University of North Dakota Begins Campaign to Find Nickname; Associated Press via New York Times, 3/31/15

Associated Press via New York Times; University of North Dakota Begins Campaign to Find Nickname:

"The University of North Dakota is looking for suggestions for a new nickname...

A consulting group will research the suggestions for any trademark or copyright infringement. The committee will narrow down the choices for a public vote.

The school's Fighting Sioux nickname was retired in June 2012, after which the Legislature enacted a three-year moratorium on a new moniker."

N.C.A.A. Steps Up Pressure Over New Indiana Law; New York Times, 3/30/15

Marc Tracy, New York Times; N.C.A.A. Steps Up Pressure Over New Indiana Law:

"“We have to be able to conduct our affairs and our tournaments in an environment that reflects the values of inclusiveness and diversity,” N.C.A.A. President Mark Emmert told The New York Times on Monday afternoon. “Inclusion and diversity are real touchstone values in higher education.”"

Tim Cook: Pro-discrimination ‘religious freedom’ laws are dangerous; Washington Post, 3/29/15

Tim Cook, Washington Post; Tim Cook: Pro-discrimination ‘religious freedom’ laws are dangerous:

"These bills rationalize injustice by pretending to defend something many of us hold dear. They go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality...

I have great reverence for religious freedom. As a child, I was baptized in a Baptist church, and faith has always been an important part of my life. I was never taught, nor do I believe, that religion should be used as an excuse to discriminate.

I remember what it was like to grow up in the South in the 1960s and 1970s. Discrimination isn’t something that’s easy to oppose. It doesn’t always stare you in the face. It moves in the shadows. And sometimes it shrouds itself within the very laws meant to protect us.

Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination...

This isn’t a political issue. It isn’t a religious issue. This is about how we treat each other as human beings. Opposing discrimination takes courage. With the lives and dignity of so many people at stake, it’s time for all of us to be courageous."

Leaders Of Indiana Companies 'Deeply Concerned' Over LGBT Discrimination Law; Huffington Post, 3/30/15

Sam Levine, Huffington Post; Leaders Of Indiana Companies 'Deeply Concerned' Over LGBT Discrimination Law:

"In a letter to Gov. Mike Pence (R) and state Republican leaders on Monday, the CEOs of nine different large companies headquartered in Indiana expressed concern that the state's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act would lead to discrimination against employees.

The law would allow corporations or private citizens to cite their religious beliefs as a defense if they are sued, which many say would make discrimination against LGBT individuals permissible. While Pence has said that the intent of the law was not to discriminate, the CEOs said on Monday that intent was not relevant.

"Regardless of the original intention of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, we are deeply concerned about the impact it is having on our employees and on the reputation of our state," the executives, which included leaders from Angie's List and Eli Lilly, wrote in the letter. "All of our companies seek to promote fair, diverse and inclusive workplaces. Our employees must not feel unwelcome in the place where they work and live.""

Ellen Pao Loses Silicon Valley Bias Case Against Kleiner Perkins; New York Times, 3/27/15

David Streitfeld, New York Times; Ellen Pao Loses Silicon Valley Bias Case Against Kleiner Perkins:

"The plaintiff, Ellen Pao, had accused the firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, of discriminating against her in the course of her employment and eventual dismissal.

The decision handed Kleiner a sweeping victory in a case that had mesmerized Silicon Valley with its salacious details while simultaneously amplifying concerns about the lack of diversity in the technology industry.

Even with her loss in the case, Ms. Pao’s suit succeeded in prompting debate about women in technology and venture capital, said Deborah Rhode, a law professor at Stanford University."

Naspa’s Annual Conference Was Going Well. Then Yik Yak Showed Up; Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/24/15

Andy Thomason, Chronicle of Higher Education; Naspa’s Annual Conference Was Going Well. Then Yik Yak Showed Up:

"Student-affairs professionals flocked to New Orleans this week for the annual meeting of Naspa — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. It’s one of the few times of the year they can get away from students and their annoying habits like, say, their use of the anonymous messaging app (and frequent powder keg of vulgarity) Yik Yak. Sounds like a great getaway, right?

Foolish student-affairs professionals. When will they learn? Yik Yak knows no borders.

The conference — which, again, is attended by people who have spent time mopping up Yik Yak messes — has been at least partially derailed by some colorful posts on the app. The activity was so pronounced that the association had to put out a statement responding to the posts..."

UK Study: Women to Make Up 25 Pct of Boards by End of 2015; Associated Press via New York Times, 3/24/15

Associated Press via New York Times; UK Study: Women to Make Up 25 Pct of Boards by End of 2015:

"The percentage of women on the boards of the country's top companies is on track to meet a target of 25 percent by the end of the year, a study tracking female achievement said Tuesday.

The report from the Cranfield International Center for Women Leaders said that 23.5 percent of boards of the companies listed on the U.K.'s main stock index, the FTSE 100, are now comprised of women, up from 20.7 percent last year. Some 263 directorships are held by women."

Starbucks Ends Conversation Starters on Race; New York Times, 3/22/15

Ravi Somaiya, New York Times; Starbucks Ends Conversation Starters on Race:

Howard D. Schultz, the chief executive of Starbucks, said in a letter to employees on Sunday that baristas would no longer be encouraged to write the phrase “Race Together” on customers’ coffee cups, drawing to a close a widely derided component of the company’s plan to promote a discussion on racial issues.

“While there has been criticism of the initiative — and I know this hasn’t been easy for any of you — let me assure you that we didn’t expect universal praise,” Mr. Schultz wrote.

Having baristas write on customers’ cups, Mr. Schultz wrote, “which was always just the catalyst for a much broader and longer-term conversation — will be completed as originally planned today, March 22.”

That end date had not previously been mentioned publicly, including during Mr. Schultz’s discussion of the initiative at the company’s annual shareholders meeting last week, but a company spokeswoman, Laurel Harper, said employees had been told about it.

Asked whether Starbucks was reacting to criticism, Ms. Harper said, “That is not true at all. When we initially began the Race Together initiative, what we wanted to do is spark the conversation, because we believe that is the first step in a complicated issue.”

She added, “Leading change isn’t an easy thing to accomplish.”"

Stop mocking Starbucks’s ‘Race Together.’ It could actually lead to useful conversations about race.; Washington Post, 3/21/15

Jennifer Richeson, Washington Post; Stop mocking Starbucks’s ‘Race Together.’ It could actually lead to useful conversations about race. :

"Starbucks recently launched a campaign called “Race Together,” in which baristas invite customers to engage in conversations about race by writing “race together” on their coffee cups. The idea has been mocked and critiqued as naive, insensitive and perhaps even abusive to its baristas.

Don’t be so quick to dismiss it. I’ve been teaching and conducting research on the complex and, often complicated, dynamics of race-related dialogues and interracial interactions for more than 20 years. Encouraging people to talk about race and racism more often can actually improve our willingness and ability to do so.

Talking about race-related issues, especially with members of different racial groups, makes people uncomfortable, anxious, and even taxes their cognitive resources. Indeed, more than a decade of research reveals that individuals, both white and non-white, often exit these types of interracial dialogues feeling mentally exhausted."

Letter From the Editor: Illuminating Gay America; New York Times, 3/20/15

David Leonhardt, New York Times; Letter From the Editor: Illuminating Gay America:

"Last year, we began looking for a more detailed portrait of gay and lesbian America. The Census Bureau doesn’t have it, because it doesn’t ask about sexual orientation. And most national polls don’t have a large enough sample to say anything meaningful on a local level. But Gallup itself surveys thousands and thousands of people every month, and it ultimately told us that it was planning to release data about sexual orientation and metropolitan areas. Claire Cain Miller and I have an article about that data.

The new data is not the last word on gay America, because it doesn’t get any more detailed than metropolitan areas and covers only the 50 largest ones. But it’s the most detailed statistical portrait that’s yet to be released. (Previous work has tended to cover only same-sex couples.)...

Eventually, I expect that the Census Bureau will solve this data problem. As Americans become more accepting of gays and lesbians, sexual orientation seems likely to join race, income and other subjects included on the census. But that can’t happen until 2020 — the date of the next decennial census — at the earliest. Until then, we’ll have to rely on other sources of data to understand the country’s full demographics."

The Metro Areas With the Largest, and Smallest, Gay Populations; New York Times, 3/20/15

David Leonhardt and Claire Cain Miller, New York Times; The Metro Areas With the Largest, and Smallest, Gay Populations:

"The Census Bureau asks Americans about subjects as varied as race, age, annual income and even their source of home heating. But there is one glaring demographic omission: The census does not ask people about their sexual orientation. As a result, there has long been a shroud of uncertainty around the geography of gay and lesbian Americans.

A new analysis of Gallup survey data offers the most detailed estimates yet about where people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender live."

Democrats Renew Push For Colleges To Establish Cyberbullying Policies That Cover LGBT Students; Huffington Post, 3/18/15

Tyler Kingkade, Huffington Post; Democrats Renew Push For Colleges To Establish Cyberbullying Policies That Cover LGBT Students:

"Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate's education committee, wants to require colleges to establish policies prohibiting cyberbullying and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Murray, along with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), unveiled legislation Wednesday they say would help mitigate harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students by requiring universities to adopt policies banning students from using online communication to taunt their peers. The lawmakers point to the death of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide in 2010 after being a victim of cyberbullying, as an example of what they hope to prevent.

The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2015 would force colleges taking federal money -- which is nearly all of them -- to establish policies that prohibit harassment based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion. The bill would also require schools to have policies banning cyberbullying, which is defined as any harassment taking place through electronic or mobile communication services.

Nearly one in five college students are victims of cyberbullying, according to a 2014 study published by SAGE Publications. One in four LGBT students -- and one-third of transgender students -- face harassment in college, a 2010 survey by the advocacy group Campus Pride found."

Putting a Woman on the $20 Bill; New York Times, 3/18/15

Joe Mortis, New York Times; Putting a Woman on the $20 Bill:

"A campaign has begun to put a woman on the $20 bill by 2020, the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the United States.

Who better to make room for a new honoree than the current resident, Andrew Jackson? Even if you don’t think he’s a genocidal racist, he opposed paper currency. So if we wave bye-bye to Jackson, what woman should we welcome?"

La Cucaracha; GoComics, 3/19/15

Lalo Alcaraz, GoComics; La Cucaracha

Coffee talk: Race is a worthy subject, but with one’s barista?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/18/15

Editorial Board, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Coffee talk: Race is a worthy subject, but with one’s barista?

"Now, Starbucks baristas are writing “Race Together” on their biodegradable cups and engaging customers in conversations about race.

It’s the Seattle-based chain’s latest effort to solve the world’s ills, this time racial tension at home. However well-intentioned, it seems destined for death by tweet, as social media responded with gleeful derision: “Some of my friends are black coffee” and “Despite our differences, left or right, black or white, can we agree this Starbucks race talk idea is really stupid?” The main problem is that eliminating bias is too big an order for small talk.

Expulsion of Two Oklahoma Students Over Video Leads to Free Speech Debate; New York Times, 3/11/15

Manny Fernandez and Eric Eckholm, New York Times; Expulsion of Two Oklahoma Students Over Video Leads to Free Speech Debate:

"The University of Oklahoma’s decision to expel two fraternity members who led a racist chant on a bus provoked criticism Wednesday from several legal experts who said that the students’ words, however odious, were protected by the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech...

Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, and prominent legal blogger, wrote that “similar things could be said about a vast range of other speech,” including praise for Muslim groups like Hamas that call for destruction of Israel, which could make Jews uncomfortable, or calls by black students for violent resistance to white police officers, which white students could interpret as hostile.

A university spokesman said the students were told they could appeal to the university’s equal opportunity officer. On Wednesday, Mr. Boren said he was creating a vice president for diversity in his administration, a position planned before the controversy over the chant. The vice president will oversee all diversity programs, including admissions, officials said. Mr. Boren was in talks to fill the post with an African-American candidate."

Oklahoma University Shuts 'Disgraceful' Fraternity for Racist Video; Reuters via New York Times, 3/10/15

Reuters via New York Times; Oklahoma University Shuts 'Disgraceful' Fraternity for Racist Video:

"The University of Oklahoma closed a fraternity linked to a video of students singing racial epithets, ordered its members to move out of the house and labeled the actions of those involved "disgraceful."

"Effective immediately, all ties and affiliations between the university and the local SAE (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) chapter are hereby severed," University President David Boren said on Monday.

Members have until midnight on Tuesday to vacate the premises. People could be seen loading goods into moving trucks behind the fraternity house on Monday.

"To those who have misused their free speech in such a reprehensible way, I have a message for you. You are disgraceful," Boren said."

Super Bowl, World Series Champs Back Gay Marriage at Court; Associated Press via New York Times, 3/6/15

Associated Press via New York Times; Super Bowl, World Series Champs Back Gay Marriage at Court:

"The New England Patriots are for same-sex marriage. So are the San Francisco Giants.

The reigning baseball and football champions, along with baseball's small-market Tampa Bay Rays, are among the thousands of businesses, religious groups, advocacy organizations and politicians who are filing legal briefs at the Supreme Court in support of gay marriage.

The cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee will be argued April 28, and a decision is expected by early summer...

Rays president Brian Auld said it was important that his team stand up, as well.

"We're a small but visible business and I actually think it's important that we send this signal of inclusion to the entire region," Auld said in a telephone interview Thursday as he watched the Rays' first spring training game in Port Charlotte, Florida.

The team also has participated in the "It Gets Better" project to encourage gay and lesbian teenagers who've been bullied."

‘Please Stop Helping Us’ and ‘Shame’; New York Times Book Review, 3/2/15

Orlando Patterson, New York Times Book Review; ‘Please Stop Helping Us’ and ‘Shame’ :

"Steele also shares the chronic contradiction of American conservatism regarding the past. On the one hand, the past is cherished for its heritage of all that is desirable — the Constitution, freedom, personal responsibility, the work ethic, American exceptionalism and all that. On the other hand, it is dismissed as trivial (get over it and pull up your socks!) when it comes to its bruising legacy of slavery, racism, Appalachian impoverishment, patriarchy, homophobia and periodic surges of excessive greed and inequality.

At the same time, it has to be said that too much dissociative shame and a surfeit of dependence may incapacitate. If it is true that progressive public policies are essential for the improvement of disadvantaged groups, especially the least fortunate, as the histories of Europe’s, Australia’s and East Asia’s welfare states all clearly demonstrate, as does America’s earlier affirmative action for whites, it is equally the case that those to whom such policies are directed must, at some point, both accept personal responsibility and courageously make transformative ­choices for themselves and their future — including assimilation, “even if that felt like self-betrayal.” To this second truth Steele, for all his flawed denial of the first, speaks with passion, eloquence and unremitting honesty.

PLEASE STOP HELPING US

How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed

By Jason L. Riley

205 pp. Encounter Books. $23.99.

SHAME

How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country

By Shelby Steele

198 pp. Basic Books. $25.99.

Erskine College’s View on ‘Sin’ Jolts Gay Athletes; New York Times, 3/4/15

Jere Longman, New York Times; Erskine College’s View on ‘Sin’ Jolts Gay Athletes:

"It has been a year since Juan Varona and Andrew Davis, volleyball teammates at Erskine College, a conservative Christian school, came out as gay in an interview with Outsports.com.

During that time, Mr. Varona said, he has been embraced by teammates, coaches, teachers and fellow students. The president of Erskine’s student government association called Mr. Varona and Mr. Davis “some of the most-liked guys on campus” at the rural liberal arts college, which has about 600 undergraduates and was founded 176 years ago by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.

So it was jarring to many last week when Erskine publicly condemned same-sex relationships, calling them sinful, in what was widely interpreted as a direct or indirect response to the two volleyball players."

Commentary: Michelle Rodriguez Not All Wrong In Slamming 'Diversity' ; NBC News, 3/2/15

Jack Rico, NBC News; Commentary: Michelle Rodriguez Not All Wrong In Slamming 'Diversity' :

"In case you missed it this past weekend, Dominican and Puerto Rican actress Michelle Rodriguez was caught on video in Los Angeles coming out of a restaurant when a TMZ reporter asked her if she will be playing the The Green Lantern role in the upcoming Justice League series of films for Warner Bros.

Rodriguez laughingly answered: "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. I think it's so stupid because of this whole minorities in Hollywood thing. It's so stupid. Stop stealing all the white people's superheroes. Make up your own. What's up with that?"

The question the video reporter asked Rodriguez is legitimate. The internet has been running amuck with speculation that Warner Bros. executives might be using the Jessica Cruz character angle from the DC Comics storyline. In the comics, an alternate reality universe was created where the popular superhero The Green Lantern is a Hispanic woman by the name of Jessica Cruz. Rodriguez was one of the names being thrown around for the movie adaptation."