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Four members of the executive board of the University of Texas at Austin's student government resigned following allegations of sexual assault and repeated calls for more transparency and accountability,  the Austin Chronicle reported . Another three executive board members face possible impeachment at the start of the spring semester.  The seven members of the executive board came under fire in October, after a student posted the student government's budget on social media, asking for transparency on its numbers. The budget showed that executive board members reserve $30,000 for their own tuition stipends while allocating only about $16,000 for scholarships, the Chronicle reported. Students then began questioning the student government's relationship with the Tejas Club, a university men’s social organization, which came under scrutiny in October after some club members were accused of sexual assault and attempting a cover-up, the Chronicle reported. During a Twitter

Most of the universities going online for all or part of January, or adjusting their schedules or rules are in New England, the Midwest and the West. But this week some universities in the South are making changes. Auburn University, in Alabama, announced that it is reinstating a mask mandate to go into campus building or use university transportation, CBS 42 News reported. Emory University, in Georgia, announced: "While the campus will open as planned on January 4, we know there will be positive cases within our community. Therefore, to continue all aspects of our academic mission, undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses will start the spring semester in a remote format, excluding clinical and research activities, School of Medicine courses, and other select activities. Classes will transition back to in-person learning on January 31, should conditions permit. Most undergraduate courses will be canceled on January 27 and 28 to accommodate students returning to

The University of California, Los Angeles, pulled out of the Holiday Bowl Tuesday, only hours before it was to play North Carolina State University, ESPN reported. The Holiday Bowl is the fifth bowl game called off this year, following the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, the EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl, the Fenway Bowl and the Military Bowl. North Carolina State Coach Dave Doeren criticized UCLA. "Felt lied to, to be honest," Doeren said. "We felt like UCLA probably knew something was going on, didn't tell anybody on our side. We had no clue they were up against that. I don't feel like it was very well handled from their university. It would have been great to have had a heads-up so two or three days ago we could have found a Plan B. Disappointing." UCLA Athletics Director Martin Jarmond made a statement on Twitter : "With today's COVID results, our medical staff deemed it unsafe for us to compete this evening. While we had isolated COVID challenges,

A fourth bowl game has been called off due to COVID-19. The EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl, the Fenway Bowl and the the Military Bowl have already been called off. The Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl was called off Monday night due to an increase in the number of players at Boise State University who have COVID-19. Boise State was to play Central Michigan University. Central Michigan will now play in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Friday, ESPN reported. The team will play that of Washington State University. Washington State was originally going to play the University of Miami, but Miami pulled out due to COVID-19.     Ad keywords:  administrators Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/3syNSuS

More colleges and universities have announced changes in January schedules: Howard University is delaying the start of the academic term until Jan. 18. That is a week later than normal (plus Martin Luther King Jr. Day). University of Chicago is delaying the start of the quarter and changing the format of classes. The quarter will start Jan. 10, one week late, and instruction in the first two weeks will be online only. "Undergraduates living in residence halls are strongly encouraged to delay their return to campus until at least January 20," said the university announcement. University of Southern California will begin classes, as scheduled, on Jan. 10. But the university announced that the first week of classes will be online. Ad keywords:  administrators coronavirus Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates

COVID-19 issues were cited in the cancellations of three bowl games, ESPN reported. On Thursday, the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl was called off. The game was to be played Friday between the University of Hawaii and the University of Memphis. Hawaii pulled out of the game, citing COVID-19 issues on the team. On Sunday, the Military and Fenway Bowls were called off.  Boston College had over 40 players who were unable to play in the Military Bowl against East Carolina University on Monday. Virginia also had players test positive for COVID-19, making it unable to travel and play Southern Methodist University at the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, set for Wednesday. Ad keywords:  coronavirus Editorial Tags:  Coronavirus Live Updates Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/32lrPxb

Mathew Johnson has resigned as president of Albion College, which he has led since July of 2020. The Albion announcement said that Johnson would serve as president of the Commission for Public Purpose in Higher Education. The commission is responsible for the development of the Carnegie Foundation's basic and elective classification systems of higher education institutions. The Carnegie Foundation's classification system is moving to Albion. Johnson has faced much criticism on the campus. A petition calling for his removal said he was “bullying staff and students to get his way. " The petition throws a host of accusations at Johnson, including allegations that he profited from campus construction projects, hired nonwhite employees only because of their skin color and kept two goats on campus against city law. Johnson denied the accusations but students, faculty and alumni continued to push for his removal.   Ad keywords:  administrators executive Is thi

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More colleges are adjusting plans for the semester that starts in January: Amherst College announced that faculty teaching a January term course have been "strongly encouraged to change to remote teaching" and that "concurrently, all students registered for J-term classes that are being taught remotely are strongly encouraged to study remotely and not to return to campus for January term." California Institute of Technology announced that the winter term will start Jan. 3 with one week of online instruction. Students are still encouraged to return to campus. Columbia University announced that the first two weeks of the spring semester will be online. Most classes start Jan. 18. The change does not affect student access to the campus. Illinois State University announced that all courses will be online from Jan. 10-21. Temple University announced that all courses will be online from Jan. 10-21. Wellesley College is converting all of the courses planned

A three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled this week that Lou Anna K. Simon, the former president of Michigan State University, should not face criminal charges for allegedly lying to investigators about what she knew about the abuse charges made against Larry Nassar, MLive reported. Simon resigned as Michigan State president in January 2018, days after hearing dozens of women recount the sexual abuse at the hands of Nassar during his sentencing. She was charged in November 2018. “The prosecution maintains that the evidence and inferences from that evidence show that defendant was informed in 2014 of Nassar’s name and the nature of the allegations against him,” the Court of Appeals opinion said. “However, the prosecution did not introduce any evidence that [Simon] was actually informed in 2014, or at any time prior to 2016 of Nassar’s name or the details of the allegations against him.” The decision also said the charges against Simon were based on “speculation an

Duke and Syracuse Universities are making changes in January classes because of COVID-19. Duke announced that “all undergraduate and graduate/professional classes will be held remotely from January 5-8, 2022.” “The rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has upended our holiday celebrations and will continue to require our vigilance and flexibility in order to protect the health and safety of our community,” said a letter to Duke students and faculty member from Sally Kornbluth, the provost, and other administrators. At Syracuse University, Chancellor Kent Syverud, announced a delay in the start of the spring semester. “Given the sharp increase in COVID cases, the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and warnings from public health officials that the first three weeks of January will be the most challenging of this surge, the university will delay the start of the spring semester by one week. In-person classes will now begin on Jan. 24,” Syverud said . Ad keywords: 

The Department of Education on Wednesday announced a 90-day extension of the pause on student loan repayment, interest and collections. The pause had been scheduled to end on Feb. 1, 2022, and will now extend through May 1, 2022. The extension will allow the administration “to assess the impacts of the Omicron variant on student borrowers and provide additional time for borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart,” said a Department of Education press release . “The department will continue its work to transition borrowers smoothly back into repayment, including by improving student loan servicing.” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “As we prepare for the return to repayment in May, we will continue to provide tools and supports to borrowers so they can enter into the repayment plan that is responsive to their financial situation, such as an income-driven repayment plan.” Student loan payments have been

Image:  Seven University of California campuses announced Monday that they will start instruction online in January in response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The campuses are at Davis , Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego , Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and  Riverside. UC Santa Barbara announced on its website that "Given the uncertainties around the Omicron variant, UC Santa Barbara will begin winter quarter with two weeks of remote instruction. The quarter will begin as scheduled Monday, Jan. 3, and in-person instruction will resume Tuesday, Jan. 18, following the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday, subject to reassessment of the situation early in the quarter. The decision to delay in-person teaching is related to supporting students and instructors, particularly those who either test positive over winter break and cannot travel back to campus on time, or who test positive upon arrival and need to isolate." Riverside's chancellor, Kim A. Wilcox, wrote wit

A Harvard University chemistry professor was convicted Tuesday of lying to federal authorities about participating in a Chinese scientific talent program, Reuters reported . A federal jury found Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard’s chemistry department, guilty of making false statements to federal authorities, filing false tax returns and failing to report a Chinese bank account. Lieber’s case has been closely watched amid mounting criticism of the Department of Justice’s China Initiative , which was launched by the Trump administration in 2018 to ostensibly combat economic espionage and trade secret theft but which has resulted in prosecutions against academics, including Lieber, who are not accused of espionage but are accused of concealing Chinese university affiliations or funding sources from the federal government. Ad keywords:  faculty Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advic

The University of California, San Diego, is the latest institution to go online only in January, out of concern for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Chancellor Pradeep Khosla released a statement Tuesday that said, “In anticipation of a surge that may coincide with the planned start of our in-person, residential Winter Quarter, UC San Diego is exercising caution and moving our instruction to a remote-only mode from Jan. 3 to 17.” He also said, “During this time we will incrementally populate the campus (with students, faculty) using a more comprehensive testing regimen.” Ad keywords:  coronavirus Editorial Tags:  Coronavirus Live Updates Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/32aXuRR

McDaniel College, in Maryland, has shifted its January term -- a three week program that starts Jan. 4 -- to online instruction only. The college is also allowing only a limited number of students on campus. The college said that courses that cannot be offered online will be canceled. Independent studies will also be online or canceled.       Ad keywords:  coronavirus Editorial Tags:  Coronavirus Live Updates Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/3ecTFO6

Image:  More colleges are adopting policies to discourage—or in some cases ban—students from being on campus in January. Generally, the colleges that are acting start up the first week in January. Institutions with later starts tend to be waiting to decide. DePaul, Harvard and Stanford University students won’t have in-person classes the first weeks of the semester, those universities announced ; Pennsylvania State University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the U of Southern California are considering such a move. The Latest Announcements The Universities of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Chicago announced that they will start the spring semester online. Some students will be on campus, being tested, during some of this period. At UIUC, this rule is to allow time to meet a COVID-19 testing requirement. The first week of class (Jan. 18 to 21) will be online. In-person instruction will resume Jan. 24. The schedule at Chicago starts earlier, and so th

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Chicago will start the spring semester online. At UIUC, this rule is to allow time to meet a testing requirement. The first week of class (Jan. 18-21) will be online. In-person instruction will resume Jan. 24. The schedule at Chicago starts earlier, and so the first two weeks of classes (Jan. 10-23) will be online. Exceptions will be made for health science classes and other classes that must meet in person. "This is not how we expected the spring semester to begin; however, if there is any consistency to COVID-19, it is its unpredictability," said a letter to the campus from Michael Amiridis, chancellor at Chicago, and others.     Ad keywords:  coronavirus Editorial Tags:  Coronavirus Live Updates Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from

Oberlin College will finish the fall semester in January, with all students having the option to take their classes online. Oberlin’s fall semester didn’t start until Oct. 2 this year. Students have a break from Thursday through Jan. 2. Because of COVID-19, the students will have the option of taking the last three weeks of the semester online. Classes for the semester end Jan. 24. “Currently we are not experiencing the same spread of COVID that some campuses across the country are experiencing, but as we all know from our past efforts, we benefit when we are proactive,” said Carmen Twillie Ambar, the president, in a message to the campus. Ad keywords:  coronavirus Editorial Tags:  Coronavirus Live Updates Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/3FhPYme

Blog:  Rethinking Research Community-engaged scholarship is increasingly viewed as a valuable strategy for strengthening the quality and impact of academic research. This approach involves partnering with relevant groups or communities—those who are the focus of a research study or who may be directly affected by its findings—over the course of a research project. It represents a departure from the traditional top-down, ivory tower approach to research, in which the community is held at arms-length and the scholar is considered the “expert.” There are a number of approaches to integrating communities into the research process, including holistic methods such as  community-based participatory research (CBPR)  and  participatory action research (PAR) . By meaningfully incorporating community perspectives and guidance, the belief is that better research questions will be asked, more appropriate methodological strategies will be used, and research findings will be more accurately

Yale University has shifted all final exams to be online. “While Yale has not experienced the same increase in COVID rates as some other universities, we know that many of you are concerned about remaining on campus during the finals period. Although the risk of transmission during in-person examinations is small, we want you to be able to go home now. We have therefore made the difficult decision that beginning Sunday, there will be no more in-person exams this semester,” said a letter to Yale students from Marvin Chun, dean of Yale College, and others. The letter also noted uncertainty about the spring semester. “Classes are still scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 18. We are hopeful that we will be able to begin the semester in person, but in light of the rapidly changing public health conditions, we ask you to plan for the possibility that some or all activities will take place remotely at the outset of the semester. Please make sure that you pack accordingly (books, elec