This op-ed can’t be real: “Students on University of California campuses may struggle with basic math, but they are graduating at record rates.” “What has made the University of California exceptional is its commitment to increase access without sacrificing excellence.”

Wow…Roland Fryer and @BillAckman have created a $1 million prize for academic truth-telling, the Carob Trust Prize for Academic Courage. “The prize awards $1 million each to as many as five social scientists a year who have demonstrated intellectual independence, published findings that were attacked rather than answered, and been validated by the evidence—despite the professional cost. The selection criteria are designed to distinguish courage from contrarianism: Nominees must show a sustained commitment to following logic and evidence regardless of pressure, a willingness to ask questions others avoid, and work that has shifted academic debate, public discourse or policy—often despite being misread, mischaracterized or vilified at the time of publication.”

According to this internal email, Rector Petra De Sutter “explicitly encouraged” faculty in April — well before he wrote about Arday’s plagiarism — to use “all institutional pathways available” to report on Cofnas so the rector could take “action against this appointment.”

The University of Vermont includes a “protected, but…” category on its free expression page for students and encourages them to report this kind of speech to a Bias Response Team. “Speech which is hurtful and offensive and targeted toward a certain person or group is often considered ‘hate speech.’ This type of speech is also protected under the First Amendment and the university cannot restrict it. At times, you will experience hurtful speech and viewpoints you find hateful on campus. Even though it does not align with our UVM Common Ground Values, we cannot stifle or discipline these expressions. If you experience hate speech, you can report it. The report will be reviewed by our Bias Response Team, and the incident may be used as an opportunity for broader campus discussion and community growth.”