I am so grateful for and blessed by my time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. However, I am keen to the reality that my political foundations differ from the vast majority of my Tar Heel peers. It is alienating to be a conservative in Chapel Hill. In many of my classes, … Continue reading “A Conservative Student’s Experience at UNC-Chapel Hill”
The recent hiring of New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones as a faculty member in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism raises serious red flags about how the university is being run. Last week, the Martin Center’s Jay Schalin reported on Hannah-Jones’s appointment to the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC. Hannah-Jones … Continue reading “UNC’s 1619 Project Hire: A Case Study of Failed University Governance”
To the editor: I neither know Darrell Allison nor anything about his appointment as Chancellor at Fayetteville State University. But I also read that he is seeking to improve FSU’s retention and graduation rates, which reportedly are some of the worst in the UNC system. That’s not necessarily going to be popular with the Faculty … Continue reading “Letter to the Editor: The state should have a voice in who runs public universities”
Members of the media and faculty erupted into histrionics at the recent appointment of Darrell Allison to the chancellorship of Fayetteville State University. It is a great scandal, they claimed; Allison “cut in line” cried the left-wing think tank NC Policy Watch; the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and FSU faculty senate questioned not … Continue reading “Perpetual Scandal-Mongering as a Political Tool”
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles. Part I can be found here, Part II is here, and Part III is here. The “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) paradigm is sweeping through academia. Its increasing use as an ethical basis for enacting university policies is no small matter. Rather, it is monumental: … Continue reading “UNC Governing Boards Fiddle while Reason Burns”
Few things are more discouraging than seeing one’s hard work go to waste—a set-back with which many transfer students are familiar. All too often, transfer students must retake courses because their credits are not accepted at the new institution. This usually happens either because the new college doesn’t accept a course (known as “credit loss”), … Continue reading “UNC Transfer Students Will No Longer Miss Out on Hard-Earned Credit”
From the executive summary of “Political Reality on North Carolina Campuses: Examining Policy Debates and Forums with Diverse Viewpoints”: Everywhere in higher education, there is a rhetorical affirmation of the values of free speech and the development of informed citizens. North Carolina’s state motto in Latin is Esse Quam Videri, which translates to “To Be … Continue reading “Political Reality on North Carolina Campuses: Examining Policy Debates and Forums with Diverse Viewpoints”
The college admissions essay can be a stressful part of the application process for students. Like standardized test scores, however, their influence is waning. Many colleges have stopped requiring them. Even when they do, essays tend to be short—more like personal statements than a longer and more serious piece of writing. On the bright side, … Continue reading “College Admissions Essays Are Getting Shorter—and More Political”
In tracing COVID-19 outbreaks at colleges, the blame has been placed on Greek life, the fraternities and sororities that drive social life on many campuses. While university leaders have criticized secret fraternity parties—and about 400,000 cases have broken out among students nationwide—the blame for campus outbreaks cannot simply be placed on Greek life students. Some … Continue reading “Even in a Pandemic, Campus Housing Restrictions Don’t Apply to Greek Life”
Student loan debt has received more attention lately, but one aspect has been left out of the debate: parents taking on loans for their children. While undergraduate students generally can only borrow $12,500 each year, Parent PLUS loans have no such limits. This is the first year that the U.S. Department of Education has shared … Continue reading “To Fight Student Loan Debt, North Carolina Schools Need to Stop Pushing Parent PLUS Loans”