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☆ Kids are starting menstruation earlier, study shows. Here is what that means for their health
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Younger generations are getting their first periods earlier, and the length of time it takes to become regular is changing — which could point to later health problems, according to a new study. But other research has documented the trend in first menstrual cycles starting at earlier ages over time. Earlier periods might be associated with high body mass index, or BMI, during childhood, Wang said. “This implies that childhood obesity, which has been increasing in the US, might be contributing to people getting their periods earlier,” Wang added. Physicians should evaluate children with early periods or a long duration of irregular cycles to make sure there isn’t an underlying problem, Feinberg said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Zifan Wang, Harvard University’s T.H, Wang, ” Wang, Eve Feinberg, ” Feinberg, Feinberg, Shruthi Mahalingaiah, T.H Organizations: CNN, Harvard University’s, of Public Health, Apple, Apple Health, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, ”, BMI, T.H Chan, Physicians Locations: Chan, Chicago

☆ Yale Chooses Head of Stony Brook University to Be New President
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yale University’s new president will be Maurie D. McInnis, currently the president of Stony Brook University, a New York state public university, where she is known for raising the school’s profile, donations and prestige. When she takes over from Yale’s outgoing president, Peter Salovey, in July, Dr. McInnis, who earned masters and doctoral degrees from Yale in the 1990s, will become the university’s first permanent female president. Her selection followed a search that began last fall. The delay in announcing a successor for Dr. Salovey, who leaves his post at the end of June, prompted speculation that the university’s selection committee was having difficulty finding someone during a tumultuous time on university campuses. Joshua Bekenstein, a founder of Bain Capital who heads the Yale Corporation, the university’s governing board, said the search committee had undertaken a “very thorough” selection process.

Persons: McInnis, Peter Salovey, Salovey, Joshua Bekenstein Organizations: Yale, Stony Brook University, Bain Capital, Yale Corporation Locations: New York

☆ Harvard Says It Will No Longer Take Positions on Matters Outside of the University
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Vimal Patel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Harvard said on Tuesday that it would now avoid taking positions on matters that are not “relevant to the core function of the university,” accepting the recommendations of a faculty committee that urged the university to dramatically reduce its messages on issues of the day. If put into practice, Harvard would no longer issue official statements of empathy, which it did for Ukraine, after the Russian invasion, and for the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, for example. “Issuing official statements of empathy, runs the risk of appearing to care more about some places and events than others,” the report said. “And because few, if any, world events can be entirely isolated from conflicting viewpoints, issuing official empathy statements runs the risk of alienating some members of the community by expressing implicit solidarity with others.”The university’s Institutional Voice Working Group, made up of eight faculty members, issued the report, with a set of principles and a recommended path forward, which the administration and governing board accepted.

Persons: Harvard Organizations: Harvard Locations: Ukraine, Israel

Last fall, Harvard University’s leadership found itself at the center of a highly public, highly charged fight about taking an official institutional position in connection with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza. First, critics denounced the school for being too slow to issue a statement on the matter. One of the many sources of confusion at the time was that Harvard, like many other universities, did not have a formal policy on when and whether to issue official statements. In the absence of a policy, Harvard not only had to figure out what to say or not say; it also had to deal with the perception that not issuing a statement, or not issuing one fast enough, would in effect be a statement, too. The report recommends a policy based on both principle and pragmatism, one that we hope can enable Harvard — and any other school that might consider adopting a similar policy — to flourish in our highly polarized political era.

Persons: Claudine Gay Organizations: Harvard Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Harvard to stay silent on issues that don’t impact university’s ‘core function’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Harvard University announced Tuesday it will no longer weigh in on public matters that don’t impact the Ivy League school’s core function, a shift that follows a historic period of turmoil at the storied university. Harvard leaders announced the new policy after forming a working group in April to debate when the university should speak out. That group concluded that Harvard has a “responsibility to speak out to protect and promote its core function,” including to “defend the university’s autonomy and academic freedom when threatened.”“The university and its leaders should not, however, issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function,” the working group said in its report. Alan Garber, who replaced Gay as president on interim basis, announced Tuesday the university has accepted the working group’s report and recommendations, which have also been endorsed by The Harvard Corporation, the university’s top governing body. “The process of translating these principles into concrete practice will, of course, require time and experience, and we look forward to the work ahead,” Garber said.

Persons: Claudine Gay, Gay, Alan Garber, ” Garber Organizations: New, New York CNN — Harvard University, Ivy League, Harvard, The Harvard Corporation Locations: New York, Harvard’s, Israel

☆ Pregnancy takes 50,000 more calories over 9 months, study shows. That’s 164 Snickers bars
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In fact, over the course of a pregnancy, creating and carrying a little one takes 49,753 dietary calories — the equivalent of 164 Snickers candy bars, said Dr. Dustin Marshall, a coauthor of the study published May 16 in the journal Science. You can think of it as an additional substantial snack or mini meal in your day around the second trimester, Mokari said. “That’s pretty monumental.”What to eatHow you eat will depend on your pregnancy, Mokari said. Get some sleepThis study also suggests that sleep is probably especially important during pregnancy, Feinberg said. “If you feel tired, go to sleep, and really understand that you’re not being a wimp, that you’re exhausted in pregnancy,” Feinberg said.

Persons: Dustin Marshall, Marshall, ”, Samuel Ginther, ” Marshall, Eve Feinberg, …, dietitian Natalie Mokari, Mokari, “, you’ve, ” Mokari, ” Feinberg, Feinberg Organizations: CNN, Monash University, intuit, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Chicago, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ Opinion: Alito’s second red flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

This is not the first time Alito has found himself in hot water over displaying a controversial flag on his property. The upside-down flag, a signal of distress, was adopted by Trump supporters who believed the false claim that the election had been stolen. (Alito said his wife had raised the upside-down flag in response to a disagreement with a neighbor. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. “The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years.

Persons: ”, Scott Peck, Samuel Alito, “, Alito, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Michael J, Broyde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump, ‘, ’, ” Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, She’s, Joe Biden ‘, I’ve, ” Clay Jones, Drew Sheneman, Judge Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Norm Eisen, Costello, ’ Merchan, cautioning, …, Eisen, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Henry Nicholls, Holly Thomas, Sunak —, Thomas, Joel Pett, Adolf Hitler, Ruth Ben, Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Said Ben, Anna Sauerbrey, Sauerbrey, Biden, America —, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Laura Beers, it’s, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Frida Ghitis, Ali Khamenei, Peter Kuper, Cagle, “ I’m, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, Peter Bergen, ” Netanyahu, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Kerri Kennedy, Biden “, Israel, ” Don’t, Agency Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Singleton, Biden’s Morehouse, Jill Filipovic, Diddy, Cassie Ventura, Catherine Tan, Shanahan, Brian Castrucci, Frank Luntz, Mark Zandi, Trump Will Cathcart, Joyce M, Davis, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Randy Holmes, Bill, ” Nicole Hemmer, Said Will, Maher, Hemmer, ” “ Maher, It’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Agency, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, NHS, Labour, Tory, Social, Italiana, European Union, ”, Islamic, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia, Criminal Court, ICC, Israeli, International Court of Justice, United Nations Security, American Friends Service Committee, RFK, Disney, Entertainment, Democrats Locations: Alito’s Virginia, New Zealand, AFP, ”, England, Trump’s America, America, Italian, Germany, Poland, France, Berlin, Hill, American, British, London, Notting Hill, Iran, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, University of California Los Angeles, Gaza, United Kingdom, Rafah, Georgia’s, Moscow, Africa

Tim Cook has delivered at least seven commencement addresses since becoming the chief executive of Apple. The superstar Taylor Swift, whose concerts have been credited with lifting local economies, addressed New York University’s graduation ceremony in 2022. Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Jamie Dimon — they’ve all given graduation speeches more than once. The appeal of being a commencement speaker, however, seems to be waning. Just three Fortune 50 chief executives appear to be commencement speakers this year, as colleges have faced campus protests over the war in Gaza, student arrests and wealthy alumni threatening to break ties with their alma maters over antisemitism.

Persons: Tim Cook, Taylor Swift, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Jamie Dimon —, They’re, ”, David Murray Organizations: Apple, Fortune, Professional Speechwriters Association Locations: New, Gaza

☆ Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Rewiring your brain for happiness
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Dr. Sanjay Gupta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Happiness is an idea that has been woven into the fabric of humanity, going back to ancient civilizations. Santos believes, however, that with some diligent and intentional practice, you can start to turn up your thermostat of happiness. “Every available study of happy people suggests that happy people are more social,” Santos said. And I would gather the opposite is also true: Social people are happier. Listen to the full episode with happiness professor Laurie Santos here, and join us next week on the podcast when we explore the surprising link between happiness and anxiety.

Persons: Rebecca, I’m, It’s, Laurie Santos, we’re, ”, Santos, Kelly McGonigal, ” Santos, “, ” She’s, Robert Waldinger, —, Waldinger Organizations: CNN, Independence, Liberty, Gallup, Yale University, Harvard Locations: United States

☆ Biden looks to counter China’s influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects. On Wednesday, when he arrived at Joint Base Andrews to begin another state visit – this time to Washington – he again found a red carpet and troops. Senior administration officials acknowledge a central factor in scheduling a state visit with Kenya was the desire to counter China’s influence and financial leverage on the African continent, which has outpaced the United States in direct investment. One of the goals of Thursday’s state visit is to demonstrate the ability of democracies – like Kenya’s – to deliver for their people. “I plan on going in February,” Biden told reporters.

Persons: Washington CNN —, William Ruto, Joint Base Andrews, Washington –, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, –, Kenya –, ”, “, Biden, Ruto, ” Ruto, he’s, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Jake Sullivan, ” Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump –, ” Sullivan, Ariel Henry Organizations: Washington CNN, Kenyan, Joint Base, East, Kenya, NATO, Africa –, White, Initiative, Loans, Washington, World Bank, Group, European Union, Democratic, White House, Angolan, Advisers, CNN, Haitian Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, Kenya, United States, China’s, Nairobi, Mombasa, Boston, US, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Washington, East, Ukraine, ”, Russia, –, combatting al, Shabab, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti

☆ Live Updates: Leaders of Northwestern, U.C.L.A. and Rutgers Defend Protest Responses
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Sharon Otterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The testimony of three university presidents before the House Education and the Workforce Committee in December has led to intense public scrutiny. Claudine Gay, Harvard’s president, gave similarly vague responses and faced backlash for weeks, culminating in her resignation in January. Lawyers who prepare clients to testify before Congress said that while there are risks to not appearing, it is always an option. And there are opportunities in negotiations with the committee that occur beforehand to avoid testimony that is likely to be disastrous. Failing to appear before a congressional committee voluntarily risks that lawmakers will demand your presence with a subpoena.

Persons: Elizabeth Magill, Claudine Gay, Nemat Shafik, Christopher Armstrong, “, ” Mr, Armstrong, ” Organizations: Education, Workforce, University of Pennsylvania, Palestinian, Lawyers, Holland, Knight Locations: Columbia

Hundreds of students walked out of Harvard University’s commencement ceremony on Thursday morning as degrees were conferred, while hundreds chanted “Let them walk!”, a reference to 13 student protesters who were not allowed to graduate after a vote Wednesday by the Harvard Corporation, the university’s governing body. The walkout was a jarring reminder of continuing unrest on the Cambridge campus, on a day when more than 9,000 graduates and their families were gathered in Harvard Yard for celebration and reflection. At the start of the ceremony, the university’s interim president, Alan Garber — loudly booed by some in the crowd — acknowledged the turmoil, and the possibility that “some among us may choose to take the liberty of expressing themselves to draw attention to events unfolding in the wider world.”“This moment of joy coincides with moments of fear and dread, grief and anger, suffering and pain,” he said. “Elsewhere, people are experiencing the worst days of their lives.” He asked the crowd to observe a minute of silence.

Persons: Alan Garber —, —, ”, “ Organizations: Harvard, Harvard Corporation, Cambridge, Harvard Yard

☆ Scientists a step closer to unraveling mystery of sun’s magnetic field
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In contrast to previous research that assumed the sun’s magnetic field originates from deep within the celestial body, they suspect the the source is much closer to the surface. This view of the sun's magnetic field was generated by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics ObservaModeling the sun’s magnetic fieldIt’s difficult to see the sun’s magnetic field lines, which loop through the solar atmosphere to form a complicated web of magnetic structures far more complex than Earth’s magnetic field. To better grasp how the sun’s magnetic field works, scientists turn to mathematical models. Like the 11-year solar magnetic cycle, torsional oscillations also experience an 11-year cycle.

Persons: Galileo, ”, Daniel Lecoanet, ” Lecoanet, “, Lecoanet, Geoff Vasil, Ellen Zweibel, Zweibel Organizations: CNN, Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration, Research, Astrophysics, NASA's Solar Dynamics, NASA, Dynamics, University of Edinburgh, University of Wisconsin Locations: United Kingdom, Madison

☆ Opinion: If you opposed the pro-Palestinian protests, here’s why you should reconsider
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Opinion Haroon Moghul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The media line fed to the public about weeks of protests at Columbia — and the administrative crackdown that followed — has been selective at best. Columbia students have made clear that that’s what drives their protests. Why, even as numerous students at Columbia and elsewhere have been doxxed, harassed and bullied, were no congressional hearings called? But if Columbia students didn’t care about their university and the values it claims to uphold, they wouldn’t have risked so much with their protests. By the same token, if students didn’t care about our country, they wouldn’t protest so vocally against its policies.

Persons: Haroon Moghul, I’ve, —, What’s, we’ve, Minouche Shafik, Shafik, aren’t, maters Organizations: The Concordia Forum, CNN, Columbia University’s Department of, Studies, Columbia, Columbia University, Columbia —, UCLA, Israel, Police, Ivy League, America, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Islam, Eastern, Europe, Columbia, Gaza, Washington , DC, America

☆ U.C.L.A. Removes Police Chief in the Wake of a Protest Melee
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Corina Knoll | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The campus police chief for the University of California, Los Angeles, has been removed from his post in the aftermath of a violent, hourslong attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment at the school, during which security officers did not intervene. The chief, John Thomas, has been reassigned temporarily while the university examines its security processes, according to U.C.L.A. Mr. Thomas had been under intense criticism over the university’s delayed response to the melee on the night of April 30 in which people were beaten with poles or kicked, objects were thrown and chemicals were sprayed into the air. The attack was instigated by dozens of counterprotesters, many of whom did not appear to be students, based on videos of the incident. Even after officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrived on the scene, no arrests were made that night.

Persons: John Thomas, Thomas Organizations: University of California, Los Angeles Police Department Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Horrible nightmares and ‘daymares’ linked to autoimmune disease
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Vivid, disturbing nightmares may be a sign of a newly developing autoimmune disorder or an upcoming flare of existing disease, experts say. Researchers found 3 in 5 lupus patients, and 1 in 3 patients with other rheumatology-related diseases, had increasingly vivid and distressing nightmares just before their hallucinations. Systemic autoimmune diseases often have a range of symptoms, called prodromes, that appear as signs of a sudden and possibly dangerous worsening of the condition. Connect the dots to autoimmune diseaseOn first glance, it would make sense that such neurological manifestations as nightmares would occur if the autoimmune disease impacts the brain, which lupus often does, Sloan said. “In some cases, reporting these symptoms earlier, even if they seem strange and unconnected, may lead to the doctor being able to ‘join the dot’s’ to diagnose an autoimmune disease.”

Persons: “, “ He’s, I’m, ”, Melanie Sloan, ” Sloan, Lupus, ” Jennifer Mundt, ” Mundt, “ I’m, Sloan, David D’Cruz, rheumatologist, that’s, Carlos Schenck, ” Schenck, shouldn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Cambridge, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Guy’s Hospital, Kings College London, Hennepin County Medical, University of Minnesota Locations: Canadian, United Kingdom, Chicago, Hennepin, Minneapolis

☆ Dartmouth’s President Is Censured by Faculty Over Protest Actions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Dartmouth College voted on Monday to censure the university’s president, Sian Leah Beilock, over her decision to summon the police to remove a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, calling her action harmful to the community and disruptive to the university’s educational mission. The censure motion was adopted by a vote of 183 to 163, according to Justin Anderson, a spokesman for Dartmouth. The close vote illustrated the division on campus over Dr. Beilock’s decision on May 1, made just hours after the encampment had been erected on the college green. At the meeting, Dr. Beilock defended her actions, saying that she believed there was a reasonable and credible threat of violence. Monday’s vote was believed to be the first censure vote against a president of Dartmouth in its 255-year history.

Persons: Sian Leah Beilock, Justin Anderson, Beilock’s, Beilock Organizations: of Arts and Sciences, Dartmouth College, Dartmouth

Morehouse College President David A. Thomas speaks at Northeastern University’s commencement ceremony in Boston on May 5. Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe/Getty ImagesMorehouse College President David A. Thomas said Thursday he would shut down commencement ceremonies “on the spot” rather than allow police to remove student protesters in zip ties during President Joe Biden’s graduation speech. Biden’s scheduled commencement speech Sunday at one of the nation’s preeminent historically Black colleges comes as school officials around the country have called in law enforcement to clear pro-Palestinian encampments and quell demonstrations in recent weeks. “So, for example, prolonged shouting down of the president as he speaks. I have also made a decision that we will also not ask police to take individuals out of commencement in zip ties.

Persons: David A, Thomas, Danielle Parhizkaran, Joe Biden’s, Biden’s, ” Thomas, ”, Morehouse Organizations: Morehouse, Northeastern, Boston Globe, Getty Images Morehouse College, CNN, White House Locations: Boston, Atlanta, Gaza

CNN —Alice Stewart, a veteran political adviser and CNN political commentator who worked on several GOP presidential campaigns, has died. Law enforcement officials told CNN that Stewart’s body was found outdoors in the Bellevue neighborhood in northern Virginia early Saturday morning. She went on to serve as the communications director in then-Arkansas Gov. Most recently, Stewart was the communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 GOP campaign. David S. HollowaySpeaking about her role as a commentator for the network, Stewart told Harvard Political Review in 2020 that she brings “a perspective that I think CNN appreciates.”“My position at CNN is to be a conservative voice yet an independent thinker,” Stewart said.

Persons: Alice Stewart, “ Alice, ” Mark Thompson, “, ” Stewart, Stewart, Mike Huckabee’s, Michele Bachmann, Pennsylvania Sen, Rick Santorum, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz’s, Wolf Blitzer, ”, ” Blitzer, Jessica Dean, ” Suzanne Malveaux, Charles Blow, David S, “ I’m, Trumper, Maria Cardona, she’s, ” Cardona, Alice, Credit Union Cherry, CNN’s Kayla Gallagher Organizations: CNN, Harvard International, Arkansas Gov, Minnesota, Texas, GOP, CNN Grill, Convention, Harvard, Trump, “ CNN, Institute of Politics, Harvard University’s Kennedy School, TCS New York City Marathon, Credit Union, Credit Union Cherry Blossom Locations: Bellevue, Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, Rock , Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ From Taylor Swift tickets to gasoline — these days everyone feels like they’re being price-gouged. Are they?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at SoFi Stadium on August 09, 2023 in Inglewood, California. At the core of the increasingly common accusation of price gouging is the sense that the consumer is being exploited. Price gouging is in the eye of the bidderGavin Roberts, chair of Weber State University’s economics department and who studies the effect of anti-price gouging laws, said the laws themselves often don’t define what price gouging is. Corporations charging as much as they can, as painful as it may be for consumers, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily price gouging, said Roberts. Steven Suranovic, an economics professor at George Washington University who has also published research on price gouging, sees it differently.

Persons: Emily Miller lucked, Taylor, Miller, Swift, ” Miller, Taylor Swift, Kevin Winter, it’s, —, Joe Biden — can’t, we’re, Gavin Roberts, Biden, ”, Biden hasn’t, ” Biden, Roberts, Steven Suranovic, Martin Shkreli, Shkreli, Price, Trent Sprague, Lyft, Uber, Travis Kalanick, It’s, ” Suranovic, Rafi Mohammed, Stefani Reynolds, Teresa Murray Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Rights, Weber State, Corporations, George Washington University, Turing Pharmaceuticals, LinkedIn, O'Hare International, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, Consumer, Culture, Profit, Getty Locations: New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Inglewood , California, Chicago, New York City, Washington ,, AFP, US

☆ Universities continue to grapple with pro-Palestinian protests ahead of graduation ceremonies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Universities across the United States have adopted a number of tactics in recent weeks to prevent disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters at graduation ceremonies. Some universities have reached agreements with on-campus demonstrators, while others have cited safety concerns and canceled, postponed or relocated their schoolwide ceremonies. Several schools continue to grapple with pro-Palestinian protesters ahead of their spring commencement, subjecting themselves to internal scrutiny and public criticism. Friday’s arrests follow the arrest of at least 33 people on May 10 when law enforcement broke down a pro-Palestinian encampment erected on campus. Biden is expected to deliver a commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 25.

Persons: Fisher, Bennet, Monday’s, Gene Block, counterprotesters, “, grievously, Andrea M, Kasko, ”, Etienne Laurent, Mildred García, Mike Lee, …, Lee, ” Lee, García, ” Morehouse, David A, Thomas, Joe Biden’s, ” Thomas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Biden Organizations: New, New York CNN — Universities, University of Pennsylvania, CNN, Penn, Occupation, UCLA, Senate, University of California, California State University System, Sonoma State University, Justice, “, Morehouse College, Morehouse, George Mason University, United States Military Academy, West Locations: New York, United States, Palestine, Gaza, Israel, Sonoma State, Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles, Atlanta, Virginia

CNN spoke to 10 students and four faculty members at Morehouse College who had differing opinions on Biden speaking at their school. Jalen Silas Burch, a 19-year-old freshman, told CNN that he feels the president’s speech is a move to “pander” to Black male voters. Biden and Harris previously spoke at Morehouse College in 2022 as part of a major voting rights push with legislation stalled on Capitol Hill. Student volunteers assisting with the graduation ceremony at Morehouse College are also required this year to undergo a virtual de-escalation training with the Morehouse College Police Department before the graduation ceremony, according to an email obtained by CNN. “The number one conversation going on is that this graduation is not for President Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, “ There’s, ”, Colin Royal, Kamala Harris, Morehouse, Cedric Richmond, “, Jalen Silas Burch, Calvin Bell, ” Morehouse, ” Michael Henry, Noah Collier, David A, Thomas, Steve Benjamin, Benjamin, Eddie Glaude, Harris, Stephane Dunn, …, ” Dunn, CNN’s Kayla Tausche, Victor Blackwell Organizations: Atlanta CNN, Morehouse College, Morehouse, Hamas, Maroon Tiger, Biden, Democratic, CNN, Morehouse College Democrats, Morehouse College ”, Israel, “, The Atlanta University Center Student Intercommunal, Biden’s Cabinet, ” Morehouse, ”, White, Princeton, American Studies, Capitol, South Carolina State University, Howard University, Tennessee State, Secret, Student, Morehouse College Police Department Locations: Washington, Atlanta, Gaza, Georgia, Israel, Morehouse’s

☆ U.C.L.A. Faculty Votes Against Rebuking University’s Chancellor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Academic Senate at the University of California, Los Angeles, voted against two resolutions seeking to rebuke the school’s chancellor, Gene Block, largely over his handling of an attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment two weeks ago. The results of the votes, conducted after a three-hour meeting on Thursday, were released on Friday and showed that only 43 percent of voting members had backed a no-confidence motion. A motion to censure Dr. Block was evenly split, 88 for and 88 against, failing to achieve a simple majority of support. “It is clear that we are not united in how we view the major events of the past weeks and the campus response to them,” Andrea M. Kasko, the Senate chair, said in a statement. “I hope that we can try to find common ground as colleagues, and have the courage to listen with open minds and open hearts even when we do not agree.”Formal rebukes by faculty were unlikely to have practical implications for Dr. Block, 75, who is set to step down as chancellor in July, said William G. Tierney, a professor emeritus of higher education at the University of Southern California who has written about the response to campus protests across the nation.

Persons: Gene Block, Block, ” Andrea M, William G, Tierney Organizations: Senate, University of California, University of Southern Locations: Los Angeles, University of Southern California

☆ Opinion | What Hillary Clinton Got Wrong About Student Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Elizabeth Spiers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Appearing last week on “Morning Joe,” Hillary Clinton lamented what she views as the ignorance of students protesting the war in Gaza. The host, Joe Scarborough, asked her about “the sort of radicalism that has mainstream students getting propaganda, whether it’s from their professors or from the Chinese Communist government through TikTok.” Ms. Clinton was happy to oblige. “I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months,” she said. I’ve also seen and heard the assumptions made about them by some of their elders — administrators, parents and others. In the current panic, the protesters are described as somehow both terribly fragile and such a threat to public safety that they need to be confronted by police officers in riot gear.

Persons: ” Hillary Clinton, Joe Scarborough, Ms, Clinton, “, ”, ” I’ve, I’ve, it’s, Ken Griffin, Bill Ackman, Donald Trump —, —, whiny ”, Mike Lawler, Mr, Lawler, Kaz Daughtry, Rousseau Organizations: Communist, New York, Republican, Columbia University, Columbia, Oxford University Locations: Gaza, TikTok, New, New York, U.S

☆ Biden team consulted prominent Morehouse alumni to craft commencement speech that’s expected to praise student voices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Kayla Tausche | Arlette Saenz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The voices of students have grown even more clear, particularly in the last few years,” Allen told CNN in an interview, pointing to the protests following George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement. Among those issues, according to people familiar with the discussions, was student worry that their achievements would be overshadowed by a stump speech. On this day, he’s a commencement speaker for these young men, and that’s what he plans to do – be a commencement speaker,” Benjamin told CNN in an interview. At Morehouse, Biden’s broader economic message touting the expansion of the middle class is likely to hit home, according to Allen. HBCUs “continue to be the number one engine for promoting African Americans into the middle class,” Allen told CNN.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tony Allen, Biden’s, ” Allen, George Floyd’s, Stephen Benjamin, Biden, he’s, ” Benjamin, Donald Trump, haven’t, ” Dr, Eddie Glaude Jr, ” Glaude, Jeh Johnson, Randall Woodfin, Steven Reed, Cedric Richmond, ” Richmond, Richmond, Allen, HBCUs “, ” Organizations: CNN, Morehouse College, Delaware State University, White House, Atlanta, Princeton University’s Department of African American Studies, Morehouse, Trustees, White, Homeland, Black, National Museum of, “ Locations: Gaza, Birmingham , Alabama, Montgomery , Alabama, Black

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