Using ‘Transparency’ to Obscure: The Daily Tar Heel and UNC’s Title IX Records

Oct 19, 2020 · · No Comments on Using ‘Transparency’ to Obscure: The Daily Tar Heel and UNC’s Title IX Records

“Sunlight,” Justice Louis Brandeis once wrote, “is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” Few aspects of the contemporary academy more need enhanced sunlight than the Title IX adjudication process, which operates almost entirely in the dark—even going as far as not publicizing the training materials that adjudicators used … Continue reading “Using ‘Transparency’ to Obscure: The Daily Tar Heel and UNC’s Title IX Records”

The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education

Jul 1, 2020 · · No Comments on The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education

There are now 15 United States federal executive departments. Here they are, in order of their dates of inception: State, 1789 Treasury, 1789 Interior, 1849 Agriculture, 1862 Justice, 1870 Commerce, 1903 Labor, 1913 Defense, 1947 Health and Human Services, 1953 Housing and Urban Development, 1965 Transportation, 1967 Energy, 1977 Education, 1979 Veterans Affairs, 1989 Homeland … Continue reading “The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education”

New Title IX Regulations Restore Due Process–But There’s a Battle Ahead

May 15, 2020 · · No Comments on New Title IX Regulations Restore Due Process–But There’s a Battle Ahead

In the latest case where a male student sued his college over the unfair procedures it used to expel him, Colgate University in New York will go to trial. So ruled federal district judge Frederick Scullin on April 30. In his opinion, the plaintiff student had presented sufficient evidence of bias against him for the … Continue reading “New Title IX Regulations Restore Due Process–But There’s a Battle Ahead”

How College Sports Turned into a Corrupt Mega-Business

Mar 11, 2020 · · No Comments on How College Sports Turned into a Corrupt Mega-Business

College sports are a gigantic entertainment business that have nothing to do with the missions of the schools. Frequently, the highest-paid employee of a school is the football or basketball coach, and the athletics budget is hugely subsidized by fees paid by financially strapped students. Players who read and write at a middle-school level (if … Continue reading “How College Sports Turned into a Corrupt Mega-Business”

Our Hopes for Higher Ed Reform in 2020

Dec 27, 2019 · · No Comments on Our Hopes for Higher Ed Reform in 2020

As priorities shift in the minds of higher education leaders and students, it’s important to take stock of recent changes on the local and national levels. At the Martin Center, we have our eyes on some reforms at the top of our list for 2020: Jenna A. Robinson, President More Colleges Experimenting with Income Share … Continue reading “Our Hopes for Higher Ed Reform in 2020”

The Totalitarian Impulse in the Title IX Racket

Oct 30, 2019 · · No Comments on The Totalitarian Impulse in the Title IX Racket

Until 2015, I believed that the Obama administration’s “Dear Colleague” letter, which called for universities to significantly broaden their interpretation of Title IX protections, was merely a way to address the so-called “rape crisis” on American campuses. I doubted the narrative that colleges had rates of sexual assaults that were comparable with warzones, but this … Continue reading “The Totalitarian Impulse in the Title IX Racket”

The Oberlin Case Gives College Leaders a Teachable Moment

Jun 21, 2019 · · No Comments on The Oberlin Case Gives College Leaders a Teachable Moment

When college officials violate people’s rights, they run the risk of bringing on lawsuits that can cost their schools a lot of money.  The most common instance has been hyper-aggressive Title IX actions where the accused student was presumed guilty and railroaded into suspension or expulsion and later successfully sued over the violation of his … Continue reading “The Oberlin Case Gives College Leaders a Teachable Moment”

Identity Politics Versus Basic Logic: Should Colleges Offer Affirmative Action for the Female Majority?

May 24, 2019 · · No Comments on Identity Politics Versus Basic Logic: Should Colleges Offer Affirmative Action for the Female Majority?

Academic postmodernism is no stranger to the idea that classical Enlightenment values such as reason, equal treatment, and individual agency should be cast aside for the sake of racial and sexual grievances. We should denounce reason and science as the legacy of “dead white men”—or so we are told. Western academia has become both ideologized … Continue reading “Identity Politics Versus Basic Logic: Should Colleges Offer Affirmative Action for the Female Majority?”

Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free Speech

Jan 23, 2019 · · No Comments on Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free Speech

When Congress wrote the 1972 amendments to the Education Act, it meant to prevent colleges and universities that received federal money from discriminating against students based on sex. Title IX states that schools lose eligibility for federal money if they discriminate against either men or women. Over the years, federal courts have expanded and contorted … Continue reading “Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free Speech”

Students’ Speech Chilled at the University of Texas

Jan 18, 2019 · · No Comments on Students’ Speech Chilled at the University of Texas

Written in 1903, the University of Texas fight song’s opening lyrics are “The Eyes of Texas are upon you/All the livelong day.” Unfortunately, for many on campus, the sentiments expressed are more than just a catchy tune—it’s a frightening reality. Thanks to four policies that the school maintains—a verbal harassment ban, an Acceptable Use Policy … Continue reading “Students’ Speech Chilled at the University of Texas”