Afternoon Update: Biden administration outlines actions to address antisemitism on campus

FBI investigates death threats against Palestinians at American U. and Jews at Cornell U.; student-loan servicer is punished for errors; 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](. FIGHTING HATE I [Biden Administration Outlines Actions to Address Antisemitism on Campus]( Among other steps, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security will work with campus law enforcement and provide federal resources to colleges. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will expedite its review of complaints under a law banning forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia. (The Hill) ADVERTISEMENT FIGHTING HATE II [FBI Investigates Death Threat Against Palestinian Employee at American U.]( The threat last week was slipped under the office door of an information-technology worker at the university, in Washington, D.C. [American’s president said]( in a written statement that “this vile and dehumanizing act targeting our Palestinian community is reprehensible and will not be tolerated.” (NBC News, American statement) FIGHTING HATE III [Jewish Center at Cornell U. Is Under Guard After Online Threats to Jewish Students]( The online posts threatened to shoot Jewish students, encouraged other people to kill them, and urged the demolition of the New York university’s Center for Jewish Living, which houses some students and offers a kosher dining room. [Cornell’s president said]( the FBI had been alerted, and vowed to see the source of the threat “punished to the full extent of the law.” (The New York Times, Cornell statement) THE REVIEW [What Is Institutional Neutrality, Anyway?]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( Competing theories of a contested concept. ADVICE [How to Fix the Awkward Administrator-to-Professor Transition]( By Lisa Jasinski [STORY IMAGE]( It is time to shift how higher ed talks about, pays, and makes use of presidents, provosts, and deans who return to the faculty. LOAN DEBT [Education Dept. Begins Punishing Servicers for Student-Loan Errors]( Some 830,000 borrowers missed their first student-loan payments in three years after the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority didn’t send timely statements to 2.5 million of them. [The department will punish]( the loan servicer by withholding $7.2 million from its contract. The error was one of many as payments resumed after a pandemic pause. (The Washington Post, Department statement) GOVERNANCE [Wisconsin Republicans Seek to Require Citizenship for Members of Tech-College Boards]( The bill would bar a person from being reappointed to an unpaid seat on Gateway Technical College’s board. The trustee, a legal resident, is working to become a U.S. citizen. The measure is one of several GOP challenges to state colleges, including [fines for free-speech violations]( and [bans on raises]( over [diversity spending](. (Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin State Journal, Associated Press, The Chronicle) CAMPUS SAFETY [Shooting at Georgia State U. Injures 4; Gunfire at Worcester State U. Kills One]( Two of the victims at Georgia State were students. They were injured early Sunday at a convenience store adjacent to campus. The [incident at Worcester State]( in Massachusetts, involved nonstudents early on Saturday; classes were canceled on Monday. (WSB, MassLive) 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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