The American Political Science Association Cancels the Claremont Institute

Oct 13, 2021 · · Comments Off on The American Political Science Association Cancels the Claremont Institute

Universities have been going woke across the country. This involves administrators pushing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” policies in hiring practices, student life, and curricula. But if they choose to, academic departments can actually be bastions of resistance to the DEI fervor. Many departments are connected to professional standards that limit their adherence to DEI ideology. … Continue reading “The American Political Science Association Cancels the Claremont Institute”

The Limits of Free-Speech Dogma: Questioning Decades-Old Conservative Wisdom

Sep 15, 2021 · · Comments Off on The Limits of Free-Speech Dogma: Questioning Decades-Old Conservative Wisdom

“My most ‘illiberal’ claim is that all societies necessarily have standards. Even the freest of speech regimes has limits.” This is the claim of Michael Knowles in Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds, a fascinating new book that attempts to do away with some common conservative dogmas, and raises important questions about free speech, liberty, and … Continue reading “The Limits of Free-Speech Dogma: Questioning Decades-Old Conservative Wisdom”

The Higher Education Battle in Idaho: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Smokescreens 

Sep 10, 2021 · · Comments Off on The Higher Education Battle in Idaho: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Smokescreens 

We are living in an era of unprecedented pressure for ideological conformity within institutions of higher education. Idaho’s Legislature has led the way toward reforming public universities through budgetary controls. Lawmakers were awakened to the need for reform by in-depth reports, which led to the House calling for a $4 million budget reduction at the … Continue reading “The Higher Education Battle in Idaho: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Smokescreens “

Oklahoma University Thumbs its Nose at Oklahomans — With ‘So Few Repercussions’

Sep 1, 2021 · · Comments Off on Oklahoma University Thumbs its Nose at Oklahomans — With ‘So Few Repercussions’

“I don’t understand how a state as red as Oklahoma can have such an obsessively woke state university with so few repercussions,” law professor and New York Post columnist Glenn Reynolds recently marveled. He’s not alone. I don’t understand it, either. Nor do many Oklahoma taxpayers I’ve talked to. The question is whether OU’s regents will … Continue reading “Oklahoma University Thumbs its Nose at Oklahomans — With ‘So Few Repercussions’”

Letter to the Editor: What do diversity office staff members actually do?

Aug 31, 2021 · · Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: What do diversity office staff members actually do?

To the editor: It’s a trick question! “How successful are these initiatives at carrying out their goals?” “Wellllll, son, that all depends …. on just zackly what those ‘goals’ might happen to be, now, don’t it?!” Let us look at Michigan, one of those highlighted by the study for their massively disproportionate DIES staffing, to … Continue reading “Letter to the Editor: What do diversity office staff members actually do?”

Letter to the Editor: Diversity offices are unnecessary

· · Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: Diversity offices are unnecessary

To the editor: Excellent piece on diversity offices. They are both unnecessary and damaging to a university’s proper mission. They are unnecessary because universities have survived quite well without them for 1000 years. They are damaging because, as the article shows, they have no beneficial effects and several deleterious ones, such as the introduction of … Continue reading “Letter to the Editor: Diversity offices are unnecessary”

Federal Bill May Bolster Campus Free Speech, But Will it Go Anywhere?

Aug 27, 2021 · · Comments Off on Federal Bill May Bolster Campus Free Speech, But Will it Go Anywhere?

In recent years, American universities have come under fire for frequent mistreatment of speech on their campuses. Often, this mistreatment is a result of restrictive or ill-defined speech codes—policies that stifle any speech that would otherwise be protected in general society. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has found in their annual speech … Continue reading “Federal Bill May Bolster Campus Free Speech, But Will it Go Anywhere?”

Do Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Offices Achieve Their Stated Goals?

Aug 23, 2021 · · Comments Off on Do Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Offices Achieve Their Stated Goals?

As Oscar Wilde tells us, “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” This is especially true of bureaucracies on college campuses. Once their seeds are planted, their growth often continues without check. Administrative offices have been growing on college campuses since the 1980s, undoubtedly contributing to the increasing cost of a degree. Besides … Continue reading “Do Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Offices Achieve Their Stated Goals?”

Progressivism Surges Through America’s Law Schools

Aug 11, 2021 · · Comments Off on Progressivism Surges Through America’s Law Schools

Law schools in the U.S. used to be run by no-nonsense individuals who, whatever their personal politics, thought that their institutions existed to teach students about the law, not to engage in advocacy or speculation. That began to change in the 1980s, as some younger law professors started to push into previously forbidden terrain, introducing … Continue reading “Progressivism Surges Through America’s Law Schools”

Academic Freedom Doesn’t Shield Universities From Oversight

Aug 4, 2021 · · Comments Off on Academic Freedom Doesn’t Shield Universities From Oversight

State legislatures are taking up higher education reform. Sometimes higher education reform consists of attempts to regulate what happens on college campuses, such as laws that prohibit universities from requiring students to believe the tenets of critical race theory. Sometimes, as occurred recently in Idaho, state legislatures cut budgets or impose tuition freezes on universities taken … Continue reading “Academic Freedom Doesn’t Shield Universities From Oversight”