Afternoon Update: Are racial-affinity groups a form of segregation or student support?

More on transparent student-aid offers; Hamline quintuples down on academic freedom; conservatives can't speak freely on campus, poll finds; 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](. CLIMATE COUNTS [Are Racial-Affinity Groups a Form of Segregation or Student Support?]( By Katherine Mangan [STORY IMAGE]( Black students at Ohio State have organized Black movie nights, a Black Caucus, and a Black mental-health coalition, efforts they say are key to feeling connected. But lawmakers are pushing back. ADVERTISEMENT DATA [More Than 360 Colleges Pledged to Make Their Financial-Aid Letters More Transparent. Here’s a Closer Look.]( By Audrey Williams June [STORY IMAGE]( The effort is a bid to resolve a persistent problem — the unclear cost of college. THE REVIEW [When a University Triples — Quadruples — Quintuples! — Down Against Academic Freedom]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( Plus: Freud’s back, baby. CAMPUS SPEECH [Few Americans Say Conservatives Can Speak Freely on College Campuses, Poll Finds]( Campuses are friendlier to liberals than to conservatives on free speech, according to adults across the political spectrum polled by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. Over all, 47 percent say liberals have “a lot” of freedom to express views on campus, but just 20 percent say the same of conservatives. (AP) CAMPUS SAFETY [A California Professor’s Pronoun Policy Went Viral. A Bomb Threat Followed.]( A viral post criticizing the professor’s policy quickly escalated last week into a bomb threat that panicked faculty members and students at California State University at Fresno and prompted campuswide evacuations. The post, from a group criticized for its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, attacked an assignment requiring students to state their preferred pronouns. (USA Today) IN THE COURTS [Cornell U. Reaches $3-Million Settlement Over Online Classes During Pandemic]( The university [has settled]( a class-action lawsuit that alleged it breached its contract with students when it moved classes online in the spring of 2020 because of the pandemic. If a court approves the deal, some 25,000 students who were enrolled in in-person classes at the time will be eligible for payment. (The Cornell Daily Sun) CAMPUS CUTS [Facing Major Deficit, Christian Brothers U. Plans to Cut $4 Million From Budget]( The small Roman Catholic university in Tennessee blamed enrollment declines for a projected deficit of $5 million to $7 million by 2024 that necessitated a declaration of financial exigency. Campuswide cuts, including program closures and faculty layoffs, are possible. (The Commercial Appeal) CONTESTED TOPIC [Anthropology Groups’ Conference Drops a Panel Defending Sex as Binary]( Organizers of the annual meeting in November of the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society said the session lacked scientific merit and would harm transgender members of the groups. Critics said the field is unfriendly to dissent on the issue. (The New York Times) THE FUTURE'S FACULTY [Exodus of Life Scientists From Academe Reaches Historic Levels, New Data Show]( The proportion of new Ph.D.s in the field who landed industry jobs in 2022 was the highest in nearly three decades, and the share becoming postdoctoral researchers was the lowest, according to the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates. (STAT) FUND RAISING [Claremont McKenna Raises $1 Billion, Among the Most Ever for a Liberal-Arts College]( The California institution plans to use the money to expand its campus size, science programs, faculty, and financial aid. (Los Angeles Times) 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. REGISTER NOW [The Chronicle's Women Leading Change Program] [Join us in September]( for a groundbreaking virtual leadership series that will provide critical context, creative strategies, and guided exercises for women in leadership roles across higher ed. 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In this forum, a panel of experts will discuss the benefits and challenges of these partnerships. With Support from ICEF. [Register here.]( ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Fostering Students' Free Expression - Buy Now]( [Fostering Students' Free Expression]( Many colleges are trying to expose students to views and ideas that challenge their own thinking. [Order your copy]( to explore how professors and administrators are cultivating environments that encourage discussion of difficult topics — in the classroom and beyond. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037