Top 5 stories of the week: September 1, 2023

Below are Campus Reform’s top five stories of the week. Dive into our quick summaries to stay informed about the spread of liberal bias on college campuses.

1. Universities are asking applicants about race even after affirmative action ruling

Many universities are explicitly asking applicants to discuss their race, even after the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that colleges can still consider discussions of how race has affected applicants’ lives, “so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.”

2. U Hawaii hosted woke panel with ousted Maui water management director

M. Kaleo Manuel, a Hawaii official who allegedly delayed releasing water for over five hours that would have helped landowners during three major Maui wildfires on Aug. 8, previously called for “equity” water resource management during a virtual college panel in 2022.

As the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources investigates Manuel’s mishandling of the wildfires, he has since been reassigned to a new position within the water commission. In October 2022, the University of Hawaii held a “UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series” on water conservation and management that featured Manuel, who was then the Deputy Director of the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), discussing how society no longer views water as “something that we revere” but instead “something which we use.”

3. Ex-Harvard ‘misinformation and disinformation’ expert takes job at Boston U

Joan Donovan, an expert in “misinformation and disinformation,” will be joining Boston University’s College of Communication this fall after she departed Harvard University earlier this year. 

Over the last year, Donovan has made many statements supporting left-wing causes and attacking right-wing ones. As part of her role as a researcher, Donovan plans to build an “internet observatory,” collecting all online posts of nationally-elected politicians.

4. Arizona State University removes DEI component from job postings

Arizona State University (ASU) removed a DEI statement component from a job posting for a professor and chair of the English department.

Applicants were asked to submit “a statement addressing how your past and/or potential contributions to diversity and inclusion will advance ASU’s commitment to inclusive excellence,” according to a screenshot posted by Steve McGuire, a Paul and Karen Levy Fellow for Campus Freedom at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

5. Alumni, students, faculty, staff call on Cornell to protect free expression

Alumni, students, faculty, and staff are calling on Cornell University to make tangible changes to policies and course requirements in order to protect free speech on campus. 

The Cornell Free Speech Alliance, an independent coalition of individuals associated with the university, recently submitted policy recommendations to the university, urging administrators to protect free expression and promote academic freedom.