Monthly Archives: April 2014

How to deny scholars access to historical archives in the digital age

Over the last six months, the Chinese government has been systematically reducing access to historical archives by scholars. There has been much speculation about the purpose of this effort. Some have speculated that it has to do with China’s strained relations with several of its neighbors, but most notably Japan, over possession of several groups […] … learn more→

Seeking out damages after a car accident

Going through a car accident can be one of the most traumatic experiences that someone can go through, so it is vital that they take the time necessary to resolve it as quickly as possible. Medical bills and other expenses that come up as a result of a car accident can be extremely difficult to […] … learn more→

Just call me …

In any given week, I typically write several emails to other academics I do not know or do not know well. As I decide what greeting to use, I am reminded of the politics of names and the subtle—or sometimes not so subtle—power dynamics at play in everyday conversations, often in even the smallest conversational […] … learn more→

Liberal Arts: The perfect education for the business world

Keeping on my recent theme, let’s look at some additional evidence of post-graduation success for students who attend a liberal arts college. Clyde Tuggle, Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer at Coca-Cola, recently spoke at a gathering of Washington and Lee University students. Speaking about his current job, Tuggle told the students: “To […] … learn more→

One diet to rule them all

How is a person to make sense of the conflicting nutrition messages they read and hear about each day? Despite a wide range of contradicting nutrition and diet messages, there are common themes that overlap across all of the popular diets – themes that give you the keys to long-term health in a simple-to-understand message. […] … learn more→

What it takes for a conservative to show discrimination

I’ve often been told that college campuses are hotbeds of leftist thinking. That’s what I’ve been told. What I’ve seen with my own eyes? Well, certainly, multiculturalism, the demon-spawn of leftism, sure is popular. I never really attributed it to leftism, however. The courses are brain-dead simple, and even roadkill can pass the course (students […] … learn more→

This is what racial inequality looks like

Recently two black male high-school students made news when they each earned impressive numbers of acceptances to Ivy League Universities. Kwasi Enin is a first-generation American from Long Island, whose parents, who are nurses, emigrated from Ghana. He was accepted into all eight Ivy League colleges: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Penn. […] … learn more→

Misunderstanding academic freedom… again and again

Last month, Notre Dame professor Patrick Deneen, who should know better, described academic freedom as permitting “the airing and defense of any and all views.” It is not so simple as that, of course. As the 1940 AAUP Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure puts it, there are (as most of us know) […] … learn more→

Drop in overseas students adds to universities’ cash woes

Sweeping changes to the way student visas are allocated have been recommended by the House of Lords science and technology select committee. It is the sixth time the government has been given such steers on the issue by a parliamentary committee. The latest report has recommended the reinstatement of the previous post-study work student visa […] … learn more→

Good news for low-income students

Opponents of affirmative action have leveled a new three-pronged attack on affirmative action in higher education that could significantly change admissions at selective universities and colleges for the better. The Project on Fair Representation, which was behind the recent Supreme Court litigation in Fisher v. University of Texas, has launched websites soliciting white and Asian […] … learn more→