War on Universities, Lawyers & Expertise

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One has to wonder how retroactive such hunt-downs will be, can be.

Videos are 'out there' of panels, presentations, public forums, and speeches.

Wondering also what the list of problematic topics are exactly?

For sure:
Slavery
Women's Rights
Homosexuality
Gender

What about the Constitution?
Fascism?
The Civil War?
The Lost Cause?
Islam?
The Vietnam War?
Comparative Religion?


At UNC just a quick perusal of courses that will come under scrutiny if the Right has the time and the resources would be:

HIST 277. The Conflict over Israel/Palestine. 3 Credits.
Explores the conflict over Palestine during the last 100 years. Surveys the development of competing nationalisms, the contest for resources and political control that led to the partition of the region, the war that established a Jewish state, and the subsequent struggles between conflicting groups for land and independence.

HIST 331. Why History Matters to Public Policy. 3 Credits. (Also titled:
Sex, Religion, and Violence: Revolutionary Thought in Modern South Asia"
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[/td]​
This course explores the uses of history and historical perspectives for public policy. Students will learn how historical processes have shaped today's public policies and examine how the origins and development of a policy can inform current policy decisions. Previously offered as PLCY 231.

HIST 511. 9/11 in World History. 3 Credits.
This course focuses on three great decolonization movements-Communism, Nationalism, and Islamism-in the postcolonial Islamic world, in an attempt to understand the impact of the 9/11/2001 terrorists attacks on the social, political, and cultural life of Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries and diasporic communities in the West. Honors version available.

HIST 534. Slavery and the US Civil War. 3 Credits.
A comparative examination of the movements, experiences, and contributions of Africans and people of African descent from the period of the Atlantic slave trade to the present. Honors version available.

HIST 248. Guerrillas and Counterinsurgencies in Latin America. 3 Credits.
This course examines the leftist guerrilla movements that swept Latin America and the Caribbean during the latter half of the 20th century. Students will analyze the origins, trajectories, and legacies of these insurgencies, paying particular attention to the roles of race, class, and gender. Previously offered as HIST/PWAD 528.

HIST 532. History of Cuba. 3 Credits.
Thematic approach to Cuban history, from conquest to the revolution. Attention is given to socioeconomic developments, slavery and race relations, the 19th-century independence process, and the 20th-century republic.

HIST 64. First-Year Seminar: Gorbachev: The Collapse of the Soviet Empire and the Rise of the New Russia. 3 Credits.
Examines Mikhail Gorbachev and the astonishing transformations that occurred while he governed the Soviet Union between 1985 and 1991. Students will explore post-Soviet Russia's efforts at negotiating a new set of relations with the rest of the world and how Russia continues to shape our own destiny.

HIST 72. First-Year Seminar: Women's Voices: 20th-Century European History in Female Memory. 3 Credits.
The course examines 20th-century European history through the lenses of women's autobiographical writings. It explores women's voices from different generational, social, and national backgrounds and asks what formed their memories. Honors version available.

HIST 479. History of Female Sexualities. 3 Credits.
Spanning the ancient, medieval, and modern West, this course explores normative and non-normative female sexualities, ideas about female bodies, and the regulation of female sexuality by families, religions, and states.

That is just a sampling...and I generally left out courses with the word Gender or Women in the title.

Here is the list of course possible: History Major, B.A. < University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 
donbosco said:
One has to wonder how retroactive such hunt-downs will be, can be.

Videos are 'out there' of panels, presentations, public forums, and speeches.

Wondering also what the list of problematic topics are exactly?

For sure:
Slavery
Women's Rights
Homosexuality
Gender

What about the Constitution?
Fascism?
The Civil War?
The Lost Cause?
Islam?
The Vietnam War?
Comparative Religion?


At UNC just a quick perusal of courses that will come under scrutiny if the Right has the time and the resources would be:

HIST 277. The Conflict over Israel/Palestine. 3 Credits.
Explores the conflict over Palestine during the last 100 years. Surveys the development of competing nationalisms, the contest for resources and political control that led to the partition of the region, the war that established a Jewish state, and the subsequent struggles between conflicting groups for land and independence.

HIST 331. Why History Matters to Public Policy. 3 Credits. (Also titled:

Sex, Religion, and Violence: Revolutionary Thought in Modern South Asia"

[td width="61.9062px"]
"

[/td]​

This course explores the uses of history and historical perspectives for public policy. Students will learn how historical processes have shaped today's public policies and examine how the origins and development of a policy can inform current policy decisions. Previously offered as PLCY 231.

HIST 511. 9/11 in World History. 3 Credits.
This course focuses on three great decolonization movements-Communism, Nationalism, and Islamism-in the postcolonial Islamic world, in an attempt to understand the impact of the 9/11/2001 terrorists attacks on the social, political, and cultural life of Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries and diasporic communities in the West. Honors version available.

HIST 534. Slavery and the US Civil War. 3 Credits.
A comparative examination of the movements, experiences, and contributions of Africans and people of African descent from the period of the Atlantic slave trade to the present. Honors version available.

HIST 248. Guerrillas and Counterinsurgencies in Latin America. 3 Credits.
This course examines the leftist guerrilla movements that swept Latin America and the Caribbean during the latter half of the 20th century. Students will analyze the origins, trajectories, and legacies of these insurgencies, paying particular attention to the roles of race, class, and gender. Previously offered as HIST/PWAD 528.

HIST 532. History of Cuba. 3 Credits.
Thematic approach to Cuban history, from conquest to the revolution. Attention is given to socioeconomic developments, slavery and race relations, the 19th-century independence process, and the 20th-century republic.

HIST 64. First-Year Seminar: Gorbachev: The Collapse of the Soviet Empire and the Rise of the New Russia. 3 Credits.
Examines Mikhail Gorbachev and the astonishing transformations that occurred while he governed the Soviet Union between 1985 and 1991. Students will explore post-Soviet Russia's efforts at negotiating a new set of relations with the rest of the world and how Russia continues to shape our own destiny.

HIST 72. First-Year Seminar: Women's Voices: 20th-Century European History in Female Memory. 3 Credits.
The course examines 20th-century European history through the lenses of women's autobiographical writings. It explores women's voices from different generational, social, and national backgrounds and asks what formed their memories. Honors version available.

HIST 479. History of Female Sexualities. 3 Credits.
Spanning the ancient, medieval, and modern West, this course explores normative and non-normative female sexualities, ideas about female bodies, and the regulation of female sexuality by families, religions, and states.

That is just a sampling...and I generally left out courses with the word Gender or Women in the title.

Here is the list of course possible: History Major, B.A. < University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Click to expand...

Some of those classes look great. Then again I was one class shy of a double major in history but refused to take the necessary philosophy class.
 

White House considers funding advantage for colleges that align with Trump policies​

The proposal could potentially transform the government’s vast research funding operation, which has long awarded university grants based on scientific merit.

🎁 —> https://wapo.st/3KqjcXB

“… Universities could be asked to affirm that admissions and hiring decisions are based on merit rather than racial or ethnic background or other factors, that specific factors are taken into account when considering foreign student applications, and that college costs are not out of line with the value students receive.

… Under the current system, the federal government’s vast research funding operation awards billions of dollars’ worth of grants based on peer reviews and scientific merit.

…
The senior White House official described the new system as an opportunity for schools to show they are in compliance, as interpreted by the administration. Those that do so, the official said, would be rewarded with a “competitive advantage” in applying for federal grants.

“I think there will be an opportunity for universities to be forward-looking and … state their positions out loud: What are the things that you believe? What are your values? How are you providing value to students?” the official said. “And that will be something that not only is important to the administration … but it’ll be super impactful for students too.”…”
 
nycfan said:
Click to expand...

I hate to use a Star Wars analogy, but the idea that Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious simply exploited the growing rot and cynicism and corruption of the Galactic Republic to his own ends, rather than actually creating the corruption and decay himself, seems to fit here. Our republic has been in decay for a good while, and Trump and MAGA have simply exploited it to suit their own goals and ends, while greatly increasing the corruption, among other things. And many of our corporations, media conglomerates, elite universities, and others, after initially resisting Trump in his first term, looked around after his election last year and decided that they could live with an authoritarian and repressive government and still make a profit and do business as they always have. So they've nearly all bent the knee, with a few exceptions, like Harvard and lower federal court judges.
 
Here's the latest step in the Trump admin's plan to put universities under federal government control:

www.nytimes.com

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

Demands sent to nine top schools included pledging to freeze tuition for five years and to commit to strict definitions of gender.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Based on past precedent I don't have much optimism that these universities are going to do anything except cave. But I would hope that at a certain point administrators would understand that compliance with these directives gains them nothing but further demands to come down the pike. If their idea is that they can just sign one pledge and go back to business as usual, I suspect they're sadly mistaken. This isn't going to stop until someone actually stands up and fights this shit tooth and nail. I had hoped that would be Harvard, but even they appear to be on the verge of capitulating.

At the very least I hope faculty at these universities will loudly express to their administrators their desire that the schools not agree to this.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
I hate to use a Star Wars analogy, but the idea that Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious simply exploited the growing rot and cynicism and corruption of the Galactic Republic to his own ends, rather than actually creating the corruption and decay himself, seems to fit here. Our republic has been in decay for a good while, and Trump and MAGA have simply exploited it to suit their own goals and ends, while greatly increasing the corruption, among other things. And many of our corporations, media conglomerates, elite universities, and others, after initially resisting Trump in his first term, looked around after his election last year and decided that they could live with an authoritarian and repressive government and still make a profit and do business as they always have. So they've nearly all bent the knee, with a few exceptions, like Harvard and lower federal court judges.
Click to expand...


Pretty much everything that Radical Revolutionary Leftists have proclaimed -- that the media is corporate, that the government is imperial, that democrats are simply slightly more inclusive capitalists -- police serve to protect property, not people -- wars are waged for profit, not freedom -- bipartisan consensus signals corporate alignment, not moral clarity -- labor is devalued and capital is endlessly rewarded -- electoral politics absorb dissent rather than channel it -- ‘national security’ is a euphemism for global dominance -- working-class solidarity almost always fractures along racial lines -- the myth of pervasive meritocracy serves the ruling class by serving as an escape valve for oppression -- and on and on.

But what can you do when fighting fascism is the immediate concern?
 
nycfan said:

White House considers funding advantage for colleges that align with Trump policies​

The proposal could potentially transform the government’s vast research funding operation, which has long awarded university grants based on scientific merit.

🎁 —> https://wapo.st/3KqjcXB

“… Universities could be asked to affirm that admissions and hiring decisions are based on merit rather than racial or ethnic background or other factors, that specific factors are taken into account when considering foreign student applications, and that college costs are not out of line with the value students receive.

… Under the current system, the federal government’s vast research funding operation awards billions of dollars’ worth of grants based on peer reviews and scientific merit.

…
The senior White House official described the new system as an opportunity for schools to show they are in compliance, as interpreted by the administration. Those that do so, the official said, would be rewarded with a “competitive advantage” in applying for federal grants.

“I think there will be an opportunity for universities to be forward-looking and … state their positions out loud: What are the things that you believe? What are your values? How are you providing value to students?” the official said. “And that will be something that not only is important to the administration … but it’ll be super impactful for students too.”…”
Click to expand...
IMG_0020.png

Gift 🎁—> https://www.wsj.com/us-news/educati...3?st=pLgWJp&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

“… The expansive 10-point memo, dubbed the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” puts forth a wide-ranging set of terms the administration says are intended to elevate university standards and performance. Universities that sign on will get “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants,” according to a letter addressed to university leaders.

… The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions; freeze tuition for five years; cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%; require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test; and quell grade inflation.

Much of the document focuses on the campus political climate.

… On Wednesday night, the White House sent letters inviting an initial round of nine universities to sign on to the agreement.

The letter explains that signing on “will signal to students, parents and contributors that learning and equality are university priorities” and that the federal government would “have assurance” that the schools are complying with civil-rights law and “pursuing federal priorities with vigor.”

… Letters on Wednesday were going out to solicit agreement and feedback from Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia, according to an administration official.

… The White House chose the schools because it believed they are, or could be, “good actors,” Mailman said.…”
 
IMG_0038.jpeg

🎁 —> Duke Was Paring Back Diversity Programs. Trump Targeted It Anyway.

“… Leaders of the school, North Carolina’s largest private university, embraced a stealth strategy as other elite colleges fell into the Trump administration’s cross hairs, avoiding showy standoffs with the government for interfering in academic affairs. The campus is a relatively conservative place, protests over the war in Gaza were muted and it had begun dialing back some diversity efforts.

The Trump administration came for it anyway.

In late July, Trump officials announced they would investigate Duke over the criteria its student-run law journal used to select editors. They also accused the university’s health system of “systematic racial discrimination,” without citing any specific incident.

Duke’s turn on the hot seat provides a window into how the administration’s priorities broadened in recent months, from a focus on antisemitism to efforts to stamping out diversity measures….”
 
nycfan said:
IMG_0038.jpeg

🎁 —> Duke Was Paring Back Diversity Programs. Trump Targeted It Anyway.

“… Leaders of the school, North Carolina’s largest private university, embraced a stealth strategy as other elite colleges fell into the Trump administration’s cross hairs, avoiding showy standoffs with the government for interfering in academic affairs. The campus is a relatively conservative place, protests over the war in Gaza were muted and it had begun dialing back some diversity efforts.

The Trump administration came for it anyway.

In late July, Trump officials announced they would investigate Duke over the criteria its student-run law journal used to select editors. They also accused the university’s health system of “systematic racial discrimination,” without citing any specific incident.

Duke’s turn on the hot seat provides a window into how the administration’s priorities broadened in recent months, from a focus on antisemitism to efforts to stamping out diversity measures….”
Click to expand...
“… Dr. Price has signaled he wants to avoid a confrontation with the Trump administration and minimize the financial pain. Officials announced in late July that nearly 600 staff members took buyouts, and that more positions would be slashed.

When he was asked at a faculty meeting in April whether the university had a plan to support politically controversial research if money were revoked, Dr. Price’s answer was blunt.

“The short answer is we’ll do our best,” he said, according to the meeting minutes. “But there’s no way we can replace federal funding.””
 
nycfan said:
“… Dr. Price has signaled he wants to avoid a confrontation with the Trump administration and minimize the financial pain. Officials announced in late July that nearly 600 staff members took buyouts, and that more positions would be slashed.

When he was asked at a faculty meeting in April whether the university had a plan to support politically controversial research if money were revoked, Dr. Price’s answer was blunt.

“The short answer is we’ll do our best,” he said, according to the meeting minutes. “But there’s no way we can replace federal funding.””
Click to expand...
🎵 A tale as old as time... 🎵

Appease leopard... Pat self on back for not getting face eaten... Get face eaten.
 
I was glad to see this editorial from Professor Chemerinsky in the NYT on this subject:

www.nytimes.com

Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

There seems to be no limit to the president’s odious attempts to control higher education.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

As I said above, it will be important for faculty to speak loudly and with a unified voice to reject these proposals. Administrators are facing heavy pressure from the government and have a reflexive tendency to capitulate; they will need to feel some pressure from their faculty, students, and alums to have any chance of helping them find the backbone to stand up to this.
 
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