We’ve heard a lot, in recent years, about a free speech crisis on our college campuses. There are stories of speakers being shouted down and of students being afraid to voice their opinions, for fear of ostracism by their peers or retaliation from faculty and staff. Some have dismissed this talk as politically inspired rhetoric, … Continue reading “Who’s Afraid of a Little Data?”
Since the early 1960s, universities have sought to achieve racial equality. Initiatives have ranged from offering extra tutoring for struggling minority students to making them more comfortable on campus by providing segregated housing and black-only graduation ceremonies. Unfortunately, nothing has worked. Now, after over a half century of trying everything imaginable and sparing no expense, … Continue reading “Bending the Knee for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity”
During the years I taught college English, I had a ringside seat watching a new breed of Jacobins seize control of a university English department, then extend their reach throughout the humanities. Posing as the champions of “social justice,” they have built an empire cultivating “victims”—and silencing colleagues who oppose the new mission of the … Continue reading “Diary of a Mad Emerita”
On March 28, 2022, Stuart Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced the school’s plan to restore the consideration of standardized tests to its undergraduate admissions process. A heavyweight bucks against the self-destructive path of attacking merit and standards. Will more follow suit? Or, is MIT’s … Continue reading “Rescuing “Virtue and Talents” Amidst the War on Tests”
Has Meredith College gone woke? When comparing the school’s history and original vision with its current happenings, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Founded in 1899, Meredith College–originally the Baptist Female University–opened as a female, Christian school, intent on academic excellence. The founders wished to provide female students access to the same quality of education … Continue reading “Meredith College Goes Woke?”
The educational bureaucracies from the state level down to local school boards, including community college boards of trustees, are rushing to implement administrative regulations and board policies, as well as approve curricular changes, that will normalize antiracist and gender identity politics in our education systems for years and perhaps generations to come. The sudden rush … Continue reading “Institutionalizing Systemic Antiracism Racism”
Over the last several years, Davidson College’s inhospitality to freedom of thought has caught the attention of concerned alumni. Among other concerns, a group of alumni was deeply dismayed by the campus’s lack of support of, and sometimes even hostility towards, open inquiry and free expression. In 2018, these alumni formally organized themselves into an … Continue reading “Revitalizing Freedom of Expression at Davidson “
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases that challenge the legality of racial preferences in college admissions, one involving Harvard and the other the University of North Carolina. It might rule that preferences for particular racial groups violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and/or the 14th Amendment. Such a decision would be … Continue reading “Should We Replace Racial Preferences with Socio-Economic Preferences?”
On March 15, students at North Carolina State University who are members of a fraternity or sorority were notified that they were required to take diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training. The “assigned content” consisted of “Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging for Students” parts I and II, which had to be completed by March 31, 2022. … Continue reading “Did You Know? NC State Recycles DEI Training for Greek Life”
The Supreme Court may ban affirmative action, but even if it does, many race, sex, and ideology-conscious “diversity” policies and programs will still remain on college campuses. Regardless of the Court’s decision, state legislators have an important role to play in striking down discriminatory practices in public higher education. Idaho is emblematic of how a … Continue reading “States Must Go Beyond Affirmative Action Bans to Stop Discriminatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on College Campuses”