Afternoon Update: "Sex slavery" case shows that foreign students need help in knowing their Title IX rights

Fitch issues gloomy higher-ed outlook; GOP leaders at odds over ban on Wisconsin pay raises; Michigan State settles sex-harassment lawsuit; 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](. CONFRONTING HARASSMENT [Ways to Help Vulnerable Foreign Students Know Their Title IX Rights]( By Katherine Mangan [STORY IMAGE]( A $20-million lawsuit that was filed against the Nevada System of Higher Education highlights foreign students’ vulnerability to sexual abuse. ADVERTISEMENT BACKGROUNDER [She Accuses Her Former Adviser of ‘Sex Slavery.’ He Says She Consented.]( By Katherine Mangan [STORY IMAGE]( Now Feifei Fan and Yanyao Jiang work in the same department, and their tangled case is headed for a Title IX showdown. RACE ON CAMPUS [How Colleges Are Fighting Racism Head-On]( By Daarel Burnette II [STORY IMAGE]( Antiracism centers are at risk of being banned. What do they really do? FINANCES [Fitch Ratings Issues Deteriorating Outlook for Higher Ed in 2024]( The credit-rating agency cited high labor costs, rising interest rates, and uneven enrollment gains that will impede finances across the sector. Fitch also said the divide would grow between large selective colleges, both public and private, and smaller, less-selective campuses. (Higher Ed Dive) IN THE STATES [GOP Leaders of Wisconsin Legislature Are at Odds Over Withholding Campus Pay Raises]( The Republican head of the Senate said on Monday that he wants the raises approved for University of Wisconsin employees, defying the Assembly’s Republican speaker, who has [vowed to block the funds]( until the UW system cuts spending on diversity. The Democratic governor has [sued the Legislature]( accusing it of obstructing basic government functions. (Associated Press, The Chronicle) SEXUAL HARASSMENT [Former Michigan State U. Official Receives $150,000 to Settle Harassment Lawsuit]( Christie Poitra, the former director of the university’s Native American Institute, accused MSU of mishandling her discrimination and harassment complaints and retaliating against her for filing them. The complaints centered on allegations that her boss had sexually harassed her repeatedly, the [latest]( such [episode]( on [the campus](. (The State News, The Chronicle) LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE [St. Augustine’s President Says She Was Fired Amid Accrediting Woes at N.C. University]( Christine McPhail learned she had been dismissed on Sunday, two days after the North Carolina university lost its accreditation. The board did not say why she had been fired, but her lawyer ascribed the dismissal to a gender-discrimination complaint she had filed against trustees. McPhail took office after her husband, the prior president, [died of COVID]( in 2020. (The News & Observer, The Chronicle) COLLECTIONS [Western Colorado U. Tries Again, 3 Decades Later, to Return Looted Native Remains]( The remains of 25 people, excavated a century ago, may finally be returning home, after past efforts were frustrated by an inability to determine which tribe they belonged to. The [Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act]( enacted in 1990, requires remains to be returned, and [colleges are among]( those [struggling to comply]( with it. (Colorado Public Radio, ProPublica, The Chronicle) 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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