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For weeks, the world has been reeling over allegations that multiple Cornell University students raped a woman at a fraternity house. The lurid case has renewed calls for banning fraternities, but pushback from alumni and fears of the groups going underground tend to scuttle these efforts. Fraternities, it seems, are a proverbial third rail in higher education. Not unlike big-spending athletics programs, Greek Life is supported by powerful people whom college leaders are loath to confront. What are higher education’s other third-rail issues? And why are they so challenging to take on? Related Reading Cornell’s President Says Banning Fraternities Would Make Things Worse. Is He Right? (The Chronicle) Why Don’t Colleges Just Ban Fraternities? (New York Magazine) Discredited: The UNC Scandal and College Athletics’ Amateur Ideal (Andy Thomason/ U. of Michigan Press) Guests H. Holden Thorp, editor in chief of Science Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

The details of a lawsuit filed last month by a former Cornell University student, who says she was raped two years ago by multiple men at the Chi Phi fraternity house, are tough to stomach. Ketamine, alcohol, and misogyny figure prominently into the account laid out by the plaintiff, who is identified in the lawsuit only as Jane Doe. The suit has raised troubling questions about how the university and the county’s district attorney handled the case. More than that, the charges at Cornell have recentered waning conversations about the Greek system, the college party scene, and campus safety. Why has this case broken through, and what does it say about the darkest aspects of our culture? Related Reading At Cornell, a Rape Case Defines an Era (The Chronicle) More to Hate (Substack/Kate Manne)  How a Cornell Student Went from Shame to Action (The New York Times) Guests Nell Gluckman, senior reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education  Kate Manne, philosophy professor at Cornell University For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Nearly four years after the introduction of ChatGPT, colleges and universities have propagated plenty of rules related to students’ use of AI. But what about administrators and faculty? Can they live by the same standards they’ve handed down? Should they? As more faculty and even some college leaders admit to using AI in their writing, charges of hypocrisy abound. News last week that Dartmouth College will investigate its provost for his use of AI has further intensified concerns that even the nation’s top institutions lack clear guidelines in this area. It’s also brought urgency to a deeper question: If everyone is using AI to write, what constitutes an original work? Related Reading What Even is an Author? (The Chronicle)  When AI writes the words, who is the author? (Nature Africa)  The Dartmouth’s provost investigation (The Dartmouth)  Why I Want More AI at Dartmouth (The Atlantic)  Guest Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education  For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

University of Texas at Austin football fans have good reason to be happy right now. After narrowly defeating the Ohio State University Buckeyes earlier this month, the Longhorns are sitting pretty at No. 1 in the college football rankings. But all is not well in Austin. The morning after the Longhorns’ big win, a Republican political candidate posted an inflammatory message on X, expressing dismay at a photo of students of South Asian descent celebrating in the stands. Bo French, who is running for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, has stirred a tempest, suggesting that students of color have overrun the flagship university and “displaced” more deserving “Americans.” The controversy has ratcheted up tensions over immigration, diversity, and admissions in a state where some students from immigrant families say they feel unwelcome. It’s also shed light on the power of football fandom to shape a culture and define a community.  Related Reading Hook ‘Em, But Not All of ‘Em (The Daily Texan)  ‘A Slap in the Face’: How UT-Austin Axed a DEI Division (The Chronicle)  Disappearing White Students (College Matters)  Bo French’s social-media post (X)  Guests Thomas Oates, professor of journalism and American studies at the University of Iowa Pauline Strong, professor of anthropology and past president of the UT-Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors Isaiah Williams, news editor of The Daily Texan For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Jodi Kantor, whose reporting for The New York Times helped expose years of sexual-misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein, has been thinking a lot lately about the next generation. What will a fulfilling career look like a decade from now? How worried should college graduates be about AI gobbling up entry-level jobs? And how can employers, including universities, do a better job of stopping workplace harassment, which can derail careers before they even start? Kantor doesn’t have all the answers, of course, but she’s using her platform to start a more focused conversation about the future of work for college-educated people. Related Reading How to Start (Jodi Kantor)  A Year of Reckoning (The New York Times)  The Consequences of Faculty Sexual Misconduct (National Bureau of Economic Research)  She Left Harvard. He Got to Stay. (The Chronicle) Guest Jodi Kantor, investigative reporter for The New York Times For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, burst onto the scene more than a decade ago with a seemingly simple theory about successful people. They are incredibly determined, Duckworth argued, exhibiting that quintessentially American trait called “grit.” In her new book, Situated, Duckworth says that people have enormous power to change their “situations,” ensuring success by reducing distractions and bolstering connections with mentors. But what about low-income students for whom changing a "situation" is harder than turning off a cell phone? Is Duckworth’s blueprint for success applicable to everyone? Or is it just helpful advice for the already-privileged few? Related Reading Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best (Angela Duckworth)  U. of Michigan's Plan to Pass/Fail Freshmen Draws Ire — and Cheers (The Chronicle)  Has Harvard Gone Soft? (College Matters) Guest ⁠Angela Duckworth⁠, psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania  For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Is the student reading crisis real? Is AI panic justified? What’s next for the partisan battles over higher education? Each week, The Chronicle of Higher Education’s podcast delves into the thorniest issues facing colleges and universities. Through interviews with newsmakers and conversations with Chronicle staff, College Matters delivers sharp insights and deep analysis of the biggest stories in higher ed. Catch up on previous episodes ⁠Are the Kids Alright? We Asked Ian Bogost ⁠ ⁠Higher Ed Is as American as Apple Pie ⁠ ⁠Dan Ariely Emailed With Epstein for Years. He Has (Mostly) No Regrets.⁠ For more on today’s episode, visit ⁠chronicle.com/collegematters⁠. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

More than 60 years after its publication, John Williams’s novel Stoner remains a revelatory portrait of higher education and the professoriate. Spanning much of the first half of the 20th century, the novel follows William Stoner from his undergraduate days at the University of Missouri through his career as an English professor at the same institution. The common tropes of the academic novel are all on display in Stoner, which features an illicit affair and a nasty interdepartmental feud. But it is Stoner’s intense focus on the purpose of college and the ineffable power of education that make it vital reading for anyone in academe. In the inaugural meeting of the College Matters Book Club, we’re diving into what one reviewer has described as “the perfect novel.” Related Reading:  The Inner Lives of Men - Morris Dickstein’s review of Stoner (The New York Times)  The Greatest American Novel You’ve Never Heard Of (The New Yorker)  Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher Guests: Nell Gluckman, senior reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education  Julie Schumacher, novelist and English professor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

The pandemic prompted many universities to drop standardized-testing requirements for applicants, and a lot of institutions remain test-optional today. But some high-profile universities, including all of the members of the Ivy League, have since reinstated their testing requirements. Even the University of California, which has been a leader in the “test free” movement, now plans to revisit its policy. What’s driving the return-to-test trend, and how do skeptics of standardized testing feel about the changing national mood? Related Reading Does the SAT Really Help Colleges Find ‘Diamonds in the Rough’? (The Chronicle)  A Great University Undermines Its Mission (The New York Times)  Report of the Academic Council’s Standardized Testing Task Force (U. of California)   Why the UC Taskforce’s Findings are Spurious (Saul Geiser) Guest Jon Boeckenstedt, former vice provost of enrollment management at Oregon State University For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, the nation’s colleges and universities are experiencing some growing pains. Older than the country itself, American higher education is a big, bold, polarizing enterprise that people don’t trust as much as they once did — but still can’t imagine living without. Sound like America? It is. Related Reading ‘Animal House’ at 30: O Bluto, Where Art Thou? (The Chronicle)  Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges (Opportunity Insights)  A Faster Degree — Or an Inferior One? (The Chronicle)  Tenure’s Endless Numbered Days (College Matters)  Guest Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education  For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

The leadership carousel at the University of Florida has turned swiftly of late. Now on its second interim president in as many years, and fresh off of a failed presidential search last summer, the state’s flagship is desperate to install a permanent leader. This month, the university's Board of Trustees voted to give the job to Stuart Bell, defying critics who have assailed the former University of Alabama leader over his past support for diversity initiatives. All of this has made for a rocky process, casting doubt on Bell’s prospects for confirmation from a state-level governing board. But the battle over Bell’s appointment may say more about a political fight to control higher education than it does about diversity or even Bell himself. Related Reading U. of Florida Plays Punching Bag — Again (The Chronicle)  The U. of Florida Rejected a Former DEI Champion. Will Stuart Bell Face the Same Fate? (The Chronicle)  Santa Ono Wanted a Presidency. He Became a Pariah. (The Chronicle) Guest Jasper Smith, staff reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

College Matters listeners, we want to hear from you. Please help us to improve our show by completing a brief audience survey at chronicle.com/podcastsurvey. Last week, Kevin Guskiewicz took a pay cut to leave Michigan State University’s presidency for the top job at Clemson University. And he lobbed a grenade on the way out by criticizing the institution’s trustees, a group of eight elected officials who in recent years have been accused of dysfunction and backbiting. It’s the latest example of how partisan governing boards, willing to throw their weight around in new ways, are making presidents uncomfortable. Are those boards overstepping their bounds? Rema Vassar, an outspoken Michigan State trustee, argues that leadership tension is “a gift” — and discusses an audio recording in which she told students how they might “crucify” a past president. Related Reading He Came From the Frying Pan. Can He Manage the Fire? (The Chronicle) After an Embarrassing Report, Squabbles on Michigan State’s Board Head Toward a Political Conclusion (The Chronicle) The New Order (The Chronicle) Guests Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education Rema Vassar, member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

College Matters listeners, we want to hear from you. Please help us to improve our show by completing a brief audience survey at chronicle.com/podcastsurvey. Dan Ariely has made a career of examining the dark side of humanity. As a social scientist and a Duke University professor, he has drawn attention — and some criticism — for his research into subjects like lying, cheating, and criminality. Of late, though, it’s Ariely’s long-running email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender who died in 2019, that’s drawing interest and scrutiny. What did Ariely want from Epstein? What did Epstein want from him? And why was Ariely asking Epstein for a woman’s phone number? Related Reading:  Is Dan Ariely Telling the Truth? (The Chronicle)  Inside the Epstein Files (College Matters)  Unmasking Academe’s Gilded Boys’ Club (The Chronicle)  Guest Dan Ariely, professor of business administration at Duke University For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

College Matters listeners, we want to hear from you. Please help us to improve our show by completing a brief audience survey at chronicle.com/podcastsurvey.  Last week’s shutdown of Canvas, an online learning-management system used by thousands of colleges and schools, was a sharp illustration of higher education’s increasing reliance on technology. Students, too, are leaning on artificial intelligence and other tech tools to navigate schoolwork and campus life. All of this is being done in the name of greater efficiency, as colleges face pressure to educate and graduate students at an ever-faster clip — and students demand a frictionless educational experience. But what happens to higher education when it’s built for speed? Related Reading Canvas: Live Updates (The Chronicle) Another Undergrad is Trying to Disrupt College with AI. He Says His Version Isn’t Cheating. (The Chronicle)  A University Is Scraping Course Materials for Its New AI Platform. It Didn’t Ask the Faculty. (The Chronicle)  Guest Beth McMurtrie⁠, senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Ken Burns, who has helped to tell the story of the nation's history through celebrated documentaries, attributes much of his success to the education he received at Hampshire College. Faced with the recent news that his financially struggling alma mater will soon close its doors, Burns is reflecting on the larger forces that helped to seal the college’s fate. Hampshire bills itself as a learning laboratory in which students are encouraged to follow their passions, driving toward a goal of personal transformation rather than the pursuit of any single vocation. If that’s not a marketable idea, Burns says, something is truly amiss in higher education and the American psyche. The nation’s “reprehensible culture wars,” Burns says, are only making matters worse. Related Reading Hampshire Announced Its Closing. Will Other Small Colleges Follow? (The Chronicle)  Nearly One-Third of Faculty in Red States Say They’ve Censored Their Research (The Chronicle)  A War on ‘Woke’ Classes (College Matters)  Guest Ken Burns, filmmaker For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.