Afternoon Update: Higher Ed’s Political Naïveté (Opinion)

Why women do higher ed’s chores; becoming a department chair to escape; Kansas seeks data on DEI funding; dispute over sale of paintings; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. THE REVIEW | OPINION [Higher Ed’s Political Naïveté]( By Holden Thorp [STORY IMAGE]( As the College Board’s Florida fiasco shows, it’s time to stop appeasing malign actors. ADVERTISEMENT THE BACKLASH [College Board Slams Florida for What It Calls ‘Slander’ of AP Black-History Course]( In a [statement on Saturday]( the nonprofit organization said it should have responded more quickly to [claims]( by [Florida’s Department of Education]( that the Advanced Placement [course in African American studies]( would indoctrinate students and lacked educational value. The College Board also said [Florida’s partisan objections]( had not affected [changes in the course](. (NPR, The New York Times, The Chronicle) THE REVIEW | OPINION [Women Do Higher Ed’s Chores. That Must Change.]( By Liz Mayo [STORY IMAGE]( From the mundanely sexist to the lawsuit-worthy, service work is inequitable. ADVICE [Ask the Chair: ‘Can I Use the Position to Escape My Institution?’]( By Kevin Dettmar [STORY IMAGE]( “Selfish chair” is an oxymoron, assuming you do the job responsibly. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [‘We Cannot All Be Edward Said’]( By John Guillory [STORY IMAGE]( John Guillory responds to his critics on politics and criticism. THE REVIEW [Art vs. Blasphemy (and DEI)]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( Is there room for irreligious art on today’s sensitive campus? BUDGET QUESTIONS [Kansas Lawmakers Seek Universities’ Funding Data on DEI and Critical Race Theory]( The request, which follows similar demands in [Florida]( [Oklahoma]( and [South Carolina]( concerns what state resources public universities spend on diversity, equity, inclusion, and related programs. (The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Chronicle) SEXUAL ASSAULT [After Unusual Evidence, Jury Finds 2 Former Ohio State Athletes Not Guilty of Rape]( As part of their defense against charges that they raped a freshman in 2020, the two former football players showed a cellphone video in which the alleged victim says she’s crying but then agrees that the sex was consensual. The athletes said they had been told to get such evidence of consent, although it was not clear who told them so. (The Columbus Dispatch) SELLOFF [Valparaiso U.’s Planned Sale of Paintings Prompts Threat to Remove Name From Building]( Dick Brauer, founding director of the Indiana university’s Brauer Museum of Art, said he was reacting to the financially troubled institution’s decision to sell works by three major American artists, collectively worth millions, to fund dorm renovations. He said the planned sale would violate both museum standards and the terms under which the paintings were acquired. (The Post-Tribune) LEADERSHIP [Students at Connecticut College Call for President to Resign Over Fund-Raising Event]( The small liberal-arts college had planned to hold the event at a private Florida golf club that for decades excluded Black and Jewish members. Amid an uproar, including the resignation of the college’s dean of institutional equity and inclusion, its president canceled the event. (CT Insider) ATHLETICS [New Mexico State U. Shuts Down Men’s Basketball Over Alleged Hazing Incidents]( The allegations, which concern hazing by at least three players on more than one occasion, are not connected to an investigation into a [deadly shooting]( last November that involved a basketball player and three University of New Mexico students. (KTSM, Albuquerque Journal) EVENTS [Browse Upcoming and On-Demand Virtual Events]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join a discussion with national experts and leading practitioners on how to navigate an uncertain future and what new ideas your institution can pursue. 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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