More on Trump University

As Donald Trump’s opponents have tried to substantiate their assertions that he is a confidence man, fresh attention has been given to the class-action lawsuits filed by former students of Trump University and the $40 million suit filed by the attorney general of New York state. Writing for the Daily Beast, Olivia Nuzzi and Kate…

The Textbook Wars May Be about to Heat Up

Here are two corporate news releases distributed by University Business that suggest that Barnes and Noble and Amazon are positioning themselves to compete with each other, in each other’s areas of strength, for increased shares of the still lucrative textbook market. _________________________ Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED), one of the largest contract operators…

Echoed Apprehension

BY MARTIN KICH During the 1964 presidential campaign, the Johnson campaign ran a four-minute television ad called “Confessions of a Republican.” In the ad, a man who purports to be a lifelong Republican explains why he cannot vote for Barry Goldwater. More than a half-century later, this ad is going viral because it seems to…

2016 Man Booker International Longlist

For all but two of the titles there are links to the reviews in The Guardian and to the authors’ biographies in Wikipedia.   A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa (Angola), translated by Daniel Hahn and published by Harvill Secker. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (Italy), translated by Ann…

The Candidates’ Positions on Higher-Ed Issues

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration (NASFAA) is maintaining a list of positions on higher-education issues taken by all of the presidential candidates in this election cycle, including those who have suspended their campaigns. The list, which seems to be updated regularly, is available here. Even a cursory glance through the list will…

National Grammar Day

March 4 was World Book Day [See: https://academeblog.org/2016/03/05/world-book-day/]. It was also National Grammar Day. National Grammar Day  was established by Martha Brockenbrough, author of “Things That Make Us [Sic]” (2008) and founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. The celebration of National Grammar Day was, somewhat surprisingly, given an official endorsement by President…

International Women’s Day

March 8 was International Women’s Day, and here is a review of a bunch of items of interest.   The daily newsletter from the Brookings Institute was devoted to topics related to women’s issues: Julia Gillard address the question “What Does International Women’s Day Mean for the Future of Gender Equality? [http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/education-plus-development/posts/2016/03/07-international-womens-day-gender-equality-gillard?utm] Richard V. Reeves…

Refocusing on the “Pure, Sober” Rapes

BY MARTIN KICH Myra Crownover, R-Denton, said during a House Committee on Higher Education discussion on college sexual assault: “I was listening for mention of drug or alcohol abuse and, you know, I think those two conversations are so intertwined. I would be curious to see how many times a pure, sober sexual assault happened.…

Despicable

BY MARTIN KICH In an election cycle marked by unprecedented offensiveness, crassness, and obtuseness, this tweet from opponents of Tammy Duckworth’s senatorial candidacy in Illinois manages to descend to a new low point on all three counts: During her military service as a helicopter pilot in Iraq, Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs. This…

COCAL Updates

COCAL is the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor, a nearly 20 year old network of contingent activists and their organizations that does a conference (now tri-national – USA, CAN (including QBC) , and  MEX) every other year, usually in August. It also sponsors a listserv, called ADJ-L, and has an International Advisory Committee and a…