The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia regents increase tuition for the 2024-25 school year
By Ty Tagami
Rising costs will catch up with Georgia residents who attend a state college or university, with in-state tuition set to rise 2.5% in the fall. Students from outside Georgia will pay even more after the state Board of Regents broke a half-decade trend Wednesday, voting to raise tuition and fees at all 26 campuses. They also concurred with Chancellor Sonny Perdue’s request to continue the waiver on admissions testing, with only the three most selective campuses continuing to require an ACT or SAT score. …Perdue said that with enrollment recovering, it was important to send a “signal” about the test-optional stance at most of the state’s campuses. “I think this is currently the wise thing to do,” he said. However, he also said he’d talked with the presidents of several “R1 and R2″ campuses, including Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University, about resuming testing .
Capitol Beat
University System of Georgia raising tuition by 2.5%
by Dave Williams
In-state undergraduates at Georgia’s public colleges and universities will be paying 2.5% more for tuition during the coming school year. After keeping tuition flat at all but one of the University System of Georgia’s 26 institutions for six of the past eight years, the system’s Board of Trustees approved the tuition hike Tuesday. Out-of-state students will see a 5% increase, and a new third level of tuition for out-of-country students will be set at 2% above the out-of-state rate. System Chancellor Sonny Perdue attributed the increase to inflation. “Our institutions face increasing costs to operate, and we must sustain their momentum as some of the best in the nation at helping students succeed on campus and in the workforce,” he said. Even with the tuition hike, Georgia offers the third-lowest average tuition and required fees among the 16 Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states, according to national data.
See also:
AllOnGeorgia
Valdosta State University Wins Inaugural Regents Cup Debate Series
The Valdosta State University (VSU) debate team on Thursday took home a unique, handcrafted wood trophy as the inaugural winner of the University System of Georgia’s (USG) Regents Cup Debate Series. Individual students also won honors, including the University of Georgia’s Ansley Warnock as individual debate champion; VSU’s Raegin Jones as individual runner-up; the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Andrew Dowdy as an individual semi-finalist; and the University of West Georgia’s Willow Roark also as an individual semi-finalist. Other participating institutions included Georgia College and State University and the University of North Georgia. “Higher education must cultivate a student’s ability not only for advocacy but for civil discourse,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “We’re trying to create a culture of not only learning to better communicate our ideas, but to also listen to others and their ideas. In hosting this debate series, the Board of Regents has demonstrated its commitment to this idea as well as its support of students who communicate and articulate from different perspectives. As we look to grow the debate series, I’m proud of our participating teams this year and congratulate our winner.” In all, nine students from six USG institutions participated in the event, hosted on Middle Georgia State University’s Macon campus.
See also:
WGXA
Georgia’s first Regents Cup Debate Series held in Macon; UGA and Valdosta State shine
Front Page
Recent alumna recognized by USG Chancellor at Academic Recognition Day
Vivian Cassaniti, ’23, is Georgia College & State University’s 2024 Academic Recognition Day representative. She was recognized at a luncheon by University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue April 10 in Atlanta. Cassaniti received a letter of commendation from the chancellor and a signed resolution from the Georgia General Assembly. She was selected based on her outstanding scholastic achievement including GPA, academic awards, scholarship or creativity and diversity of intellectual pursuits. She is also an alumna of both the Leadership Certificate and Georgia Education Mentorship Programs.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Georgia communities Mark Progress Through UGA Institute of Government’s PROPEL
Margaret Blanchard
The University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government recently celebrated the successes of communities participating in its PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) program. Appling and Pulaski counties and the Lower Chattahoochee Council of Governments (Clay, Quitman, Randolph and Stewart counties) were among the first communities to join PROPEL in 2022. Community leaders recently met and shared updates on economic development efforts and lessons learned during the two-year program. For many, the importance of educating and involving the public during the planning process was a key takeaway.
Alliance Grain Co.
Agriculture Future Of America Announces New Team Of Student Ambassadors
When you experience something life-changing, you can’t help talking about it. For 40 new Agriculture Future of America Ambassadors, the excitement is familiar. AFA provides professional development and career exploration opportunities to collegiate students throughout the United States through AFA Leaders Conference and a series of AFA Leader Institutes. Its team of collegiate Ambassadors are a key part of its efforts to connect to new students. AFA builds bridges for young leaders to foster engagement and innovation in food and agriculture through premier leader and career development experiences. With program participation increasing 28% in the last five years, AFA has provided 26,000 leader development experiences to college leaders and young professionals from more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 43 states since its inception in 1996. AFA has awarded more than $11.5 million in academic and leader development scholarships.…2024-25 AFA Ambassadors …Fort Valley State University Miranda Donnelly,…
Fox5 Atlanta
Georgia Tech unveils new AI Makerspace Hub
By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Georgia Tech has introduced a groundbreaking AI supercomputer hub, geared towards equipping students with the necessary skills for thriving in the realm of artificial intelligence. Known as the AI Makerspace, this initiative aims to democratize access to computing resources that are conventionally reserved for research purposes, thereby enriching the AI proficiency of Georgia Tech students and influencing the next wave of AI systems professionals. Set to be fully operational by spring 2025, the AI Makerspace will offer both undergraduate and graduate students unrestricted access to cutting-edge technology.
Grice Connect
Grant Gearhart presented with leadership award from Foreign Language Association of Georgia
Special to Grice Connect
Grant Gearhart, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish, was recently presented with the Foreign Language Association of Georgia’s Post-Secondary Leadership Award at the 2024 Southern Conference on Language Teaching, held in Atlanta, Georgia. “This award means a lot to me because leadership is collaboration,” said Gearhart. “There are too many collaborators to thank, but I am grateful for their support and initiative.” Gearhart is an associate professor of Spanish, the coordinator of Georgia Southern’s experiential learning for the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
Travel and Tour World
Alaska Airlines helps students in the Pacific Northwest by flying many of them to college tours
Alaska Airlines collaborated with local organizations to transport over 60 BIPOC high school juniors from Seattle and Portland for a tour of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In the previous month, we organized a trip for 60 BIPOC students from the Pacific Northwest to visit colleges in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta boasts several HBCUs such as Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Morris Brown, and Fort Valley State. Some students extended their tours to include other schools along the East Coast like Tuskegee University, Alabama State, Howard, and others. Since there are no HBCUs in the Northwest, these trips serve as a source of inspiration for students to explore the cultural vibrancy and educational possibilities provided by HBCUs.
yahoo!life
Autism awareness event seeks to level the playing field
Gil Pound, The Union-Recorder
Spring festival season is in full swing as outdoor events are scattered around town seemingly every weekend for the foreseeable future. One scheduled for next week seeks to educate the public on autism while also using art to celebrate those living with the developmental disability. Multiple Georgia College & State University offices have partnered up with the Baldwin County Life Enrichment Center (LEC) to create an autism awareness event set for Friday, April 19, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the LEC’s urban arts village. The urban arts village is located at 224 E. Walton St. behind New City Church at the Mill, which is near the railroad tracks on North Jefferson Street.
Albany Herald
ASU Summer Camps offer opportunities for students to have fun while learning
From staff reports
Not sure how to keep your students entertained and engaged during summer vacation? Albany State University provides safe, fun and enriching summer camp opportunities for elementary, middle and high school students.
The Red & Black
Georgia Women Give celebrates one year anniversary of growth and impact
Rebecca Schillinger
An initiative born in a living room now sends University of Georgia students around the world. University of Georgia student Trang Nguyen didn’t anticipate getting to spend a week of her freshman exploring Moroccan cities and riding a camel through the Sahara desert alongside other UGA freshman and faculty. Yet, last month she found herself doing all that and more through Georgia Women Give, according to a UGA press release. Georgia Women Give, one of UGA’s most successful fundraising initiatives, celebrated its one-year anniversary with an on-campus event on March 21 and 22. That event included a luncheon that brought together GWG donors and students, such as Nguyen, who participated in Connect Abroad, a new study abroad program for first-year students. The program, which is the first beneficiary of GWG’s campus priorities fund, held its inaugural trips during this year’s spring break, the release said.
Albany Herald
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock to speak at Albany State Spring Commencement
From staff reports
United States senator, the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, will serve as the commencement speaker at Albany State University’s Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony, which will take place at 10 a.m. May 4 in the Albany Civic Center.
11Alive
The report claims that nearly 1,800 children who were under Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) care were reported missing between 2018-2022.
Author: Cody Alcorn
A 60+ page congressional report claims that hundreds of children have gone missing while in the custody of Georgia’s foster care system, highlighting that some were reportedly sex trafficked. “I wanted them to take away that there is a very serious problem here in Georgia,” Emma Hetherington, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Georgia and Director of the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Clinic testified in front of the Senate Subcommittee of Human Rights and the Law, which Georgia Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff chairs.
Moultrie Observer
County pursues $8 million in grant money
By Adelia Ladson
Colquitt County is pursuing as much as $8 million in grant money for improvements and repairs at both the county jail and prison. County Administrator Chas Cannon told the Commission, “What’s happened is that the Feds allocated a gazillion dollars for ARP (American Rescue Plan) money and people are having trouble with spending it So, we just found a way to, basically, get some more money.” The COVID-19 Mitigation in Georgia Confinement Facilities Project Grant, through Georgia Southern University and the Georgia Department of Public Health, gives funds to confinement facilities to assist in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 through renovation projects and mitigation items like gloves and cleaning products. “We’ve gotten, so far, about a million dollars worth of it. Potentially, $8 million more,” Cannon said.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
7th graders explore nature’s classroom
By Robin Richardson Special to The Thomasville Times- Enterprise
Each year, Brookwood’s seventh grade students travel to the University of Georgia 4-H center on Jekyll Island for an immersive experience in nature’s classroom. The annual field trip provides an opportunity for students to explore coastal ecology and marine life, fostering an appreciation for the environment that surrounds them in their home state, Brookwood School said in a press release. This year’s itinerary was packed with hands-on activities. From salt marsh ecology to shark dissections, each lesson offered a unique perspective on the diverse ecosystems found on the island.
AllOnGeorgia
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper recently announced that Georgia vegetable producers have voted to extend the one-cent-per-marketing-unit checkoff fee on fourteen key vegetable crops for another three years. The decision, supported by over 90% of producers, reflects their commitment to ensuring fresh, nutritious food for all Georgians. The approved market order covers crops including cabbage, beans, greens, bell peppers, specialty peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, beets, cantaloupes, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and cucumbers, providing vital support for growers statewide. Funds collected by the Georgia Vegetable Commission contribute to research initiatives conducted by the University of Georgia, focusing on production enhancement, disease control, and pest management.
DrSircus
Supreme Anti-Inflammatory Medicine with Magnesium, Bicarbonate, CO2 & Hydrogen
Doctors will never stop lying to us because they are lying to themselves. And it is too bad that doctors do not know how to think about medicine. It is also too bad that they do not listen or pay attention to medical scientists whose research is available to anyone who cares to see it. The level of trust in modern medicine is taking a nosedive deservedly so. The two types of drugs currently used to treat inflammation are prescription-based corticosteroids – synthetic molecules that mimic human hormones – and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen which are available over the counter. The corticosteroids come as tablets, sprays, injections, or creams to treat asthma, eczema, and hay fever. …Researchers from the Medical College of Georgia (GA, USA) have evidence that a daily dose of baking soda helps the spleen to promote an anti-inflammatory environment. This could be therapeutic to the inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The results, published in the Journal of Immunology, suggest that baking soda could be a safe and easy way to treat autoimmune diseases in the future.
Single Care
This yellow fruit can help improve your gut health, regulate your blood pressure, and provide an energy boost
By Zoey Larsen
While bananas might not be the trendiest fruit (unless you count Andy Warhol’s version), they’re rightfully regarded as one of the original superfoods. They contain carbohydrates, soluble fiber, vitamin C—which helps protect against free radicals—vitamin B6, provitamin A, potassium, and magnesium. This powerful combination of essential nutrients makes the bright yellow fruit a great choice for people who are looking to maintain a healthy weight, lower blood pressure, improve skin health, and more. …Bananas are also rich in a nutrient called provitamin A, also known as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. These carotenoids are converted to retinol, which contributes to skin health by stimulating cell turnover, says Tracey Brigman, Ed.D., MS, RDN, a clinical associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Georgia.
Calhoun Times
Greg Bowman: Lawn Moss and Algae Control Tips
Anytime a lawn grass thins, you can have issues with moss and algae formation in the yard. You can have these situations because the conditions that can promote a healthy lawn grass have declined. To elaborate on the difference between moss and algae, mosses are branched, thread-like green plants that form a tangled, thick mat over the soil per UGA information. Algae are thread-like green plants that form a dense, green scum over the soil. Note that neither moss or algae are considered to be parasitic. Both are spread by wind blown spores and can form crusts on the surface of the soil. This crust formation can reduce air and water movement into the soil profile. Today, I will be sharing cultural practices that will improve growth of your turf which should reduce issues with moss and algae in home lawns. Information will come from a revised UGA publication by Tim Daly, UGA county agent and Dr. Patrick McCullough, former UGA Turf Specialist.
The City Menus
Ranger Nick Attracts Crowd at Carroll EMC Ag Seminar
Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative(EMC)was the place to be the evening of Thursday, April 11. Wild animals captivated an audience of both children and adults at the co-op’s biannual agribusiness seminar as “Ranger Nick” Fuhrman of the University of Georgia(UGA)brought out some cold-bloods that get a bad rap—reptiles and amphibians.
The National Provisioner
Researchers study growth rate regimen’s relation to animal welfare
Researchers study the longitudinal assessment of skeletal and cardiac structures in broilers reared under slow versus fast growth rate regimen and its relation to manifestation of lameness, ascites and woody breast condition.
By Industry News
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project by researchers at University of Georgia that evaluated slow versus fast growth rate regimen and its relation to animal welfare. The research was made possible in part by an endowing USPOULTRY Foundation gift from Wayne-Sanderson Farms. The research is part of USPOULTRY’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A summary of the completed project is below. Project #719: Longitudinal Assessment of Skeletal and Cardiac Structures in Broilers Reared Under Slow Versus Fast Growth Rate Regimen and Its Relation to Manifestation of Lameness, Ascites and Woody Breast Condition — Dr. Prafulla Regmi, Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia.
The Union Recorder
CURTAIN CALL: Music at the Mansion this week
Tom Toney
“If you ever change your mind, about leaving, leaving me behind. Oh…bring it to me. Bring your sweet loving, bring it on home to me”. Howdy all you cool cats and kute kittens. We’ve got a lot of stuff coming up so let’s start plugging away. Pun intended. The Georgia College Music Department has many programs of entertainment coming up, starting with this very evening, Tuesday, April 16. Over at Max Noah Recital Hall, students will perform their original music in a program cleverly titled “Songwriters.” Students will present their compositions in an assortment of styles ranging from classical traditions to modern and folk.
The Union-Recorder
10th annual ArtHealthy set for Saturday
Gil Pound
Around 2,000 people are expected to gather Saturday on Georgia College & State University’s front campus for the 10th installment of the ArtHealthy Festival. Slated for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the free annual event boasts 186 vendors representing businesses and organizations around the Central Georgia region. As the name suggests, many come from the fields of art and wellness while others are small businesses and craftspeople selling their wares. ArtHealthy is co-sponsored by GCSU and local nonprofit CREATE Inc., an organization founded by Milledgeville residents Greg and Toyia Barnes. CREATE was established in 2010 with the mission to provide holistic support and transformative opportunities to in-school youth who are facing adversity.
Garden and Gun
The View Finder: José Ibarra Rizo
A Georgia photographer sharpens his focus on the American story
By Felicia Feaster
José Ibarra Rizo can replay every detail of the nearly two-thousand-mile journey he and his mother, Amelia, took from Guanajuato, Mexico, to Gainesville, Georgia, when he was seven years old. He remembers how his mother hid her money in his shoe; he recalls her strength and determination; he can still feel the trauma of being robbed at gunpoint and hiding in tall grass. Rizo, a Georgia College & State University graduate, is now an in-demand Atlanta photographer. He’s spent his career primarily making portraits, and especially documenting other immigrants—from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador. He photographs day laborers, construction workers, teenage lovers, skateboarders, and landscapers against Georgia’s fecund terrain.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
INTERVIEW: Georgia ‘Idol’ country artist Will Moseley was a late bloomer
He is in the top 20 and ‘Idol’ judges love him.
By Rodney Ho
If watching Georgia’s lone “American Idol” contestant this season Will Moseley reminds you of Chris Stapleton, it’s no accident. He has found a natural pocket in that throaty, old-school country sound. Moseley, a 23-year-old resident of Hazelhurst, graduated from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro last May with a biology degree but decided to pursue music full time. He said he gave himself a year to make progress and it’s gone even better than he had ever imagined. He is in a reasonable position to win “American Idol.”
See also:
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Southern alumnus Will Moseley makes Top 14 of ‘American Idol’
Art News
By The Editors of Art News
When Ayana Ross heard that the Bennett Prize had opened its call for submissions, back in 2020, she almost didn’t apply. “I certainly didn’t see myself at that time as being suited for it,” she admits, calling from her home studio in McDonough, Ga. “But over a series of months, whenever I would talk on the phone with a friend from undergrad, she would remind me: ‘Okay, have you applied?’” Good thing she did. Out of ten talented finalists selected from nearly 700 applicants, Ross walked away with the $50,000 prize, the largest of its kind offered solely to women figurative painters. …Though Ross is now based in McDonough, about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta, she grew up at the opposite end of the state, in smalltown Baxley (population 5,000). With a degree in apparel design and merchandising from Georgia Southern University, she started her career in the fashion industry, in New York City.
WGAU Radio
New principal for Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
By Tim Bryant
…From the CCSD website…
At its Thursday, April 11 meeting, the Clarke County Board of Education approved the hires of two long-time Clarke County educators as principal of Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School and Director of the Clarke County School District Learning Center. Matthew Snow, who has served as Burks Elementary’s interim principal since February and has been with the school since 2009, has been named principal, effective immediately. …Also, Cedar Shoals High School associate principal Dr. Utevia Tolbert has been hired for the newly-created director position at the Learning Center, which provides alternative education for middle and high school students. Her appointment will become effective July 1. …Mr. Snow…, and earned his masters in Instructional Technology from Georgia Southern University. … Dr. Tolbert holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of West Georgia, …, and earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia.
WWAY
WARM NC names Andy Jones new CEO
Marion Caldwell
Last week, Andy Jones was named the new CEO of WARM NC. WARM NC repairs and rebuilds homes due to disrepair or damage by severe weather to low-income families. Jones started at WARM in 2018 as a Volunteer Coordinator. …Jones earned his BBA from Georgia College and State University…
Continental Athletic Conference
Florida National’s Lewis, Georgia Gwinnett College’s Hill Earn CAC Baseball Weekly Awards
Florida National University junior Jordan Lewis and Georgia Gwinnett College senior Kaleb Hill have been named the Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Players of the Week. …Meanwhile, Hill, the Pitcher of the Week, helped the No. 3-ranked Grizzlies win a road series against No. 20 Tennessee Wesleyan University. He tossed a complete-game victory and matched his career high with 12 strikeouts. The Pine Bluff, Arkansas, native scattered five hits and allowed one unearned run in the rubber match of the three-game series on Saturday evening. The left hander tossed his third complete game of the season.
BVM Sports
By BVM Sportsdesk
The Augusta University men’s golf team is in fourth place at the Mossy Oak Collegiate event, with a 36-hole score of 586, 8-under par. They are trailing leader Auburn (-35) and are three strokes behind third-place Ole Miss.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah State University hires public relations firm to handle crisis communications
Joseph Schwartzburt
Last Wednesday, April 10, Savannah State University (SSU) Interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander issued a statement to media regarding issues raised by reporting in the Savannah Morning News about the process and procedures regarding the contract non-renewal of 13 professors, many of them tenured, in August 2023. Alexander’s statement was issued through Abshire Public Relations, which was hired last August by the university to provide, among other tasks, crisis communication strategies. On July 18, 2023 Abshire PR sent Alton Standifer, then interim chief of staff at SSU, a draft proposal for services. The proposed cost for 30 days of “audit/crisis support management” was $10,000.
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Higher Education Will Take Center Stage in 2024 Presidential Election
Arrman Kyaw
As the U.S. veers into another major election year, some higher education scholars predict that issues related to the ivory tower will inevitably take center stage. Timely issues such as student debt and the current onslaught against various progressive social and cultural ideals — matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), race/ethnicity, and identity, among others — will be topics of discussion for President Joe Biden, who is likely to have another faceoff with the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald J. Trump.
Higher Ed Dive
3 charts unpacking the latest credential completion data
Fewer undergraduates earned credentials in 2022-23 compared to the year before, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found.
Natalie Schwartz, Senior Editor
The number of undergraduates who completed a credential in the 2022-23 academic year fell 2.8% compared to the year prior, representing a decline of about 99,000 students, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The dip marks the second-straight year of decreases — a trend likely due to falling student headcounts during the coronavirus pandemic. “As expected, the enrollment declines of the pandemic years are now showing up in falling numbers of degree earners as well,” Doug Shapiro, the research center’s executive director, said in a statement. Below, we’re unpacking three major trends from the new data.
Higher Ed Dive
Texas lieutenant governor calls for increased oversight of tenure policies, faculty senates
Dan Patrick, a powerful Republican who oversees that state’s Senate, unveiled his priorities for higher education policy.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a powerful official who oversees the state’s Senate, is calling for lawmakers to increase oversight and scrutiny of colleges’ tenure policies and faculty governance groups. In preparation of the state’s next Senate session, Patrick released directives Thursday offering insight into his legislative priorities. He charged the Senate’s higher education committee with reporting on how the state’s public colleges are complying with SB 18, a law giving governing boards the sole power to grant tenure and codifying the post-tenure review process. The lieutenant governor further ordered lawmakers to recommend guidelines to oversee the role of faculty senates in higher education governance — something that has not traditionally been influenced by state lawmakers.
Higher Ed Dive
Greater financial strains loom over Wisconsin’s public universities, review finds
The system’s president called on state lawmakers for more funding after financial reviews showed universities are facing deficits and liquidity issues.
Ben Unglesbee, Senior Reporter
The Universities of Wisconsin system is facing major projected budget shortfalls in the coming years as financial reserves dwindle and retention rates fall. These are the main themes the system’s president, Jay Rothman, pointed to in recently released third-party reports on the state’s universities. The system’s trustees charged Rothman with eliminating structural shortfalls a year ago, with 10 of the system’s 13 universities running budget deficits at the time. Rothman’s office hired consulting firm Deloitte to analyze the finances of Wisconsin’s colleges. The results were stark.
Higher Ed Dive
Criticism mounts against Texas Gov. Abbott’s executive order on campus antisemitism
The state AAUP conference recently pushed back against the directive, saying it uses overly broad language and singles out certain student groups.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
A Texas executive order directing colleges to update their free speech policies to address rising antisemitism is seeing growing pushback from free expression and academic groups, who say its language is an example of governmental overreach. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the order is meant to keep campuses as safe spaces for Jewish people and to fight against an increasing number of antisemitic acts at colleges in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But opponents, including the Texas conference of the American Association of University Professors, have decried the order, arguing it uses overly broad language that could chill free speech and singles out certain student groups.
Inside Higher Ed
College Investigates Campus Police’s Alleged ‘Discriminatory’ Response to Student
By Kathryn Palmer
St. Louis Community College at Meramec is investigating alleged misconduct by a campus police officer after an anonymous student who felt threatened asked the officer for help. According to the student, the officer “told me if I don’t like it, I can go back to where I came from,” reported St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV. Another student, Zainab Ahmad, told the TV station she was walking to class when she noticed a man live-streaming a YouTube channel called Kingdom Reconcilers, which posts videos of people making bigoted remarks on college campuses. The man reportedly stayed on campus for two hours, speaking, yelling and answering students’ questions. “The main target was Muslim students, but he was attacking the queer community on campus, he was making extremely anti-Semitic remarks as well, and campus police were just standing by,” Ahmad said. “They didn’t intervene.”
Inside Higher Ed
Advocacy Group Blasts USC’s ‘Cowardly Decision’ to Cancel Muslim Valedictorian’s Speech
By Marjorie Valbrun
The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the University of Southern California Monday for cancelling the scheduled graduation speech by this year’s valedictorian, a Muslim student, for security reasons. The organization also called on university officials to reverse what the organization characterized in a press release as a “cowardly decision” to hide behind “a disingenuous concern for ‘security.’” The student, Asna Tabassum, said in a statement that she was being silenced by “anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices” waging “a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.”
Inside Higher Ed
‘You Are in the Crosshairs’: Higher Ed Braces for Another Antisemitism Hearing
December’s House hearing spawned presidential resignations, congressional fundraising records and probes of universities’ internal workings. On Wednesday, Columbia University will occupy the hot seat, with more at stake than a president’s job.
By Katherine Knott
On Wednesday morning, the president of Columbia University will confront a congressional grilling about how she responded to antisemitic incidents on her campus. That may sound familiar, since three presidents of prestigious universities did the same, with notably unfortunate results, back on Dec. 5. Now the majority Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee are hoping for a repeat of what they—and many conservatives—considered a blockbuster success. Columbia president Minouche Shafik, who will be joined by two university trustees, will be aiming to keep her job—unlike two of the three presidents who sat before the committee in December. But judging from the aftermath of that hearing, there’s considerably more at stake than a presidency of one institution. Wednesday’s session may well spawn another wave of negative headlines about left-wing, out-of-control colleges and universities, helping to reinforce growing public skepticism about the value of higher education. It could also inspire increased congressional scrutiny of colleges’ internal affairs—probes that may ultimately reach far beyond their responses to the war in Gaza.
Higher Ed Dive
Final overtime rule clears White House review
If adopted, the Labor Department’s proposal would bump the annual salary threshold that determines overtime pay eligibility from $35,568 to $55,068.
Ryan Golden, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Labor’s final rule updating the standard by which some workers may be excluded from the overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act cleared review by the White House Thursday. The details have not been made public but DOL last year proposed to increase the minimum annual salary threshold that determines overtime pay eligibility from $35,568 to $55,068. If adopted as proposed, the rule also would provide for automatic future updates to the threshold every three years. The exemption applies to workers employed as bona fide executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees, as well as some computer employees. The final rule now must be published in the Federal Register before it can take effect. In December, DOL projected that the rule would be published in April.
Higher Ed Dive
EEOC finalizes pregnancy accommodation rule
The much-anticipated regulation includes abortion under the list of related medical conditions covered by the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Ryan Golden, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced on Monday its final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, clarifying that abortion is included under “pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions” that are protected under the PWFA. EEOC said this interpretation of the law’s text is “consistent with the Commission’s and courts’ longstanding interpretation of the same phrase in Title VII.” It also noted that employees are entitled to the law’s provisions even if they have not worked for an employer for a specific length of time. EEOC had originally slated the rule for publication at the end of 2023, but the commission’s deadline passed without a rule in place. The rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register Friday, and will take effect 60 days after publication, approximately mid-June.