Afternoon Update: Bias-response teams are a bad idea (opinion)

Chicago moves migrants to college campuses; when reply-all emails are aggressive acts; mixed results for Texas colleges in 2023 Legislature; 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 [Bias-Response Teams Are a Bad Idea]( By Christopher J. Ferguson [STORY IMAGE]( A system that encourages anonymous snitching is intrinsically abusive. ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW [Indoctrination Nation]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( On the “totalizing moralisms” of the left and right. ADVICE [Ask the Chair: When Is a ‘Reply All’ Email an Act of Aggression?]( By Kevin Dettmar [STORY IMAGE]( Advice for a department head who is uncertain whether a pattern of cc’d emails is well-intentioned or toxic. CAMPUS HOUSING [Chicago Moves Hundreds of Migrants to Campuses of City Colleges System]( To deal with more than 10,000 undocumented immigrants who have been bused there from Texas, the city plans to house hundreds of them on the system’s Richard J. Daley and Wilbur Wright campuses. Meantime, the State University of New York says it is [readying a similar plan]( to house migrants in unused space on its campuses. (WGN, Spectrum News Syracuse) IN THE STATES [For Texas Colleges, 2023 Legislative Session Was a Mix of Interference and Investment]( State lawmakers approved a huge spending plan for community colleges and created endowments for public universities. [They also]( banned [diversity, equity, and inclusion offices]( and took [more control over tenure](. (The Texas Tribune, The Chronicle) POLITICAL DIVERSITY [U. of Virginia Board Members Propose Tracking Student and Faculty Political Ideology]( The university already tracks the gender and race of its students, but two of the Board of Visitors’ newest members want to know why it isn’t tracking their religious and political affiliations too. Those details, say the appointees of Virginia’s Republican governor, are needed to gauge how UVA is fostering diversity. (The Daily Progress) FACULTY [Former Instructor Is Declared Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in Murder of Professor]( A judge on Friday found a former instructor at Missouri State University, Edward M. Gutting, not guilty of first-degree murder by reason of mental disease or defect. The ruling came nearly seven years after Gutting [stabbed to death]( a retired professor, Marc F. Cooper. Prosecutors said the murder was a premeditated act stemming from a toxic workplace and Gutting’s failure to get tenure. The defense said he had suffered a psychotic episode from long-untreated paranoid schizophrenia. He may spend the rest of his life at a state mental facility, the judge said. (Springfield News-Leader, The Chronicle) ENROLLMENT [SUNY Automatically Admits 125,000 Graduating High-School Students to Local Colleges]( The State University of New York, which has been suffering years of declining enrollment, said it was pursuing, on a larger scale, similar efforts that had increased college-going in Idaho and Michigan. SUNY’s campaign also includes enrollment coaching and help applying for student aid. (Higher Ed Dive) TECHNOLOGY [U. of Rochester Investigates Cyberattack That Led to Data Breach]( The New York university said the incident had “resulted from a software vulnerability in a product provided by a third-party file-transfer company,” and had affected some 2,500 organizations worldwide. Rochester added that it was working with the FBI and an outside data-forensics firm to determine what data were compromised and what actions should be taken. (University statement) 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. UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs] [Join us in June]( for professional development seminars on the top issues in higher ed. Expert panelists will provide insights on national trends, managing conflict, fostering inclusive culture, and more. Our seminars are available in a bundle and for individual purchase. 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