Thursday, October 8, 2020

10-8: Princeton pays through the nose for gender inequity! PLUS: Covid-19 Is Just the Warm-Up Act for Climate Disaster

Paying for Inequity
Princeton settles with federal government in pay gap case and will pay more than $1 million to female faculty.
—Inside Higher Ed
     Princeton University will pay nearly $1 million to 106 female full professors, past and present, following a federal investigation into pay equity there. At least $250,000 more will be reserved for efforts to close additional gender-based pay gaps.
     Princeton admitted no wrongdoing as part of a conciliation agreement, announced this week, saying it sought to avoid “lengthy and costly litigation.” But it promised to work to end pay disparities between male and female professors going forward, reflecting both the government’s and Princeton’s “shared interest” in equity.

Gender Equity in Europe
Universities without plans for women may find themselves unable to obtain research grants.
—Inside Higher Ed
     The European Commission’s plan to establish an initiative to address gender inequality in academe has been welcomed by sector leaders, who predicted that taking action to improve diversity will become a requirement for obtaining research funding from Brussels.

The Virus Moved Female Faculty to the Brink. Will Universities Help?
The pandemic is a new setback for women in academia who already faced obstacles on the path to advancing their research and careers.
—NYT

Duquesne Dismisses Professor Who Used Racial Slur in Class
—Inside Higher Ed
     “What’s the one word about race that we’re not allowed to use?” he asked. “I’ll give you a hint: it starts with N. It’s even hard to say. I’ll tell you the word, and again I’m not using it in any way other than to demonstrate a point. Fair enough?”
     Shank subsequently went on to say the full word and cite two examples of phrases incorporating the N-word that he said were commonly used in his youth. He posed the question of whether those phrases would be used today, and agreed with an individual heard in the video, presumably a student, that they would not be.
. . .
     "By firing Gary Shank for discussing a tough topic in his class, Duquesne betrays any commitment it purports to have to academic freedom, which protects the rights of faculty to choose whether and how to approach difficult subjects," FIRE said in a statement Wednesday....

     [No, he didn't "use" a racial slur; he "mentioned" one. This dismissal, and the recent dismissal of Tim Boudreau, are WRONG!]
     [This is an old issue for us. See "Dr. Laura and the use/mention distinction," Dissent the Blog, Friday, August 13, 2010. There seem to be many more cases of this kind of unwarranted censorship recently.]


Orange County Voter Guide: November 2020 Election
A host of competitive local, state and federal seats are up in the November election for voters to decide how government approaches top priorities.
—Voice of OC

Covid-19 Is Just the Warm-Up Act for Climate Disaster
—CHE 

Greta Garbo (1905-1990)
Serious COVID-19 outbreaks hit California colleges despite intense preparation -- But what deans and provosts couldn’t control were the thousands of students who returned to fill apartments and houses in neighborhoods surrounding their schools, determined to salvage some semblance of a college experience. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/20

LAUSD becomes latest to refuse to include Trump letter in food boxes -- The nation’s second-largest school district is the latest agency to refuse to include a letter signed by President Donald Trump in food boxes provided by the federal government to aid families hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Linh Tat, Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/8/20

Newsom calls for California to conserve land, coasts to capture carbon and fight climate change -- California will enlist its natural resources in the state’s fight against climate change by establishing new land conservation and carbon sequestration goals over the next decade. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/8/20

California voters, including parents, have deep concerns about distance learning -- As most public and private school students in California continue to study from home, distance learning gets a definite thumbs down from the state’s registered voters, including parents, according to a new EdSource poll. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 10/8/20

Report: More than 100,000 low-income California college students lack internet access -- More than 100,000 low-income college students in California ... lack access to the technology they need in order to participate in online classes, according to a new report from the non-profit education equity organization Education Trust-West. .... Julianna Domingo, Shehreen Karim and Charlotte West CalMatters -- 10/8/20

‘A Republican Party unraveling’: GOP plunged into crisis as Trump abruptly ends economic relief talks, dismisses virus -- Vulnerable Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from President Trump’s dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic and his dramatic termination of negotiations with congressional Democrats over federal economic relief.... Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 10/8/20

Study reveals wide shortage, huge cost of child care in Orange County -- It remains to be seen how the coronavirus pandemic will affect child care needs in Orange County, but a new study shows the issue was a problem even before the virus. Theresa Walker in the Orange County Register -- 10/7/20

OC Covid numbers: 141 new cases (low); 14 new deaths (high)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Should not higher education be in the forefront of equity for woman professors? Why then is Yale sued? Apparently the evidence is in salaries. Men appear to be paid more, the so called "old boy system." About time for a change I'd say.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...