DEI on Defense, the Harvard Tsunami Rolls and Roils, Biden’s New Loan Plan Sneaks In
And a ShortStack of Drama from All Over
“DEI Goes Quiet” and other Extrapolations
It may have been, as education fads go, news about a shot not heard ‘round the world, but the Gray Lady headline last Saturday, including periods (D.E.I. for Diversity Equity and Inclusion), summed up nicely what was really happening: DEI programs around the country were on the defensive. The Wall Street Journal called it “The DEI Rollback of 2023” (no periods). And the Washington Post asserted that it was “conservative anti-DEI activists [who] claim[ed] victory in Harvard leader’s fall.” Indeed, DEI had become quite a loud and visible education sub-industry. Paradigm, one consultancy, worked with more than 500 companies. And the “growing backlash against D.E.I.” said a company exec, “is usually the first agenda item on every call.” The Wisconsin Assembly just approved $800 million in pay raises for university staff and for plans to build a new engineering building at the state University campus in Madison if the university would freeze all DEI hiring and eliminate a third of DEI positions on campus. It may not be a rout, but it certainly exposes a flank or two.
Sources and Further Reading
Harvard in Need of New Model, Policies, Governance and Leadership?
Woes aplenty after the sacking of its president, Harvard is now under investigation for antisemitism by a House Committee which requested a laundry list of documents and also wants to know what steps the Ivy League fortress has taken to address “anti-Jewish activity.” There have been multiple other weigh-ins on what should be next for Harvard after its black, female president was eventually pushed out by donors, alumni and others following her missteps. Robert George, a “staunch defender of free speech and academic inquiry” observed that “many elite institutions are grappling with two competing visions of academic life: the ‘social-justice model’ that endorses progressive values and the ‘classical, truth-seeking' model.” Another voice, this one belonging to a former head of the Medical School, Jeffrey S. Flier, advocates for new policies on free speech, academic freedom; disruption of school activities and neutrality on social and political issues. He opines that “Harvard is facing an unprecedented crisis in confidence,” thus believes the Harvard Corporation (the most powerful of two governing boards) “should step into its role as leader of the nation’s foremost university by committing to a more active engagement with the general public and University stakeholders alike.” Their first order of business, however, is to find a new president. Guesses and suggestions abound: The NY Sun reports that former President Obama may be on the short list, as well as two current Supreme Court Justices. The second order, accept more Jews? The Sun reports on a lawsuit that estimates a 60 percent drop in the population of Jewish students in the last 10 years, which the group bringing the suit calls “an enormous decline that evinces an intentional effort, much like Harvard’s quotas one hundred years ago, to exclude Jews.”
Sources and Further Reading
ShortStack
David Brooks, Elon Musk, the New Segregation and More
How Racial Entitlement Leads to Anti-Semitism (Commentary)
David Brooks’ Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts (New York Times)
There is one administrator for every three undergrads at UVA (College Fix)
Why Elon Musk Won’t Stop Talking About a ‘Woke Mind Virus’ (Wall Street Journal)
Breaking Down the Spending at One of America’s Priciest Public Colleges (Wall Street Journal)
Balancing Academic Independence: Beyond Congressional Oversight (NAS Minding the Campus)
The New Segregation on Campus (Wall Street Journal)
American Universities Are Post-truth (The Atlantic)
How long does it take to restore state spending on higher education? (Academic Minute)
Student Loans, Student Headaches – C’est La Meme Chose?
Growing frustration persists as mistakes and delays plague President Biden's student loan forgiveness initiatives. Borrowers who began repaying their undergraduate loans two decades ago—and still carry a balance—will see the discharge of their remaining debt under a new Biden initiative. Meanwhile, all other borrowers, even those with graduate school loans, become eligible for forgiveness on debts that entered repayment at least 25 years ago. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says that the ongoing rulemaking process advocates for borrowers let down by the current flawed student loan system. Biden's push for debt relief has been marred by unexpected bills, extended waits, and confusion—a headache for those seeking relief. As the federal government probes claims of customer service mishaps by leading loan servicers, the Education Department decided to withhold a $7.2 million monthly payment to Mohela, one of the largest, for purportedly failing to send timely billing notices to millions of borrowers in late October. The Education Department has also hit the breaks on payments to Aidvantage, EdFinancial, and Nelnet, totaling $2 million, $161,000, and $13,000 respectively for not keeping their promise to promptly send statements to borrowers when loan payments resumed in October. Impacted borrowers will enjoy a payment-free, interest-free window that still counts towards forgiveness programs, thanks to the Education Department directing companies to place them into administrative forbearance.