Afternoon Update: How the new federal-aid form is shutting some students out

A snowblower's lesson in teaching; Cal State starts cutting; judge dismisses free-speech lawsuits in Florida; president sues his college; 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](. FINANCIAL FRUSTRATION [How the New Federal-Aid Form Is Shutting Some Students Out]( By Eric Hoover [STORY IMAGE]( A month after the debut of the revamped FAFSA, families continue to hit unexplained snags. ADVERTISEMENT TEACHING [What Fixing a Snowblower Taught One Professor About Teaching]( By Beckie Supiano [STORY IMAGE]( Back in the classroom after a decade as an administrator, the professor wanted to help students learn fluid mechanics the way they’d teach themselves. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Frantz Fanon and the Birth of Decolonization]( By Vaughn Rasberry [STORY IMAGE]( A new biography of one of the 20th century’s premier intellectuals. CAMPUS CUTS [Anticipating Less State Aid, California State U. Campuses Start Making Cuts]( In 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, agreed to give Cal State annual funding increases for rising enrollment and improving graduation rates. But with the state facing a $38-billion deficit, Newsom has proposed delaying the promised funds, and the system’s 23 campuses are merging programs, freezing hiring, and cutting positions, among other steps to deal with a $138-million shortfall. (EdSource) CAMPUS SPEECH [Judge Dismisses Pro-Palestinian Student Groups’ Free-Speech Lawsuits in Florida]( The suits stemmed from a [memo]( issued in October by Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the state-university system, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, that called on the system’s campuses to “[deactivate]( their Students for Justice in Palestine chapters. But the judge ruled that the order had [never been enforced]( so possible harm to the plaintiffs was speculative. (The Hill, The Chronicle, CNN) LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE [Northeast Iowa Community College Is Sued by Its President]( Herbert H.J. Riedel, currently on leave while the college [seeks to fire him]( alleges in his lawsuit that the college’s trustees violated the state’s open-meeting laws in June, when they took actions that were discussed in closed session but were never voted on in the open. (Iowa Capital Dispatch, The Chronicle) PEER PRESSURE [Iowa Board of Regents Seeks Student Feedback on Free Speech in Survey]( In the survey, the board asked students at the state’s three public universities about their identity and their comfort in expressing different opinions on campus. Such surveys have been conducted at public colleges in [Florida]( North Carolina, and [Wisconsin]( with results that suggest [fear of peers’ reactions]( — not professors — curtails speech. (The Daily Iowan, The Chronicle) RESEARCH INTEGRITY [Harvard Professor’s Papers Contain Copied Images, Science Sleuth Claims]( Khalid Shah, a brain-tumor researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, is facing accusations that more than two dozen papers he co-authored contain doctored or copied scientific images. The charges come from [Elisabeth Bik]( a microbiologist who has [scrutinized]( other [cases]( of [alleged]( research misconduct. (The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle) FACILITIES [Burst Pipes Leave Dead Plants and Devastation at Michigan State’s Greenhouses]( January’s cold snap and winter storm wreaked havoc on the university’s horticulture facilities, including its Butterfly House. The extent of the damage is still being evaluated. (Lansing State Journal) NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. 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