Quick hits.
- More than 240,000 cases of Covid-19 have been linked to American colleges since January 1, and more than 660,000 cases have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. (The New York Times)
- The American College Health Association is recommending that Covid-19 vaccinations be required for all on-campus students, and more than 180 colleges have set such a mandate. (ACHA; The Chronicle)
- The Rev. William P. Leahy, president of Boston College, faces criticism for how he dealt with student complaints about a priest in the late 1990s; the priest has recently been accused of sexual assault. (The Boston Globe)
- Seven Bowling Green State University students and another person have been indicted in the fraternity-hazing death of Stone Foltz, a sophomore, in March. (The Columbus Dispatch)
- A former visiting professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, John C. Eastman, is preparing to sue the institution after it stripped him of most of his duties for his role in the January 6 rally before the march on the U.S. Capitol. (Daily Camera)
- A dental student at the University of Iowa sparked a nationwide debate after saying he had faced expulsion because of his conservative beliefs. (Vanity Fair)
- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by students seeking tuition refunds stemming from a pandemic-driven campus shutdown by the University of Pittsburgh. The judge noted that the students “have not pled plausible claims” for breach of contract. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- The University of Oregon will stop using remote proctoring services that rely on artificial intelligence, including ProctorU, at the end of the spring semester. (Daily Emerald)
Idaho lawmakers enact a law against critical race theory.
The tension in Idaho over whether colleges are “indoctrinating” students with a leftist agenda was codified into law on Wednesday. Brad Little, the governor, signed a bill that bars public schools and institutions of higher education from directing or compelling students to “affirm, adopt, or adhere” to what the state Legislature views as the principles of critical race theory.
The new law outlines what the Legislature believes are “tenets” found in critical race theory, and claims that they “exacerbate and inflame divisions on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or other criteria in ways contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho.” The law states that students cannot be distinguished or classified based on their race — while also saying the legislation would not interfere with requirements to collect students’ demographic data. And it outlaws teaching the idea that “any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin” is superior to any other, or can be used to justify treating people differently. Our Nell Gluckman has more.
A trustee election at controversy-laden Collin College.
After months of upheaval and negative headlines, three Collin College trustees will face local voters in an election on Saturday. With a third of the nine board seats up for grabs, the election could chart the future of the community college in a Dallas suburb.
Collin’s president, H. Neil Matkin, is not on the ballot, but he’s a frequent topic on the campaign trail. While Matkin has enjoyed strong support from most members of the board, critics accuse him of ruling the college with an iron fist and creating an environment where anyone who speaks out is dealt with harshly. And amid a firestorm of public criticism over the college’s recent firing of several faculty members, board members have begun to acknowledge problems.
Scrutiny of Matkin intensified after our Mike Vasquez profiled him this month. Now, Mike explains how, in the aftermath of that investigation, the trustee election has taken on new significance locally. Read his story here.
Weekend reads.
Here are some Chronicle staff-recommended reads to help you usher in the month of May this weekend:
Comings and goings.
- DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College, in Maryland, was named the next president of Nevada State College. She will take office on August 14.
- Jerome Gilbert, president since 2016 of Marshall University, in West Virginia, plans to step down in July 2022.
- Amoaba Gooden, interim vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Kent State University, in Ohio, has been named to the post permanently.
Footnote.
One resident of the University of York’s campus, in England, is enjoying viral fame on Reddit. Meet a duck known as Long Boi, who’s attracted worldwide attraction for his remarkable height. He’s even got an Instagram account.
As it turns out, Long Boi is not a mallard duck, as the Reddit post asserts, but a cross between a mallard and an Indian runner, a larger breed. He measures in at about 28 inches tall, and he even held the Waterfowl of the Year title from the University of Bantshire’s Waterfowl University Rankings in 2020. (OK, “Bantshire” and its college-duck rankings are fictitious.) But York’s president pledged to name a real outdoor table in honor of Long Boi.
Correction: In a previous version of this Footnote, we reported, in all seriousness, that Long Boi was to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of York. But we neglected to notice the publication date of the article announcing the drake’s new credential — April 1. We apologize for our gullibility and hope that Long Boi one day gains the academic honor he so highly deserves.