Questions About California’s New Campus Rape Law Questions About California’s New Campus Rape Law
Taken literally, California’s new law mandating an affirmative consent standard on college campuses could redefine a lot of consensual sex as rape. Should we be worried?
Sep 29, 2014 / Blog / Michelle Goldberg
Why Involving Bystanders Isn’t Enough to Combat Sexual Assault Why Involving Bystanders Isn’t Enough to Combat Sexual Assault
Activists say the Obama Administration’s “It’s On Us” campaign falls short of what’s needed to end campus sexual assault.
Sep 24, 2014 / Blog / Dani McClain
‘Unhiring’ Steven Salaita ‘Unhiring’ Steven Salaita
In early August, the website Inside Higher Ed reported that at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), an official offer of a tenured professorial appointment had been rescinded by a top administrative officer. That alone would have been unusual, but concerns grew after sources close to the decision-making process reported that Chancellor Phyllis Wise was responding to calls and e-mails about Professor Steven Salaita’s acerbic and emphatic anti-Israel tweets. Once scholars heard of this, protests erupted: 17,000 signatures have been gathered criticizing the decision, and 3,000 professors are boycotting UIUC. The American Association of University Professors issued a statement declaring that social media expression is private and protected speech, and that the use of “civility” as a litmus test—which the university now admits in rescinding the hire of Salaita—is unacceptable. Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50! The University of Illinois board of trustees insists that “speech that promotes malice is not an acceptable form of civil argument if we wish to ensure that students, faculty and staff are comfortable in a place of scholarship.” However, the US Department of Education has determined that students’ “comfort” is not as important as free debate. There are three important issues here. First, universities are increasingly being asked to shut down criticism of Israel. Second, a review of Salaita’s teaching evaluations at his former college, Virginia Tech, shows enthusiastic appreciation of his teaching and interactions with students. Hence, the trustees’ decision is based entirely on a hypothetical potential harm to students caused by his allegedly offensive tweets. Third, the chancellor and trustees at UIUC have broken a covenant with their faculty. Faculty governance is the mainstay of the educational process. Many trustees, on the other hand, have no background in higher education; they are there primarily to safeguard and grow the endowment. What is startling about the Salaita case is that the board let its protection of the bottom line completely overshadow the university’s educational mission and hid these financial motives behind the notion of “civility.” Read Next: Noam Chomsky on the BDS movement
Sep 3, 2014 / Editorial / David Palumbo-Liu
Columbia University E-mail Reveals Disdain for Anti-Rape Campus Movement Columbia University E-mail Reveals Disdain for Anti-Rape Campus Movement
Students fighting to improve campus sexual assault policies face indifference—or worse—from administrators.
Aug 29, 2014 / George Joseph
Why the ‘Unhiring’ of Steven Salaita Is a Threat to Academic Freedom Why the ‘Unhiring’ of Steven Salaita Is a Threat to Academic Freedom
Under the spurious claim of protecting “civility,” the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has caved in to the McCarthyite bullying of the Israel lobby.
Aug 27, 2014 / David Palumbo-Liu
Reflections From Behind the Brick Wall Reflections From Behind the Brick Wall
After spending four year in college, this student gives a critique of the academic industrial complex and the corporatization of higher education.
Aug 12, 2014 / StudentNation / Bakri R and StudentNation
A Step Toward Holding Colleges Accountable for Campus Sexual Assault A Step Toward Holding Colleges Accountable for Campus Sexual Assault
Earlier this month, we joined Know Your IX to call on Congress to give the Department of Education the tools to hold colleges responsible for campus sexual assault. A bill introduc...
Jul 30, 2014 / Sarah Arnold and NationAction
The Hidden Crisis on College Campuses The Hidden Crisis on College Campuses
These women are making substantive improvements on their college campuses to stop sexual assault before it happens.
Jul 24, 2014 / StudentNation / Hannah Finnie and StudentNation
DREAMers in Grad School DREAMers in Grad School
Four states have granted in-state tution to undocumented students, but the higher education pipeline continues to be plagued.
Jul 2, 2014 / StudentNation / Jude Paul Dizon and StudentNation
Join Elizabeth Warren in Fighting the Student Loan Debt Crisis Join Elizabeth Warren in Fighting the Student Loan Debt Crisis
A bill introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren would give borrowers a chance to refinance their student loans.
Jun 9, 2014 / Take Action / NationAction