses on provisions that expand protections to LGBTQ+ students.
April 25, 2024
"Outraged over the Biden administration’s decision to expand sex discrimination protections under Title IX to LGBTQ+ students, a slew of conservative groups and Republican officials plan to sue to block the new regulations from taking effect this summer."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/04/25/conservatives-plan-lawsuits-block-new-title-ix-rule
See also:
DeSantis: Florida ‘will not comply’ with new Biden Title IX rules
April 25, 2024
at The Hill at https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/4621642-desantis-florida-will-not-comply-with-new-biden-title-ix-rules/
Two Turning Point USA members admit to assaulting queer professor
Kalen D’Almeida and Braden Ellis accosted David Boyles, also co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona, last October
April 23, 2024
"Two employees of a rightwing youth organization who harassed and assaulted a queer professor last year agreed to a diversion program and admitted they were guilty of the acts."
More at The Guardian at www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/23/turning-point-usa-assault-david-boyles
See also:
Turning Point Workers Admit Harming Arizona State Instructor
April 25, 2024
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/25/turning-point-usa-workers-admit-harming-arizona-state-instructor
Turning Point USA's embarrassments are piling up in Arizona
Opinion: From a state legislator in retreat to goons admitting their guilt, Turning Point USA is having a rough week in Arizona.
April 23, 2024
at AZ Central at www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2024/04/23/turning-point-usa-smith-asu-fake-elector-embarrassment/73424327007/
Pressure mounts on NCAA to clarify stance on transgender athletes
April 23, 2024
"The NCAA is facing mounting pressure to take action on the role of transgender athletes in college sports after a small college association’s recent decision to ban all trans women from women’s sports."
More at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/23/ncaa-transgender-rule-changes/
New Study Bolsters Idea of Athletic Differences Between Men and Trans Women
Research financed by the International Olympic Committee introduced new data to the unsettled and fractious debate about bans on transgender athletes.
April 23, 2024
"Outright bans, though, continue to proliferate. Twenty-five U.S. states now have laws or regulations barring transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit that focuses on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parity. And the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the governing body for smaller colleges, this month barred transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports unless their sex was assigned female at birth and they had not undergone hormone therapy."
More at The New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/world/europe/paris-olympics-transgender-athletes.html
Want to Celebrate Your Culture? Better Clock Out First.
April 23, 2024
"A section of SB 17 prohibits colleges from 'conducting trainings, programs, or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation,' other than those required by court order or federal law."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/want-to-celebrate-your-culture-better-clock-out-first
Tracking Higher Ed’s Dismantling of DEI
April 19, 2024
"The Chronicle is tracking higher ed’s dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/tracking-higher-eds-dismantling-of-dei
Final Title IX rule enshrines protections for LGBTQI+ students
The Education Department’s long-awaited regulations also provide protections for pregnant students and employees.
April 19, 2024
"The U.S. Department of Education on Friday issued its long-awaited Title IX rule, which for the first time enshrines protections for LGBTQI+ students and employees, as well as pregnant students and employees, under the civil rights law that prevents sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs."
More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/education-department-final-title-ix-rule-2024-2022-lgbtq-protections/713684/
See also:
Colleges, the Title IX Changes Are Finally Here. What’s In Them?
April 19, 2024
at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/colleges-the-title-ix-changes-are-finally-here-whats-in-them
New Title IX Rules Are Out. Here’s What You Need to Know.
Designed to protect college and university students and employees from sex-based harassment and sexual violence, the regulations will overhaul how institutions respond to reports of sexual misconduct, among other changes.
April 19, 2024
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2024/04/19/biden-administration-finalizes-title-ix-overhaul
Biden Title IX rules set to protect trans students, survivors of abuse
The administration’s regulations offer protections for transgender students, but do not address athletics
April 19, 2024
at The Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/19/titleix-biden-transgender-sexual-assault/
Education Department’s final Title IX regulations draw mixed reactions
Advocates for sexual assault survivors praised the rule, though some groups said it will undermine due process and free speech.
April 19, 2024
at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/education-department-title-ix-final-rule-response/713785/
Appeals court rules that Title IX protects trans student in challenge to WV sports ban
April 19, 2024
"On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that West Virginia’s ban on transgender girls participating in girls sports can violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in specific cases and might also violate equal protection guarantees under the U.S. Constitution."
More at Law Dork at www.lawdork.com/p/fourth-circuit-title-ix-west-virginia-sports-ban
DEI Statements Are Not About Ideology. They’re About Accountability.
If critics have a problem with the goal of diversity, they should say so.
April 19, 2024
"The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reported a record number of complaints filed in 2023. OCR complaints have nearly tripled since 2019 and are already up by 24 percent in 2024. Much of the increase is due to complaints alleging discrimination against LGBTQ persons, but complaints about racism and ableism remain high. And while two-thirds of the complaints involved K-12 schools, that leaves a third for colleges. Given that the number of K-12 schools (139,069) eclipses the number of postsecondary schools (5,916) by a factor of more than 20, this 2:1 complaint disparity means that complaints are far more pervasive in higher education."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/dei-statements-are-not-about-ideology-theyre-about-accountability
West Virginia transgender sports ban discriminates against teen athlete, appeals court says
April 16, 2024
"West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the rights of a teen athlete under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools, an appeals court ruled Tuesday."
More at AP at https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-transgender-sports-ban-ruling-badf5518ada74d01a3f0a0420d2f4074
Dozens of Campuses Shed or Alter DEI Efforts as Political Pressure Mounts
April 15, 2024
"DEI advocates argue vague laws have led colleges to overcorrect. Students of color and LGBTQ students say they’ve lost essential mental-health resources, mentorship, and a range of other activities that they say help them connect with one another."
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/dozens-of-campuses-shed-or-alter-dei-efforts-as-political-pressure-mounts
See also:
Tracking Higher Ed’s Dismantling of DEI
April 15, 2024
The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/tracking-higher-eds-dismantling-of-dei
Texas’ diversity, equity and inclusion ban has led to more than 100 job cuts at state universities
April 13, 2024
"Texas’ anti-DEI law, which Abbott enthusiastically signed last year, prohibits training and activities conducted 'in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.' Additionally, the law, also known by its legislative title, SB17, forbids staff members from making hiring decisions that are influenced by race, sex, color or ethnicity, and prohibits promoting 'differential' or 'preferential' treatment or 'special' benefits for people based on these categories."
More at AP at https://apnews.com/article/dei-texas-university-job-cuts-939b334d85108e498c0f85d2ad44ebc2
Are DEI Office Name Changes Enough?
As DEI bans impact colleges nationwide, many institutions are renaming their offices to something more innocuous. The results have been varied.
April 10, 2024
"DEI programs and practices have now been outlawed in some form or another in 10 states, with critics arguing that they demean and sideline white, cisgender, heterosexual students for characteristics they have no control over. Proponents of DEI, meanwhile, believe that such programs are essential for supporting students who have been historically marginalized, discriminated against or excluded from higher education."
More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/government/state-policy/2024/04/10/diversity-office-name-changes-spark-concern-both-sides
UT Dallas lays off 20 staffers, closes office to comply with DEI ban
About a week after UT Austin laid off about 60 employees who used to work under DEI offices and programs, UT Dallas follows suit, saying it will cut about 20 staffers.
April 9, 2024
"In general, the new law bans DEI offices, staff, training, mandatory statements, programs and activities based on race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation, unless approved by the institution’s general counsel and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board."
More at The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/04/09/ut-dallas-lays-off-staff-closes-office-to-comply-with-dei-ban/
Also see:
UT Dallas to Close Former DEI Office
April 11, 2024
at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/11/ut-dallas-close-former-dei-office
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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