Afternoon Update: Birmingham-Southern College will close / Gender and its enemies (roundtable)

Education Dept. announces fresh FAFSA delay; Idaho bans diversity statements at public colleges; Va. governor seeks to review more syllabi; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. CLOSING TIME [Birmingham-Southern College Will Close on May 31 as Loan Bill Fails to Gain Support]( The small private college in Alabama said that legislation designed to save it had not won backing in the state’s House of Representatives. The college was thought to have been saved by a [loan bill enacted last year]( but the state’s treasurer denied the loan to BSC. The college [sued to overturn]( his finding and then sought [new legislation](. Both efforts failed. (Al.com) ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW | ROUNDTABLE [Gender and Its Enemies]( By Adrian Daub [STORY IMAGE]( Five scholars discuss Judith Butler’s new book. STUDENT AID [Education Dept. Announces Further Delay in Enabling Applicants to Correct FAFSAs]( The department said on Monday that students would not be able to update or correct their Free Applications for Federal Student Aid until “the first half of April.” Three weeks ago, it said they would be able to do so “later in March.” The news is the [latest snag]( in a [rocky rollout]( of the [new FAFSA]( that has left [students]( and [colleges]( to [scramble](. (Department statement, The Chronicle) ATTACK ON DEI [Idaho Bans Public Colleges From Having Mandatory ‘Diversity Statements’]( Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed into law a bill that bars the colleges from requiring statements in which job candidates or applicants for admission discuss race, sex, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, or from asking about their contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, or social justice. The [new law]( which passed the Legislature in lopsided votes, takes effect in July. (TND, The Chronicle) UGLY INCIDENTS [U. of Utah Athletes Forced to Change Hotels After Racial Hate Crimes in Idaho]( The women’s basketball team played its initial games in the NCAA’s championship tournament in Spokane, Wash., but stayed in a hotel in nearby Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In two separate incidents last week, the team was accosted in the Idaho town by people who revved their trucks and yelled the N-word, among other intimidating acts. The team then moved to a hotel in Spokane. (KSL) ACADEMIC FREEDOM [Virginia Governor Seeks to Review Course Syllabi at Another Public University]( George Mason University has [already admitted sharing syllabi]( with Gov. Glenn Youngkin for courses that fulfill its required Just Societies core curriculum. Now the Republican governor wants Virginia Commonwealth University to provide syllabi for courses fulfilling its racial-literacy requirement. The actions have raised concerns about academic freedom. (The Virginian-Pilot, The Chronicle) COLLEGE IN TROUBLE [Ohio’s Eastern Gateway Community College to Withdraw From Accreditation Process]( The institution, on probation since 2021, is likely to close without the access to federal student aid that accreditation allows. Its board last week approved [plans to dissolve the college]( if needed funds could not be raised. The [college is stumbling]( from the end of a [free-college program]( that the [Education Department said]( had [misused student aid](. (Higher Ed Dive, WKBN, The Chronicle) IN DORMZILLA'S WAKE [U. of California at Santa Barbara Settles Local Lawsuits Over Student Housing]( The university agreed to build 3,500 units of student housing, pay $3.7 million to Santa Barbara County and $2.3 million to Goleta, Calif., and be fined up to $2 million if it fails to fulfill the construction pledge. [Trouble accommodating]( students [led the university]( to consider a [vast, largely windowless dorm]( dubbed “[Dormzilla]( before [abandoning]( the plan [last year](. (Noozhawk, The Chronicle) IN THE COURTS [White Professor Who Sued Harris-Stowe State U. for Racial Discrimination Wins $750,000]( A jury in St. Louis last week sided with Beverly Buck Brennan, who taught speech and theater at the historically Black university from 1993 to 2017. Brennan, who is white, said she faced a hostile workplace — including racial and gender bias and retaliation when she complained — after a new dean took office, in 2010. She said she’d donate the award to the theater program. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? 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