Weekly Briefing: When caps and gowns meet keffiyehs

How colleges are changing (and upending) graduation ceremonies to mitigate protests. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. It’s graduation season. Colleges prepare for protests. - What happens to graduation at colleges where protests are ongoing? This is the question college leaders are grappling with as commencements begin. Some colleges have already made changes, like canceling speakers, moving locations, and preparing for how to address any disruptions. So far, two colleges — Columbia University and the University of Southern California — have canceled their graduations. Our Sonel Cutler has more on [how colleges are preparing.]( - 22 million people watched a video of the philosophy department chair at Emory University being arrested. Noëlle McAfee was arrested while attempting to intervene as police, she says, “pummeled” a student at a campus demonstration for Gaza. “Everybody, whether they were on campus or away, is really shaken, especially students,” McAfee says in a [Q&A with our Nell Gluckman](. “They’re feeling quite traumatized by this. That, I think, will have reverberations.” - From The Review: College presidents who call the police on student protesters are repeating the mistakes of the 1960s. That’s the argument Thomas J. Sugrue, a professor of social and cultural analysis and history at New York University, makes in a [guest essay](. When presidents call the police on peaceful protesters, it not only accelerates protests but also undermines one of colleges’ core missions of maintaining civility. - Higher education needs to fit into the busy lives of today’s students, “not the other way around.” Julie Peller, executive director of Higher Learning Advocates, is pushing for federal policies that reduce barriers adult students face to earning a college degree. In this week’s The Edge newsletter, Goldie Blumenstyk [shares four ideas]( from Peller that could help colleges enroll (and retain) more adult students: Creating short-term Pell grants that can cover tests that award prior-learning credits; making credits more transferable across systems and states; offering learner advocates to guide prospective students; and finding child-care solutions for students with children. Want more insight into the innovative ideas reshaping higher education? Goldie has you covered in her free, weekly newsletter. Get it [here](. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. ADVERTISEMENT Lagniappe - Read. Who owns a community cat? This is the question at the heart of [this article]( about the relocation of Kitty Snows, an outdoor cat in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., from her home on the streets to the Watergate Hotel. It’s a story worthy of the tabloids, full of neighborhood drama, mystery, and lawsuit threats — and many, many photos of Kitty herself. (The Washington Post) - Watch. I’ve recently finished my yearly rewatch of [Abstract: The Art of Design]( on Netflix. If you’re a typeface connoisseur, an Ikea-enthusiast, a sneakerhead, or someone who has looked at a product/building/insert-object-here and thought, “wow, that’s pretty,” you’ll love diving into the minds behind the design in this two-season documentary. —Claire UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs | June 2024] [Join us in June]( for a professional development program tailored to the needs of department chairs. Experienced academic leaders will provide insights on the the current trends in higher ed, effective ways to manage a department, strategic planning, and more. [Register today!]( Chronicle Top Reads [These 2 Students Grew Up Together. In College, Their Paths Will Diverge.]( [STORY IMAGE]( Nolan Cook and Will Shafer are looking to higher education for exactly opposite reasons. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [How ‘Diversity’ Became the Master Concept of Our Age]( By Nicolas Langlitz [STORY IMAGE]( Across the ideological spectrum, it’s become a bedrock value. What does it mean? THE STUDENT MIND-SET [Is This the End of Reading?]( By Beth McMurtrie [STORY IMAGE]( Students are less able and less willing to read. Professors are stymied. What needs to change? ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Future of Campus Safety - The Chronicle Store]( [The Future of Campus Safety]( Colleges can’t foresee and avoid every possible safety concern. Yet students, parents, and others are demanding that colleges do more to keep campuses safe. [Order this report]( to explore strategies colleges are employing to counter threats to their communities’ well-being. 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