Leadership & Governance

Should Carol Folt Dare Her Boss to Fire Her?

Chapel Hill’s chancellor could signal moral clarity by refusing to display a Confederate monument on the campus. But some fear that would guarantee her dismissal, making a tense situation worse.

Graduate Students

‘We’re Looking for Leadership’: Outcry on Silent Sam Builds on Eve of Critical Board Vote

Striking teaching assistants have injected urgency into the debate over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Confederate monument. A member of the Board of Governors, set to meet on Friday, told The Chronicle he’d move to have them fired.

Government

Guided by the Courts, DeVos Cancels $150 Million in Federal Student Loan Debt

The Education Department’s action, which sets in motion the Obama administration’s “borrower defense” rule, will grant debt relief to some 15,000 student borrowers.

Academic Workplace

These Campus Leaders Spent the Fall Taking a Racial-Equity Course. Here’s What They Learned.

The pilot program, run by the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, brought together college officials who otherwise might gather only in times of crisis.

Sexual Assault

UT-Dallas Ejects Transfer Student After His Plea Deal in Rape Case Sparks Outrage

Administrators, responding to the resolution of a 2016 case at Baylor University, banned the former fraternity president from commencement and kicked him out of graduate school.

Academic Freedom

U.S. House Committee Cancels Professor’s Testimony After Offensive Grad-School Blog Posts Resurface

The faculty member had been scheduled to testify on Thursday about the federal minimum-wage debate. But after homophobic posts from his time as a Cornell University doctoral student reappeared, the panel reconsidered.

Idea Lab: Student Wellness

Colleges want students to make healthy choices and avoid risky behaviors. But the potential pitfalls for undergraduates are great: alcohol abuse, excessive partying, and a Greek culture that sometimes promotes dangerous behavior. This collection of articles outlines how leading institutions are making headway. Buy this Idea Lab collection today to help your students be healthier and safer.

Advice

Don’t Spend Your Holiday Break Writing

In the third installment of this series on writing productivity, a quick lesson in how to take semester breaks off — forever.

Lingua Franca

How Google’s Autotype Contradicts Orwell’s Advice

To Geoff Pullum’s amusement, Gmail now offers phrases that are exactly the opposite of what the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four said writers should use.