Andrew Thompson – Washington and Lee University – The College Fix

Canceled: Washington & Lee University removes plaque honoring Robert E. Lee’s horse

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 04:05:42 +0000

Traveller, the horse which served Confederate General Robert E. Lee, has long been a fixture of campus culture at Washington and Lee University, as the famous steed, known for his courage and stamina, is buried on campus. But Traveller’s Confederate connections recently led university officials to remove two markers erected in his honor, his gravestone as well as a plaque honoring the beloved…

Source

Iconoclast scholar John McWhorter spurned by Linguistic Society of America colleagues

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 04:05:18 +0000

Author of ‘Woke Racism’ sidelined by peers “The 1619 kind of perspective, for all of its elaborate terminology and moral passion vented in serious media organs and entertained by people with PhDs, demands that we abjure complexity,” wrote John McWhorter in an essay published amid the racial furor following George Floyd’s death in 2020. “It is a call for dumbing ourselves down in the name of a…

Source

76 percent of Princeton students say it’s acceptable to shout down a speaker: survey

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 04:01:48 +0000

‘Atmosphere on free speech is particularly negative for conservative students’ A little over three-quarters of Princeton University students polled in a recent survey said it is sometimes acceptable to shout down a speaker. The findings come despite a free speech-focused freshman orientation session, a university guarantee of “the broadest possible latitude to speak…

Source

Stanford dean’s new book helps undergrads learn to think critically

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 04:00:06 +0000

Scholar Louis Newman guides students through four cardinal modes of thought The same week Stanford University’s law students harried conservative Judge Kyle Duncan, a former undergraduate dean at the same school, Louis Newman, published a timely guide to critical thinking skills. In “Thinking Critically in College: The Essential Handbook for Student Success…

Source

UC Berkeley student groups’ ban on pro-Israel speakers continues to create controversy, concern

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 05:01:18 +0000

A closed-door meeting to be held at UC Berkeley today will focus on a controversial pledge that several students groups have signed on to that bans pro-Israel guest speakers. Law Students for Justice in Palestine is hosting the meeting that is only open to UC Berkeley students, faculty and staff, with IDs to be “checked at the door,” the group stated in its announcement. The pledge…

Source

Biden scales back student loan bailout eligibility as legal challenges mount

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 04:01:00 +0000

Scholars argue Biden student loan bailout on shaky legal ground in College Fix interviews The Biden administration has massively scaled back the eligibility on its student loan bailout plan as it faces mounting legal questions and challenges. “As of Sept. 29, borrowers who have federal student loans that are owned by private entities and not by the Department of Education will no longer…

Source

Scholars demand African Studies journal retract article written by white academics

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 04:04:01 +0000

UPDATED African Studies Review has said it will not remove paper Two white Africanist scholars were heavily criticized on social media recently by many of their colleagues over a paper they wrote on decolonization, citing concerns over “white saviorism” and “frontierism.” Their detractors argued the two scholars were racially insensitive and some academics even sent the publisher…

Source

Citing need for intellectual diversity, Louisiana lawmakers to scrutinize universities’ tenure policies

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 04:14:53 +0000

A new task force to be established by Louisiana lawmakers will examine tenure policies at the state’s colleges and universities and suggest possible reforms. The review comes amid concerns about intellectual diversity and ideologically driven tenure criteria in Louisiana and nationwide. The bill’s sponsor, Louisiana state Sen. Stewart Cathey, a Republican, said he sees a lack of intellectual…

Source

Washington and Lee’s removal of George Washington portrait, other chapel changes draws protest

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Tue, 31 May 2022 04:03:56 +0000

‘Save Lee Chapel’ effort underway by critics of changes An ongoing series of changes and edits to Washington and Lee University’s historic Lee Chapel has drawn controversy and criticisms from students and alumni. Most recently, administrators have announced plans to build a permanent wall this summer to separate the chapel’s main auditorium from a section of the building that features a…

Source

UCLA study: To fairly implement a road congestion tax, give poor people cash

Andrew Thompson - Washington and Lee University — Fri, 13 May 2022 04:02:17 +0000

As bureaucrats eye implementing road congestion taxes, a group of UCLA scholars has looked at how to put such policies in place while also being fair and equitable to poor people. Their preferred solution: give low-income households cash assistance. Congestion pricing requires payment to use certain roads to address environmental concerns. This, theoretically, forces people to use other means…

Source