A wave of restrictions on protesting has been rippling through Australia’s top universities. Over the past year, all of Australia’s eight top research universities (the Group of Eight) have individually increased restrictions on campus protests. The changes include bans on indoor protests and restrictions on banners, posters and student announcements. At some campuses, groups need to give notice or obtain university […] … learn more→

Coverage of the recent student encampments at more than 50 universities across the United States has focused on confrontations between opposing groups of protesters or between protesters and police. The spectacle of militarised officers being called on to campus grounds, or academics and students alike being pinned to the concrete, has dominated news broadcasts. Having recently returned from […] … learn more→

Interrogations of university leaders spearheaded by conservative congressional representatives. Calls from right-wing senators for troops to intervene in campus demonstrations. Hundreds of student and faculty arrests, with nonviolent dissenters thrown to the ground, tear-gassed and tased. We’ve been here before. In my book “Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America,” I detail how, throughout the […] … learn more→

As I recover from lung surgery #2 (and a new 9″ scar), a somewhat shorter post than usual. A while back I wrote about Chinese influence on our campuses; I still believe it’s an infinitesimally small problem compared to other issues in higher ed, but a reader took me to task for it, believing I […] … learn more→

Traffic jams – or “janjot”, as locals call them – are a fundamental part of life in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Sometimes the slowness of the traffic can give you a sense of claustrophobia, as you’re trapped between vehicles that have become immovable objects. It’s easy to see why there is a growing ride-sharing business […] … learn more→

In Game of Thrones, the academics (the Maesters), mostly stay out of politics. They have their university (The Citadel) and they send scholarly representatives to every significant castle in Westeros, to give politically neutral advice and knowledge. I know, it’s a fictional world, but it’s not too far from the real world, where the universities, […] … learn more→