Weekly Briefing: Is there a double standard at Liberty U.?

The evangelical institution has a strict student code. Some say administrators don't follow those guidelines. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. Are there two sets of rules at Liberty University? Liberty University’s student honor code extends beyond what you often see at other institutions, such as prohibitions on cheating and plagiarism. To enforce “life in a Christian educational community,” the code states that students, even those over 21, cannot consume alcohol or attend dances, and they must wear one-piece bathing suits at the pool. Premarital sex is a serious breach of conduct. The institution says its rules promote moral conduct, but those standards don’t always seem to apply to Liberty administrators. Take Jerry Falwell Jr. — his televangelist father founded the university in 1971 — whose 13-year presidency [came to a lurid conclusion in 2020](. But Falwell isn’t the only former administrator embroiled in controversy. Other leaders have been steeped in scandal and often those missteps have gone unpunished. The alleged ethical lapses include steering university contracts to connected insiders, having extramarital affairs, sexually harassing staff members or students, and punishing students for reporting accusations of sexual assault. In a preliminary report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education and obtained by The Chronicle, the [alleged punishment of rape victims]( is a repeated accusation. In the report, the department’s investigators expressed concern that the institution’s failures to properly carry out its obligations under the law “call into question the university’s ability and willingness to properly administer the Title IV, Federal Student Aid programs.” The pending federal investigation could lead to as much as $37.5 million in fines against the university, [Fox News reports](. Liberty has said in public statements that it provided “full candor and cooperation” to department investigators. The university also alleged that the preliminary report contains “significant errors, misstatements, and unsupported conclusions.” Liberty University did not respond to repeated inquiries from The Chronicle. But the Education Department’s investigation is not the only matter bedeviling Liberty. In June, John Markley, former administrative dean for academic operations, filed an amended whistle-blower suit against the university seeking $20 million in damages. His lawsuit says he was fired in retaliation after he repeatedly noted ethical violations and illegal behaviors to leaders, lawyers hired by Liberty’s Board of Trustees, and law-enforcement authorities. Markley says he witnessed alleged wrongdoing that included “unjust enrichment” in Liberty’s corporate subsidiaries and charitable organizations, “improper use” of its private jet, and “intentional concealment” of money by using third-party business entities, among other things. Liberty told Christianity Today in June that Markley’s lawsuit is “without merit.” There’s a larger question raised by Markley’s case that remains unanswered: Why has alleged misbehavior of Liberty’s leaders persisted for so long? One theory is that ethical transgressions by high-ranking employees usually go unpunished. [Read our Michael Vasquez’s full investigation here](. ADVERTISEMENT 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. Lagniappe - Read. You may know the writer Ariel Dorfman for his critique of North American imperialism in How to Read Donald Duck. Dorfman also served as a “cultural adviser” in the former Chilean president Salvador Allende’s government and had a front-row seat to the coup that toppled Allende — the inspiration for [Dorfman’s latest novel](. The Suicide Museum is largely autofiction, but in this story there’s also a billionaire with a zeal for solving the climate crisis and he taps Dorfman to help. (The New Yorker) - Listen. It was [cold]( in large swaths of the U.S. this week. [The Latin soul song]( “Do you feel it?” by the Joe Cuba Sextet, an ode to the conga drummer’s New York neighbor, may help transport you to a warmer climate. New York in the summer can get pretty tropical after all. (YouTube) - Watch. The German film [The Teacher’s Lounge]( follows a young, maybe idealistic teacher at a school where thefts drag the institution into chaos. This movie and Anatomy of a Fall may be the best releases of 2023 that I’ve seen. (The New York Times) —Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads EFFORTS TO DISMANTLE DEI [Amid National Backlash, Colleges Brace for Fresh Wave of Anti-DEI Legislation]( By J. Brian Charles [STORY IMAGE]( A Chronicle analysis has identified at least 19 bills that aim to ban a slate of efforts aimed at making colleges diverse, equitable, and inclusive. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [How ‘Woke’ Is the Campus Left?]( By Robert S. Huddleston [STORY IMAGE]( New books by Yascha Mounk and Susan Neiman challenge trends in progressive politics. LABOR [America’s Largest University System Is Headed for a Faculty Strike. Here’s a Primer.]( By Forest Hunt [STORY IMAGE]( The faculty union for the California State University system wants a 12-percent salary bump. Cal State officials say they can’t afford it. 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