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Supreme Court to Hear New Case on Race and School Admissions

The court’s decision to review an admissions policy for selective middle school programs in Maryland follows its rejection of affirmative action in higher education.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

In 2023, the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
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Foamy war? St Andrews students play out modern take on ancient ritual

Scottish university’s annual tradition once involved giving out raisins but fancy dress and shaving cream now in vogue

Nobody at the University of St Andrews in Scotland seems to remember how Raisin Monday became a giant foam fight. For 600 years, first-year students have taken part in the ritual of thanking older students for mentoring them through their first few weeks of university life.

Traditionally, freshers would give their elders a pound of raisins – hence the name. This Monday however, hundreds wore fancy dress as they streamed on to St Salvator’s lower college lawn at 11am armed with cans of shaving foam, covering one another in soapy clouds as they have for the past few decades. Groups of students dress as Smurfs, mice, bananas, grandmas, sunflowers and chefs to participate in the annual rite of passage.

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© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

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At Cornell, a Subdued Scene on First Weekend of Fraternity Party Ban

The moratorium is among the safety measures that the university put in place following the uproar over a former student’s sexual assault lawsuit.

© Lauren Petracca for The New York Times

The line outside a popular bar in Ithaca’s Collegetown neighborhood was modest on Saturday night.
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Cornell Board Presents United Front Amid Crisis Over Sexual Assault Allegations

While the powerful board appeared to back campus administration, some students protested against the backdrop of homecoming weekend.

© Lauren Petracca for The New York Times

Inside the halls where Cornell University’s board of trustees gathered this week, there were no visible cracks in its unity.
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When a Social Media Mob Came for Cornell’s Jane Doe

After a former student named seven men in a lawsuit saying they had sexually assaulted her, a movement gained steam online to reveal her identity.

© Lauren Petracca for The New York Times

A former Cornell student’s lawsuit accusing members of a fraternity of sexual assault stirred anger and debate at the university and on college campuses nationwide.
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Terry Tao Is on the Front Lines of the Debate Over AI and the Future of Math

The Fields Medalist Terence Tao is on the front lines of a debate about artificial intelligence and the future of his field.

© Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times

Terence Tao's celebrated status has made him an unofficial spokesman for mathematics, a job that for now is consuming most of his time.
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Academics Launch Rival Inquiry into Jason Arday’s Appointment

Academics have launched a rival inquiry into the appointment of Jason Arday, accusing the University of Cambridge of watering down its own investigation.

The post Academics Launch Rival Inquiry into Jason Arday’s Appointment appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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Oxford Tells Staff Not to Use Common Phrases Like “Learn the Ropes” for Fear of Confusing Foreign Students

Oxford University has told staff not to use common phrases such as "learn the ropes" or "find your feet" over fears they confuse foreign students, sparking concern at the new scheme of language policing.

The post Oxford Tells Staff Not to Use Common Phrases Like “Learn the Ropes” for Fear of Confusing Foreign Students appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now

Kate Manne, a philosophy professor at Cornell University, situates the lawsuit from a former student alleging she was gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024 within a broader, deeply troubling campus “rape culture.” The specific details of Jane Doe’s case are horrific, but Manne also points to shocking statistics and examples showing that sexual misconduct is rife and often taken less seriously than other student infractions. She is critical of Cornell’s response and culture, but emphasizes that, tragically, this normalization of misogyny is widespread across many American campuses. A disturbing, important read.

In a deeply misogynistic society, groups of boys and men routinely bond over humiliating and exploiting women, as Soraya Chemaly has written. And the victim is not only physically and emotionally traumatized following one of the most fundamental imaginable violations: They are likely to be doubted and undermined at every subsequent step of the process. In Jane Doe’s case, the district attorney did not bring any charges after relying on the investigation done by campus police; they didn’t even speak with the men involved. The district attorney just announced that they are reopening the case on the basis of new information contained in the civil lawsuit, and in recognition of the fact that “it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them.”

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Council of State annuls licenses for three private universities

The Council of State annulled operating licenses for three private universities in Greece, following an appeal by a professor of the public Law School of Athens. The Council of State proceeded with the annulment of three operating licenses of private (non-state) universities, as announced on Thursday afternoon. As announced on Thursday, August 13, 2026, the […]

The post Council of State annuls licenses for three private universities appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

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