Afternoon Update: Athletic handbooks are Exhibit A in one of higher ed’s hottest fights

A dean's party guests turned out to be protesters; fight heats up over textbook prices; $7.4 billion more in student loans are cancelled; 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](. RULES VS. GUIDELINES [In One of Higher Ed’s Hottest Fights, These Documents Have Become Exhibit A]( By Nell Gluckman [STORY IMAGE]( Team handbooks have emerged as evidence used to bolster the argument that college athletes are employees, not amateurs. ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW | PROFILE [‘Get Rid of the Zionists Here’]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( Erwin Chemerinsky, the law dean at UC-Berkeley, confronts student protesters in his own backyard. JUST UPDATED [DEI Legislation Tracker]( By Chronicle Staff [STORY IMAGE]( We’ve updated the tracker with bills in Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana that seek to dismantle colleges’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. COLLEGE COSTS [Fight Over College Textbook Prices Leaves Students Not Sure Whom to Believe on Costs]( A new rule in the works, part of the Biden administration’s crusade against so-called junk fees, could change how college course materials are priced. Campus leaders say the proposal could raise costs. Publishers say it could overturn a model that offers affordable prices. The White House says the model amounts to automatic billing over which students have no say. (USA Today) STUDENT-LOAN DEBT [Biden Administration Cancels $7.4 Billion More in Federal Student Loans]( The White House will continue its election-year drive to provide student-debt relief by [sending emails today to 277,000 borrowers]( to inform them that their debts are being canceled. Most of the new round of relief will go to 206,800 borrowers enrolled in a repayment plan that ties monthly payments to earnings and family size. (The Washington Post, Education Department) GRANT AID [Duke Ends Full Scholarships for Select Black Students in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling]( The private university said it would discontinue its Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship Program, which helps “top applicants of African descent,” following the court’s decision last year to [strike down race-conscious admissions](. The court did not specifically say its ruling covered scholarships, but [some public colleges]( have said its intention was clear. (The [Duke] Chronicle, The Chronicle) COMPENSATION [Former Louisiana Health Secretary and Governor’s Adviser to Make $475,000 at LSU]( Courtney Phillips took office on Monday as Louisiana State University’s vice president for health affairs and chief health officer, a job that had been vacant for years. Her pay is among the highest in state government. Phillips had been an adviser to Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, who is [pushing]( for [more authority]( over public higher education. (Louisiana Illuminator, The Advocate) ACADEMIC FREEDOM [Stanford’s Faculty Senate Sends Motion to Rescind Scott Atlas Censure to Policy Board]( The Senate voted on Thursday to [review its 2020 censure]( of Scott W. Atlas, a senior fellow at the university’s [Hoover Institution]( by sending the issue to a board that will examine the Senate’s roles and rules. Atlas, a Covid-19 adviser to President Donald Trump, was condemned for advocacy, like not wearing masks, that “contradicts medical science.” (Stanford statement, The Chronicle) 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? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. 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