Rice University student group demands "Black House," better ID photos, statue removal

A student group at Rice University in Houston, Texas, is "demanding" the administration fund a "non-residential Black House" on campus, as well as remove a prominent statue of the university's founder -- and top student officials are deleting some comments disagreeing with those positions, Fox News has learned this week.

The extraordinary demand, and apparent censorship, came amid rising left-wing sentiment on campuses across the nation after the in-custody death of George Floyd. In recent weeks, a UCLA lecturer was suspended for pointedly refusing to cancel his exam for black students; a Cornell Law School faculty member was threatened with termination for criticizing Black Lives Matter, before the school dean intervened on his behalf; and a top University of Chicago economist was demoted for questioning the wisdom of defunding all police.

The call for a "Black House" was made in a public Facebook post on Rice's official Graduate Student Association (GSA) page, written by Rice graduate research assistant Dani Perdue. "Here are what black undergraduate students have demanded from Rice Universuty [sic] administration," Perdue wrote. "I hope they are listening! #NoMoreLipService #blacklivesmatter."

The post also sought the "removal" of an iconic statue of university founder William Marsh Rice; the hiring of "more black professors, faculty, well-being counselors and therapists"; the inclusion of "hate speech" in Rice's code of conduct; and an increase in the number of black students accepted to Rice.

An Instagram account representing the Rice Black Student Association (BSA) has published a longer list of demands, including that "If a Black new student requests to have a Black roommate [during orientation week], that request be honored." That request could run afoul of federal civil rights laws.

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Cambridge University backs academic who tweeted 'White Lives Don't Matter' - and promotes her to professor

The University of Cambridge has spoken out in support of one of its lecturers who was hit by a wave of abusive messages and death threats for tweeting 'White Lives Don't Matter'.

Dr Priyamvada Gopal, 51, who teaches in the Faculty of English at Churchill College, took to the social media platform on Tuesday evening to write: 'I'll say it again. White Lives Don't Matter. As white lives.'

However the controversial message, which has since been deleted by Twitter, was met with a barrage of outrage, with many people responding both publicly and privately with death threats and racist abuse.

A petition titled 'Fire Cambridge Professor for Racism’ was also launched on the petition site change.org on Wednesday demanding that Dr Gopal be fired by the university for the comment.   

Dr Gopal later shared some of the hate speech she had received, including from a  man sending her a picture of a noose and writing: 'We are coming for you you n***er loving piece of s*it'. 

As well as sharing some of the worst abuse she has received, Dr Gopal - who is also a journalist and activist - announced that on Wednesday night, the university promoted her to a full Professorship.

She added: 'I would also like to make clear I stand by my tweets, now deleted by Twitter, not me.

'My Tweet said whiteness is not special, not a criterion for making lives matter. I stand by that.'       

Following the torrent of abusive messages, the Russel Group University defended the academic and deplored the attacks she has faced since her tweet.

A statement released by the university read: 'The University defends the right of its academics to express their own lawful opinions, which others might find controversial.

'[It] deplores in the strongest terms abuse and personal attacks. These attacks are totally unacceptable and must cease.'

Meanwhile, the Cambridge branch of the University and College Union (UCU), also showed their solidarity with Dr Gopal.

The union wrote: 'Solidarity with Priyamvada Gopal - being targeted with vile sexist and racist abuse for speaking up against white supremacists. 'We are proud to be your colleagues both on the picket line and off it. BlackLivesMatterSolidarity.'             

Many colleagues and students have since expressed solidarity with Dr Gopal following the incident, with even popular comedian Nish Kumar wading in to call her 'one of the best and brightest around'.

However, the university's defence of Dr Gopal has been labelled by some as inconsistent and politically biased.

Critics have pointed to the recent removal of Noah Carl from his research position at St Edmund's college over links with far right extremist groups.

And others have referred to the university rescinding a visiting fellowship invitation to controversial professor Jordan Peterson in March last year.

Opponents of the university's stance have suggested that the same defence of free speech and tolerance of controversial views was not extended in these instances.

Dr Gopal's tweet has since been removed by Twitter for 'violating the Twitter Rules'.  

The incident comes just a week after the academic announced she would no longer be supervising students from King's College because of 'consistently racist profiling and aggression by porters'.  

On June 18, Dr Gopal told her 20,000 Twitter followers she was taking the stand 'on my behalf and of other people of colour' calling the situation a 'festering sore'.

She said: 'With deep regret but with 17 years of consideration behind it, I have finally decided on my behalf & of other people of colour @Cambridge_Uni to refuse to supervise any students at @Kings_College. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH of the consistently racist profiling & aggression by Porters.'

She added: 'It's for the students that over the years I've hesitated to take this decision. But I think it's come to point where it is for students, BAME students who've shared their Kings stories with me, that I must do it.

'Oh and today, I repeatedly asked them to address me as 'Dr Gopal' and repeatedly failed to get them to address me as anything other than 'madam'.'

The academic went on to say that Kings' porters treated her differently because she was not white. But King's College hit back at her claims, saying there was 'no wrongdoing or discrimination' from its staff.

A King's College spokesperson said: 'We have investigated the incident and found no wrongdoing on the part of our staff.

'Every visitor was asked to show their card during the course of that day, as the College was closed to everyone except King's members.

'Non-members such as Dr Gopal were asked to take alternatives routes, around the College. This was a matter of procedure, not discrimination.

'King's College is a rich and diverse community, and take the wellbeing of its students and staff extremely seriously. We remain committed to being an inclusive and welcoming environment in which to work and study.

'We categorically deny that the incident referred to was in any way racist.'

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Australian Universities blindsided by government's plan for integrity unit to monitor enrolments

Universities have hit back at Dan Tehan’s proposal for a new integrity unit to police “substantial shifts in enrolment patterns”, questioning whether it is an appropriate role for the regulator.

The education minister announced the new role for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s integrity unit on Wednesday evening, in a move that blindsided the university sector.

Tehan’s proposal is an attempt to stem criticism from universities, including the Australian National University and the University of Western Australia, that the proposed government funding cuts and fee increases will encourage universities to enrol more students in humanities.

When Tehan announced the policy on Friday, he suggested fee cuts would encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and maths, and reduce the number of students taking humanities courses.

The minister said Teqsa’s integrity unit would “as part of its mandate … investigate substantial shifts in enrolment patterns at universities and consider the implications for educational quality and provider governance”.

Teqsa would then be able to consider “whether the best response is from a regulatory or policy action”, he said, to “ensure a high-quality student experience”.

The ANU’s vice-chancellor, Brian Schmidt, said the university would consider the expanded role for the integrity unit “when more information comes to hand”.

“But the proposal already raises a number of key questions and concerns, not least whether it is an appropriate use of Teqsa’s regulatory role,” he told Guardian Australia.

“It also seems to muddy the waters in terms of the already good work universities are doing with government agencies regarding foreign interference. I can’t see this idea having wide enthusiasm across the sector.”

Labor’s education spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, said: “The Liberals are just making things up as they go along.” She called the university changes a “dog’s breakfast”.

The chief executive of Universities Australia, Catriona Jackson, said: “It is important not to increase the regulatory burden unnecessarily, particularly when Covid-19 has imposed additional challenges on the higher education sector.”

The education department has reassured universities that none will be worse off in the short term, despite funding per place falling in a major shakeup of the sector, thanks to a $705m transition fund.

Despite the reassurance, the University of Sydney’s acting vice-chancellor, Stephen Garton, has joined a chorus of concerned voices saying the package imposed cuts on the government contribution that would mean universities “receive considerably less funding for teaching science, engineering, education, nursing, clinical psychology and agriculture”.

Talks with the university sector have now turned to a new funding model for research to supplement the changes, which double the cost of humanities subjects and cut the government contribution from 58% to 52% in an attempt to fund 39,000 extra places.

On Wednesday Margaret Gardner, the vice-chancellor of Monash University and chair of the Group of Eight universities, told Radio National the $705m three-year transition fund was designed “so that no university will face a decrease in funding for educating those students” despite receiving “less per place”.

Caroline Perkins, the executive director of the Regional Universities Network, confirmed that the department had told a stakeholder meeting on Wednesday that – assuming no collapse in domestic student numbers – the fund was designed to leave no university worse off.

“No regional university should be worse off after the three-year transition and indeed many regional universities will be better off,” she told Guardian Australia.

That is because they benefit from a $48m research fund, new regional student loading and growth in places of 3.5% in the regions and 2.5% in fast-growing metro unis, compared with 1% for the rest of universities.

But the University of New South Wales, the University of Tasmania and the University of Queensland have raised concerns that the package increases student fees and may decrease degree quality.

Garton told Guardian Australia the University of Sydney was concerned by “the shift in the funding burden from the government to the student, especially in the humanities and the social sciences and the cooling impact this could have on demand for these subjects”.

He said social science graduates learned “critical thinking, oral and written communication skills” which employers demanded, and that a “balance of skills is necessary for a healthy economy”.

“This is especially true as these students will not graduate for another three to five years, when the needs of the nation may be quite different.”

Garton said the impact on universities was “rather mixed”.

“Where both the student contribution and the [government contribution] amount both decrease universities receive considerably less funding for teaching science, engineering, education, nursing, clinical psychology and agriculture.

“This will put significant pressure on a university system already impacted by the pandemic.”

Debate is still raging about whether price signals to students will result in higher enrolments in Stem subjects or whether universities will have a perverse incentive to continue to enrol students in humanities.

Jackson said the peak body was still “assessing the consequences both intended and unintended” because it was not clear “what sort of push-and-pull incentives” it will create.

Jackson said the minister was now consulting the sector to create a “merit based research funding system”.

Tehan rejected the claim students would not respond to price signals to reconsider science subjects.

In an interview on The Briefing podcast, Tehan cited the fact fee cuts in maths and science in 2009 “did lead to extra demand” before a price increase of 78% in 2013 which did not move student numbers because “there wasn’t much publicity around it”.

“So, one of the things we’re very keen to do is, to be a lot clearer around the cost to a student of undertaking a degree.”

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