Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by actualham

Todd Wolfson @proftwolf.bsky.social · 14h

And now Brown University has rejected the Trump Loyalty Oath. Two down and seven to go! @aaup.org @aaupbrownchapter.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...

Brown University Rejects White House Deal for Special Treatment

www.nytimes.com

3 44 160

actualham @robinderosa.net · 15h

Brown University rejects Trump administration compact www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025...

#HigherEd

Brown University rejects Trump administration compact

President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 said that the compact would “restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance.”

www.browndailyherald.com

2 6

actualham @robinderosa.net · 1d

County will pay former library director $700,000 to settle her lawsuit alleging officials targeted her over LGBTQ-friendly books and events. cowboystatedaily.com/2025/10/08/c...

Campbell County to Pay $700K to Ousted Library Director in Settlement

Campbell County will pay former library director Terri Lesley $700,000 to settle her lawsuit alleging officials targeted her over LGBTQ-friendly books and…

cowboystatedaily.com

1 3

actualham @robinderosa.net · 4d

JOB POSTING: This is a fully remote bookstore manager position at a university. Note that this position reports to the library director, and I have good intel that they are actively seeking a LIBRARIAN for this role. Cool! www.excelsior.edu/job/academic... (That's all I know, so I can't help more!)

Academic Online Bookstore Manager

The Academic Online Bookstore Manager will manage the adoption of curriculum and digital assets that are used in Excelsior courses and lead the review of adopted materials on a trimester …

www.excelsior.edu

Reposted by actualham

John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 5d

I strongly urge everyone to not just read this warning from @marcwatkins.bsky.social, but heed it, and be vocal and forceful pushing back against using AI to grade student writing. This must be anathema if we're going to have a world where learning means something. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

The Dangers of using AI to Grade

Nobody Learns, Nobody Gains

substack.com

7 130 280

Reposted by actualham

Matthew Cheney @melikhovo.bsky.social · 6d

At an academic conference and the most common conversations I've had is stuff like, "How many faculty is your school trying to fire? Do you still have professional development funds? Do you still have an English department?" Fun times!

8 100 520

actualham @robinderosa.net · 8d

Now is (past) time to put forward Dem leaders who truly represent the left. Later we will hear, “fall in line we have no other options!” Don’t want people to skip voting or vote 3rd party? Elevate candidates who stand up for human dignity. Showboaters don’t serve us. We are not asking too much.

LGBTQ Nation @lgbtqnation.com · 8d

Gavin Newsom vetoes gender education bill, declines to sign other trans protections - buff.ly/MTUAV85

3

actualham @robinderosa.net · 8d

Northeast #OER Summit cfp

Building Bridges: Linking Local Foundations to Global Horizons

Virtual Conference Dates: Wednesday & Thursday, March 25-26, 2026
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: January 5, 2026

neoer.umasscreate.net

Northeast OER Summit – An annual gathering of OER practitioners

2025 Session recordings now available in UMass ScholarWorks.

neoer.umasscreate.net

1

actualham @robinderosa.net · 12d

From my union: "The Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda stinks of favoritism, patronage, and bribery. It is entirely corrupt." www.aaup.org/news/univers...

Universities Must Reject Trump Admin "Loyalty Oath" Compacts

The AAUP and AFT warn that the Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda is entirely corrupt.

www.aaup.org

2

actualham @robinderosa.net · 13d

A U.S. District Court has ruled that the Escambia County School Board of Florida, acting as a government agent, can force school libraries to remove a children’s book about a same-sex penguin couple. www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/10/fede...

Federal judge says "government speech" allows libraries to censor LGBTQ+ books - LGBTQ Nation

One free speech organization has said the judge's ruling allows "blatant viewpoint discrimination in publicly-funded libraries."

www.lgbtqnation.com

actualham @robinderosa.net · 14d

New Report! The Neoliberalization of Higher Education Changes in State Funding and Governance Throughout the 20th Century rooseveltinstitute.org/wp-content/u...

#HigherEd

Reposted by actualham

AAUP @aaup.org · 15d

BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...

www.courtlistener.com

18 750 2.6K

Reposted by actualham

🌈Dr. Franken Frizzle 🎃 @swilua.bsky.social · 29d

you don’t understand bro, if we didn’t lie, no one would buy our product 😩

Consider the implications if ChatGPT started saying "I don't know" to even 30% of queries
- a conservative estimate based on the paper's analysis of factual uncertainty in training data. Users accustomed to receiving confident answers to virtually any question would likely abandon such systems rapidly.

53 1K 2.9K

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 12

"The Impact Factor arms race is not inevitable; it is a collective decision, reinforced every time we let a single number stand in for scholarly worth." scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/09/11/g...

#HigherEd

When the Scoreboard Becomes the Game, It’s Time to Recalibrate Research Metrics - The Scholarly Kitchen

Today's guest post discusses research metrics and their relationship to research integrity, inclusivity, and long-term impact.

scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org

1

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 9

Seven Theses Against Viewpoint Diversity: The problems with arguments for intellectual pluralism www.aaup.org/seven-theses...

Seven Theses Against Viewpoint Diversity

Demands for “viewpoint diversity,” a pillar of the Right’s strategy to remake higher education, collide with the pursuit of truth.

www.aaup.org

1

Reposted by actualham

Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4

In the US, Wikipedia editors see a similar playbook being deployed. Conservative outlets and influencers have been attacking the site, and last week House Oversight demanded info on alleged efforts to “inject bias” into the encyclopedia, including details on individual editors.

Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive

The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.

www.theverge.com

1 8 11

Reposted by actualham

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · Sep 7

680 5.1K 18K

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 6

JOB POSTING: Assistant Director, Faculty Engagement, Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at Boston University www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?...

Assistant Director, Faculty Engagement, Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning - HigherEdJobs

Jobs in higher education. Faculty and administrative positions at colleges and universities. Updated daily. Free to job seekers.

www.higheredjobs.com

1 3

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 5

By @surlyacres.bsky.social <3

1

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 5

"...reawakened to the simple magic
of circulation—library books moving like blood
through a body, passed like vital sustenance
from hand to hand to hand, all those good hands
I take briefly in my own in this pause
before plowing forward again."

On libraries, loss, love.

lizahl.com/2025/03/21/l...

Libraries/Loss/Lifeblood

I’m thinking about my town library, my university library, my librarians, some of whom are friends, and colleagues, and even former students; thinking of the friends and strangers I’ve …

lizahl.com

1 1

Reposted by actualham

Audrey Watters @audreywatters.bsky.social · Sep 5

Brood parasitism is not a perfect metaphor, by any means, for AI, for the offloading of ed-tech development onto teachers and students, for the vampiric practices of VCs ... but it's the bird I went with to head this week's news round-up...

2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/brood-parasi...

Brood Parasites

Humans have always invested great meaning in birds. No surprise, what with the feathers, the flight. Each week, when I look at all the stories that've been told about education and technology and try ...

2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com

1 16 34

Reposted by actualham

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 4

Printed copies of my new zine are now for sale in the continental US, $10 per copy including shipping. For ordering info, visit robinderosa.net/printed-copi...

#HigherEd

Printed Copies FOR SALE: A is for Austerity!

Purchase a printed copy of my zine, A is for Austerity: The ABCs of Higher Education on Fire. Ships anywhere in the continental US (I hope to add AK, HI, and international order options soon). 1 co…

robinderosa.net

1 5 6

Reposted by actualham

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · Sep 4

“The business commitments include things like cash prizes for students and teachers who use AI in educational ways, and cheap or free access to the companies' AI tools, trainings and certifications.”

Big tech signs on to White House plan for AI education in US schools

The White House hosted several tech and AI leaders at an event today centered on teaching artificial intelligence in US schools.

www.engadget.com

10 22 63

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 4

Printed copies of my new zine are now for sale in the continental US, $10 per copy including shipping. For ordering info, visit robinderosa.net/printed-copi...

#HigherEd

Printed Copies FOR SALE: A is for Austerity!

Purchase a printed copy of my zine, A is for Austerity: The ABCs of Higher Education on Fire. Ships anywhere in the continental US (I hope to add AK, HI, and international order options soon). 1 co…

robinderosa.net

1 5 6

actualham @robinderosa.net · Sep 4

The cruelty is the point. (Oh and also the further political and economic disenfranchisement of the poor and working class.) arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

FCC chair teams up with Ted Cruz to block Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolkids

Ted Cruz’s anti-hotspot bill stalled, but FCC is ending Wi-Fi program on its own.

arstechnica.com

1 1