Afternoon Update: The hyperbolic style in American academe (opinion)

Supreme Court won’t block use of race in West Point admissions; Dartmouth to reinstate standardized-test requirement; 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](. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [The Hyperbolic Style in American Academe]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( How paranoid accusations of “violence” became all the rage. ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW [The Musical Anthropology of Zora Neale Hurston]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( On an amazing trove of strange field recordings. [We’re Tracking This Year’s Legislative Attack on DEI. Ask Us Anything.]( [STORY IMAGE]( State lawmakers are trying to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on campus. Have questions about the legislation? Join our senior editor Daarel Burnette II and our senior writer Katherine Mangan on Tuesday at noon ET on [Reddit’s r/politics]( as they answer your questions live. ADMISSIONS [Supreme Court Won’t Block Use of Race in West Point Admissions for Now]( The court on Friday rejected a request to temporarily bar the U.S. Military Academy from considering applicants’ race in admissions decisions while a lower-court lawsuit against the practice proceeds. The [case was filed]( by Students for Fair Admissions, which last year persuaded the justices to [strike down]( race-conscious admissions, [except at military-service academies](. (The New York Times, The Chronicle) ENROLLMENT [Dartmouth College to Reinstate Standardized-Test Requirement]( Like many colleges, Dartmouth switched to a test-optional policy during the pandemic because of the difficulty in administering the SAT and ACT. Now it says it will resume requiring such a test for applicants seeking admission in the fall of 2025. Dartmouth said the tests would help it, among other things, identify promising students from disadvantaged high schools. (The Dartmouth) CAMPUS SAFETY [Eastern Michigan U. Settles Title IX Lawsuit With Victims of Alleged Sexual Assaults]( Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The plaintiffs — some two dozen current and former students — had accused the university of seeking to cover up their off-campus rapes, by three male students, from 2015 to 2019. The university has denied a coverup. It commissioned an outside report that criticized its Title IX office but said the victims had not cooperated in investigations. (The Detroit News) REPATRIATION [U. of Pennsylvania Museum Buries the Bones of 19 Black Philadelphians It Had Held]( But the interment, in a ceremony on Saturday, spurred a dispute with community members, who said they should have had input in the decision to place the remains in a historic African American cemetery in Philadelphia. The university says it is trying to begin rectifying past wrongs. (Associated Press) FINANCES [Nearly $2 Million Was ‘Misappropriated,’ Webster U. Says]( The private university in Missouri did not release details about the funds, misspent in 2022-23, but said it had shared information with the authorities. Webster has lost millions in the last decade, and last week it asked a court to [allow it to use its endowment]( to cover a loan. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) 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. SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for less than $20 and get unlimited access to essential reporting, data, and analysis. And as a special bonus, you'll get the 2024 Trends Report, our annual issue on the major trends shaping higher education — coming in March. 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