Higher Education Quick Takes

Virginia Commonwealth University’s president, Michael Rao, on Saturday criticized the disruption of a speech at VCU last week by antiabortion activists.

“As our nation’s Constitution protects the free speech of all, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with what is being said, it is essential that everyone treat everyone else with respect and civility,” Rao said.

VCU police charged two protesters. “One protester was charged with simple assault and the other with disorderly conduct. Neither individual was a VCU student nor had any connection to the university,” Rao said.

According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch, the first 30 minutes of the speech by Kristan Hawkins, an antiabortion activist, were disrupted by yelling. Then the police arrived, fighting broke out and the event was shut down.

Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, called the incident “another sad episode of free speech being shouted down on college campuses across our nation.”

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has resolved its investigation into how the University of Vermont responded to complaints from students who said they faced antisemitic harassment at the institution.

Department investigators identified several areas of concern, including failure to investigate the allegations and that the failure to do so “may have allowed a hostile environment for some Jewish students to persist at the university.” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects students from discrimination based on race, color or national origin.

Students who complained to OCR said they faced online harassment from a teaching assistant who talked about wanting to lower Zionist students’ grades and that a campus group excluded Zionists from participating. The complaint also included allegations that the campus Hillel building was vandalized.

Jewish college students have reported an increase in campus antisemitism in recent years, and the Vermont case is the first of several open investigations involving complaints of antisemitism to be resolved.

“It does not appear that the university determined whether the cumulative effects of these incidents created a hostile environment based on students’ shared ancestry (Jewish) or took action regarding the cumulative effects of the incidents until after the commencement of OCR’s investigation of this matter,” department officials wrote in a letter to the university.

The office also was concerned that the university president’s initial response to the office opening an investigation “may have perpetuated a hostile environment” and discouraged students who filed the federal complaint from speaking with the agency about their experiences.

As part of the resolution agreement with the department, released Monday, the university agreed to review and revise its policies to ensure that the university’s response is consistent with federal law, provide training to staff, and educate students and staff about Title VI’s prohibition of harassment. The university also agreed to issue a statement committing to address discrimination based on shared ancestry, including antisemitism.

“I am grateful for the University of Vermont’s commitment to address antisemitic harassment that violates federal civil rights law,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said in a news release. “Everyone has a right to learn in an environment free from antisemitic harassment. We will be watching to be sure these students are safe.”

The North Dakota Senate on Friday narrowly rejected the bill that would’ve let the presidents of two state institutions review and then fire tenured faculty members—without review from, or the right to appeal to, a faculty committee.

The Senate vote was 21 for and 23 against, with three senators absent. That body has only four Democrats, who all voted against the legislation, House Bill 1446.

The state’s House of Representatives had passed the bill 66 to 27 on Feb. 20.

Mike Lefor, who leads the Republican House supermajority, filed the legislation. It would’ve affected Dickinson State University and Bismarck State College.

Dickinson State president Steve Easton supported it. But The Bismarck Tribune reported that the State Board of Higher Education and other groups opposed it.

Under the bill, the Dickinson and Bismarck presidents would’ve been able to conduct these faculty reviews at any time. Lefor’s original version would have provided no appeal for these fired faculty members, but the modified version the full House passed said they “may appeal the review to the commissioner of the State Board of Higher Education.”

The bill would’ve added new requirements that faculty members would have been expected to meet under the reviews—including, among other things, a requirement to “Effectively teach and advise a number of students approximately equal to the average campus faculty teaching and advising load.”

In a shocking development, Amherst and Williams Colleges announced on April 1 that they would merge.

In a joint announcement on the colleges’ Instagram pages, Amherst president Michael A. Elliott and Williams president Maud S. Mandel said, “Neither of us came to our respective roles imagining such a move. Over time, as we worked together, we recognized how deeply our schools were in sync: our missions, priorities and educational philosophies had so much in common. Our school colors even used the same purple. Of course, there are also real differences, and we’ve long been rivals in varsity athletics. But given that Amherst was founded two hundred years ago by a group of faculty and students from Williams, in many ways this feels less like a merger and more like a family reunion.”

The announcement added, “While the merger officially begins tomorrow [April 2], the list of details yet to be resolved is staggering—starting with the new institution’s name. A joint naming task force has reached the short-list phase, with leading possibilities including Amilliams, Willherst (consistent with current practice, the ‘h’ would be silent), and current fan favorite Wamherst. Whatever the choice, the presidents are reassuring their communities that each campus will maintain its unique identity within the larger ‘brand family.’”

For all our readers, please note the date of the announcement.

And in related branding news, see this video from University of Virginia president Jim Ryan on how to refer to the university.

Florida International University meanwhile announced, also on April 1, that “to maintain a safe threshold of caffeine intake, all coffee on FIU campuses will undergo a chemical-free decaffeination process. Decaffeinated drink options will also replace caffeinated ones in vending machines, shops and cafes, including Recharge U.”

“FIU is the fastest-rising in U.S. public university rankings, having jumped 62 spots in the past 10 years and among the Top 15 most innovative public universities,” said Anthony Rionda, associate vice president of strategic communications, government and external affairs. “Some are saying we are unstoppable, and keeping our progress slow and steady is important. Leadership is taking this dramatic step in hopes that we will be able to slow our meteoric ascent in research and student success.”