Afternoon Update: The idea fueling the student protest movement: "settler colonialism"

Harvard settles suit over alleged harassment; New College of Fla. dumps library books; judge tosses Ind. case on "intellectual diversity"; 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](. 'ON SETTLER COLONIALISM' [The Idea Fueling the Student Protest Movement]( By Evan Goldstein [STORY IMAGE]( Are colleges facing — and facilitating — an intellectual crisis? ADVERTISEMENT [The Idea Fueling the Student Protest Movement]( TEACHING [Using AI Tools to Develop Critical-Thinking Skills]( By Beth McMurtrie [STORY IMAGE]( One professor shares her experiments and approach. A PROFESSOR'S POWER [Harvard Settles High-Profile Lawsuit Over Alleged Harassment by Anthropologist]( In the suit, [three graduate students]( said Harvard had failed to take action against [John L. Comaroff]( for sexual harassment and for retaliation after they warned other students about him. Comaroff, who has denied the allegations and [drew support from colleagues]( was later [put on leave]( he retired in June. Terms of the [settlement]( were confidential. (The Harvard Crimson, The Chronicle) IN THE TRASH [New College of Fla. Dumps Hundreds of Library Books, Empties Gender-Diversity Library]( The books, many on LGBTQ and religious topics, are headed to a landfill. They were removed from the college’s library and its [now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center]( without giving students a chance to buy them, as was done in past discards. The public college has been a [culture-war battleground]( since a [conservative takeover]( of its board [last year](. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Chronicle) ACADEMIC FREEDOM [Judge Tosses Professors’ Lawsuit Against Indiana’s ‘Intellectual Diversity’ Law]( The law [bars tenure]( for professors deemed unlikely to foster “intellectual diversity” and [sets post-tenure reviews]( based on such diversity. The judge didn’t rule on Indiana’s [controversial argument]( that [classroom speech]( at public colleges [is state speech]( overriding the First Amendment. Rather, she said the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue on issues not “ripe” for judgment. (Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle) INTERNATIONAL [Texas State U.’s Board Approves Ties to Satellite Campus in Mexico]( The campus, in Santiago de Querétaro, opened in 2017 under a partnership with Arkansas State University, but it wants to offer programs unavailable at ASU, including biochemistry, computer science, engineering, and psychology. The Mexican campus will hire instructors, but Texas State faculty members will oversee the programs, to be taught in English and to start in 2025. (KXAN) TROUBLED COLLEGE [Saint Augustine’s U., in North Carolina, Delays Move-In Date and Fall Classes]( The university has faced financial and governance problems for years, and in 2023 it [lost its accreditation]( a decision that [was reversed]( in July. Now its interim president says the fall semester will begin two weeks later than planned. The extra time is needed to fix dormitories and classrooms, he said, and to finalize funding for the payroll and student refunds. (WRAL, The Chronicle) CAMPUS CUTS [Emerson College Lays Off 10 Staff Members and Suspends 2 Programs]( The layoffs, which the Massachusetts college’s president warned in June were coming, are needed to close a budget gap due to falling enrollment, Emerson said, and further cuts are not expected. The college will also defer capital projects and reduce, delay, or freeze job searches. (The Berkeley Beacon) UPCOMING WORKSHOP [The Chronicle's Leadership Transformation Collaborative | Starting in August 2024] Join The Chronicle’s Leadership Transformation Collaborative this fall to not only learn a new set of leadership skills, but to gain a structure for implementing them into your day-to-day work. 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