Daily Wire host Matt Walsh will screen his hit documentary &#8220;What Is A Woman&#8221; in a multi-campus college tour this fall.
The tour will begin on Tuesday, October 4, at Catholic University, in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the Young America&#8217;s Foundation (YAF). After each screening, students and professors alike will have the opportunity to ask Walsh the important questions the radical left doesn&#8217;t want him answering, including about gender ideology and the transgender movement.
“Science and logic aren’t welcome in the despot incubators of America’s college campuses,” said Walsh. “It’s  about time we changed that.”
Walsh will host five more screening events in October, with more to be announced soon. On Thursday, October 6, Walsh will be at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; On Tuesday, October 11, he will be at the University of Central Florida; On Thursday, October 13, he will be at the University of Houston; On Monday, October 24, he will be a the University of Wisconsin, Madison; And on Thursday, October, 27, he will be at the University of Alabama. Three more campuses will be announced soon.
&#8220;What Is A Woman,&#8221; which premiered in June, has a 96% audience score on the review website Rotten Tomatoes.
Earlier this year, Eventbrite <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eventbrite-removes-what-is-a-woman-screening-event-for-allegedly-promoting-hate">suspended an event</a> promoting a screening of the film on the Western Kentucky University Campus for allegedly promoting &#8220;hate.&#8221; The notice of removal said the college film event “expresses views that are in violation” of the company’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
Walsh, however, is vowing to take his ideas directly to college campuses, where they need to be heard the most.
“Our nation’s colleges have become barren wastelands of intellect, overgrown by the invasive virus of gender ideology,” said Walsh. “Fortunately, this ideology crumbles with one simple question.” 
For ticketing information, visit the <a href="https://www.yaf.org/events/">YAF website here.</a>

Matt Walsh

Matt Walsh Embarking On ‘What Is A Woman’ College Tour

Matt Walsh Embarking On 'What Is A Woman' College Tour

College

Daily Wire

Gender Identity

Transgender

What Is A Woman

A group of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-party">House Republicans</a> has introduced a new bill to prohibit &#8220;political tests&#8221; in the admission, hiring, and promotion of college students and staff to fight against &#8220;woke ideology&#8221; on American university campuses.
Reps. Elise Stefanik (NY), Fred Keller (PA), and Glenn Grothman (WI) presented the &#8220;<a href="https://stefanik.house.gov/_cache/files/e/3/e306b313-d1f6-494b-a6dc-e60b096c4976/E0EDF24A6A59A8AB7F5B0EBA0B5363BC.stefny-188-xml-8.23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Restoring Academic Freedom on Campus Act of 2022</a>’’ on Wednesday to help fight back against &#8220;far left&#8221; bias at colleges across the nation.
“I will always stand up for freedom of speech and freedom of thought on college campuses,” Stefanik said in a <a href="https://stefanik.house.gov/press-releases?ID=9CE90188-0431-4984-84AC-3DB15F3CE821" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Instead of encouraging diversity of ideas, some institutions of higher education are shamefully acting as gatekeepers to ensure their faculty, staff, and students all ascribe to Far Left woke ideology.&#8221;
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Instead of creating intolerant political monoculture, universities should equip students to engage in a diversity of ideas outside the academic bubble.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepFredKeller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepFredKeller</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepGrothman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepGrothman</a> &amp; I introduced a proposal to restore academic freedom on college campuses. <a href="https://t.co/YJnd0sosaL">https://t.co/YJnd0sosaL</a>
&mdash; Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepStefanik/status/1572623356242923521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;While this intolerant political monoculture reaches institutions across our nation, this is something that has pervaded our own SUNY system,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;This growing trend puts ideological conformity above preparing our next generation for life outside the academic bubble and fails to equip students to thoughtfully engage in the competition of ideas. I will continue to stand up against indoctrination and restore academic freedom on college campuses across our nation.”
The bill would specifically stop higher education institutions from requiring a person to identify a commitment to or make a statement of personal belief in support of any ideology that promotes a specific partisan set of ideas.
The legislation also blocks requiring a particular viewpoint on an issue of public controversy or different treatment of the basis of race, including any formulation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion beyond upholding existing federal law.
Stefanik&#8217;s statement noted that the concern was revealed in a  2021 <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.aei.org/research-products/report/other-than-merit-the-prevalence-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-statements-in-university-hiring/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!cMtxonv5drTIajXoV47Pdwai48lQxI17FUrRpq8aKSqWzq1w2WhjhABabvsq0S8_6SnqYujNmQ$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the American Enterprise Institute that showed approximately 20% of university faculty hiring and promotion decisions are made after taking a candidate&#8217;s “diversity, equity, and inclusion” or “DEI” statement into account. These statements can be used to discriminate on the basis of politics or ideology in ways that undermine free speech.
“Universities attempting to police the ideology of students and faculty during the admissions and hiring process is un-American and a grotesque attack on the right to free expression of our country at large,&#8221; Grothman added.
&#8220;Academia is healthiest and most productive when students feel comfortable speaking their minds and get exposure to diverse perspectives in the classroom,&#8221; he continued.
Stefanik&#8217;s statement shared the example of the University of California&#8211;Santa Cruz, which was criticized in a <a href="https://www.thefire.org/fire-calls-on-uc-santa-cruz-to-drop-diversity-statement-mandate-for-faculty-applicants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) over its requirement for applicants to complete a “Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.&#8221;
The statement is <a href="https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01248" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defined</a> as &#8220;addressing your understanding of the barriers facing traditionally underrepresented groups and your past and/or future contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion through teaching and professional or public service.&#8221; These requirements could be at odds with First Amendment rights as they potentially include issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity.

Elise Stefanik

‘Far Left Woke Ideology’: House Republicans Introduce Bill To Prohibit ‘Political Tests’ At Colleges

House Republicans Introduce Bill To Prohibit ‘Political Tests’ At Colleges

House Republicans

Woke Culture

Wokeness

A university student in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mexico</a> is facing the loss of his license to practice psychology over a speech he gave as the school&#8217;s valedictorian challenging <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">radical gender theory</a> and defending the traditional family, <a href="https://adfinternational.org/free-speech-backlash-for-mexican-student/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.
The Autonomous University of Baja California is expected to make a judgement in September on Christian Cortez Pérez&#8217;s future following calls from some of the school&#8217;s professors to have the graduate&#8217;s academic degree and professional license withheld, a press release from the legal group outlines.
“Today we are deep into a real anthropological struggle to redefine the human being, the human person, man, through the implementation of ideologies and fashions of thought that always end up undermining dignity and freedom,&#8221; Cortez Pérez said in his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_r8vLgMg2I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valedictorian speech</a>, which was given in Spanish on June 27, according to ADF International.
He also quoted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-religion-of-the-left" target="_blank" rel="noopener">G.K. Chesterton</a> on the destruction of the family, telling his peers, “People do not know what they are doing; because they do not know what they are undoing.&#8221;
&#8220;To attack life and the family is to self-destruct, it is an attack on civilization itself,&#8221; Cortez Pérez continued.
Since the speech, Cortez Pérez has allegedly been the subject of a silencing and sanctioning campaign initiated by some of the school’s professors.
Professors issued a &#8220;manifesto&#8221; calling on the university to sanction the graduate for &#8220;hate speech,&#8221; ADF said, noting that the educators are calling for Cortez Pérez&#8217;s academic degree and professional license to be withheld, his merit award withdrawn, and the psychology associations across Mexico be alerted about his speech.
Such demands were presented to the University Council, and Cortez Pérez was subsequently informed on August 4 &#8220;that the university has initiated proceedings against him and has submitted a counterclaim to protect his rightful interests,&#8221; the press release said.
“I exercised my fundamental right to free speech to address my classmates about what I believe are the most pressing issues of our time,&#8221; Cortez Pérez said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire. &#8220;Now, I stand to lose my entire professional career because I expressed views with which some students and faculty disagree.&#8221;
&#8220;Public universities must respect the free speech rights of all students, and I am committed to obtaining justice not just for myself, but for all Mexicans interested in preserving the right to freely express themselves,” he added.
“For exercising his basic human rights and expressing views shared by many, Christian faces irreparable reputational damage and a ban on his professional practice, threatening all that he has worked for in his career,&#8221; said Kristina Hjelkrem, who&#8217;s working in support of the case as ADF International’s legal counsel for Latin America.
&#8220;If the campaign to punish Christian is successful, it shows that anyone who dares to speak in public in Mexico is in danger,&#8221; she added. &#8220;This is a clear violation of international human rights law, reminiscent of dictatorships, not democracies.&#8221;
A judgement on Cortez Pérez&#8217;s future is expected some time this month.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-must-not-blindly-trust-any-of-these-people-matt-walsh-dives-deep-into-nations-largest-pediatrician-association">‘We Must Not Blindly Trust Any Of These People’: Matt Walsh Dives Deep Into Nation’s Largest Pediatrician Association</a>

Christian Cortez Pérez

Valedictorian Could Lose License To Practice Over Graduation Speech Bucking Radical Gender Theory: Report

Gender

Mexico

One of the country’s most prestigious <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colleges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">universities</a> will completely remove tuition and room and board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-college-prices-have-spiraled" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fees</a> for undergraduates of families who make under $100,000 a year.
Starting in the fall of 2023, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/princeton-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Princeton University</a> will be free for students who fit into the specific income bracket. The New Jersey school announced the new “groundbreaking” financial aid program on Thursday and said it will cover a quarter of its students.
“One of Princeton’s defining values is our commitment to ensure that talented students from all backgrounds can not only afford a Princeton education but can flourish on our campus and in the world beyond it,” President Christopher L. Eisgruber <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/news/2022/09/08/princeton-will-enhance-its-groundbreaking-financial-aid-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “These improvements to our aid packages, made possible by the sustained generosity of our alumni and friends, will enhance the experiences of students during their time at Princeton and their choices and impact after they graduate.”
Attending Princeton costs nearly $80,000 a year with more than $57,000 of that going to tuition alone, <a href="https://admission.princeton.edu/cost-aid/fees-payment-options" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the university’s website. Princeton also announced in its statement that students from families who make up to $150,000 will have their costs cut down to just $12,500 a year.
In 2001, Princeton became the first university to stop using student loans in its financial aid package; instead, replacing them with grants, so students would not graduate with debt, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/princeton-cover-tuition-costs-most-143219228.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Insider. Other Ivy League schools Harvard and Yale followed Princeton’s lead and also eliminated student loans.
The university’s alumni include former first lady Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Former Presidents Woodrow Wilson and James Madison also graduated from the school, which is the fourth-oldest in the U.S.
Princeton came under scrutiny earlier this year after it was accused of overlooking its free speech rule to attack a professor who wrote an article criticizing the faculty’s racially-based demands, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-professor-wrote-an-article-the-caused-a-controversy-then-his-university-destroyed-its-free-speech-rule-while-attacking-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Last year, the university <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/princeton-university-ends-greek-latin-requirement-for-classics-majors-adds-race-and-diversity-track" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> it would no longer require students to learn Latin or Greek and &#8220;added a track in race and identity.&#8221;
Princeton’s enhanced financial aid program comes just weeks after President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-biden-announces-details-of-student-loan-cancellation-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forgave</a> billions of dollars in student loans. Biden’s cancellation of $10,000 in student loans for borrowers making under $125,000 and $20,000 for those with Pell Grants is estimated to cost $298 billion in 2022 alone and a total of $329 billion by 2031 if the policy is renewed each year, according to a nonpartisan analysis from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this report.

Princeton University

Ivy League School Will Be Free For Students Whose Families Make Under $100K

Princeton Will Be Free For Students Whose Families Make Under $100K

Education

Student Loan Cancellation

Student Loans

On Thursday, Tennessee Tech University (TTU) President Phil Oldham canceled two campus groups’ future <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drag-queen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag shows </a>for mocking Christianity and exposing minors to explicit activity.
Oldham declared that TTU wasn’t aware or complicit of these “obscene, lewd, or explicit” drag shows, and that what he saw “disturbed and dismayed” him. TTU will be investigating those behind the drag shows for mocking Christians and involving minors.
“I do not feel the activities in the video represent Tech’s values, and I do not condone explicit activity where minors are present. I also am offended by disparaging mockery toward any religious group,” wrote Oldham.
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Until Thursday, TTU frequently hosted drag shows open to all ages at the Backdoor Playhouse theater. The offending drag show cited by Oldham went viral online earlier this month: children were handing cash to a drag queen performing a dance mocking Christians.
In the video, the drag performer dressed as a sad monk crossing himself as he walked around the stage to the song, “Take Me to Church” by Hozier. Then the music changes to “Middle of the Night” by Elley Duhé, a song about sex, and the drag performer strips down to a bodysuit, caressing his body and gathering cash from a cheering audience and minors who approach him onstage.
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Tennessee Tech University hosted a drag show that had little kids handing cash to the drag queen who was performing a dance clearly meant to mock Christians. Every parent who pays to send their kids to <a href="https://twitter.com/tennesseetech?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tennesseetech</a> deserves to know that this is what they’re allowing on campus. <a href="https://t.co/Q4I9uR2tcT">pic.twitter.com/Q4I9uR2tcT</a>
&mdash; Landon Starbuck (@LandonStarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/LandonStarbuck/status/1567530842875957251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Those behind the drag shows were planning on hosting another show open to minors at the end of this month. All of the shows took place at TTU’s Backdoor Playhouse, the campus’ 60-year-old theater.
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Are you ready to RUMBLE?!?! Upper Cumberland Pride VS. Kings Of Khaos will be September 24th at 6:30 PM. There is a $5 cover and is for all ages! <a href="https://t.co/syZKaXqlSo">pic.twitter.com/syZKaXqlSo</a>
&mdash; Upper Cumberland Pride (@ucpridetn1) <a href="https://twitter.com/ucpridetn1/status/1567183219707052034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
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A TTU senior — who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation — said she was pleased with Oldham’s response. She said a lot of her peers share Oldham’s sentiment.
The senior added that there’s a lack of awareness that drag culture is prevalent in the Cookeville, Tennessee, area where TTU is located.
“A lot of people weren’t aware that this is something that is part of our city now, in a way. I don’t think anybody really knew that this was such an active culture, or whatever drag is,” said the senior. “But we didn’t realize they were performing quite frequently on campus and what their target audience has been. It’s disturbing.”
Those organizing the event were Upper Cumberland Pride, TTU Lambda Gender and Sexuality Alliance, and TTU’s drama club Tech Players. The Daily Wire reached out to one of the principal organizers, Upper Cumberland Pride, for comment. They responded with a statement given to the community in which they conveyed that they were “disheartened and dismayed” by the “misrepresentation” of the drag show.
“The accusations made on social media are not only false but damaging to all those involved. Our hope is to resolve this misunderstanding with the university and continue to educate the community about our organization and the LGBTQIA+ community,” stated the organization.
Upper Cumberland Pride also claimed that the drag performer wasn’t dressed as a member of the clergy, nor did his performance criticize any religion, including Christianity. The organization also claimed that no children were ever present at any of their events, and that no sexual connotation was present in their performances.
“No child was put in any sexual situation, nor have they ever been at any event held by UCP,” said the organization. “When we hold all ages events, performers are asked to ensure that song lyrics are clean and that there is no sexual connotation to their performances. We want everyone in attendance to feel safe, welcome, and to have a good time.”
Upper Cumberland Pride also hosted a Drag Queen Story Hour at TTU in April, in connection with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dqshmidtn/?ref=page_internal">Tennessee chapter</a> of the <a href="https://www.dragqueenstoryhour.org/">Drag Queen Story Hour</a> national network. According to the organization’s Instagram page, their agenda is to free children from “the constraints of prescribed gender roles.”
“Drag points out the silliness, the thrill, and the powerful feelings of challenging societal expectations,” stated the organization.
The latest upcoming drag show TTU canceled was an effort to raise money for Upper Cumberland Pride. As the organization noted in January, previous fundraising efforts average about $1,000 raised.
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The UCPride Board would like to thank all the performers and everyone that came out to support the Upper Cumberland Pride event Stomp the Stage 2.0 Drag Show. We raised almost $1000! Our next Drag at the Backdoor fundraiser is February 26th, SAVE THE DATE.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ucpride?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ucpride</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LGBTQPLUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LGBTQPLUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ttu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ttu</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zlsweehcg1">pic.twitter.com/Zlsweehcg1</a>
&mdash; Upper Cumberland Pride (@ucpridetn1) <a href="https://twitter.com/ucpridetn1/status/1485428251942174722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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TTU isn’t the only one to reject drag shows as of late.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boise-pride-festival-loses-sponsor-over-scheduled-drag-kids-performance">reported</a> on Thursday, the Boise Pride Festival lost one of their biggest sponsors, Zion Bank, for scheduling a “Drag Kids” show.
These rejections are part of a larger cultural conflict concerning the sexualization of children, with major cities like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-akin-to-disney-than-anything-risque-chicago-tribune-celebrates-drag-shows-for-kids">Chicago</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/catholic-health-ministry-sponsors-texas-drag-queen-event-which-children-attended">Austin</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ny-library-hosts-events-for-young-teens-to-learn-the-art-of-drag">New York City</a> encouraging children’s involvement in drag shows, in addition to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-for-one-am-fed-up-parents-react-to-drag-shows-at-their-childrens-schools">school systems</a> across the nation. The entertainment sector is on board as well: Disney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/strutting-out-of-the-werkroom-drag-queen-coming-to-disney-in-new-marvel-teen-series">announced</a> last month that it would include a drag queen in its new Marvel teen series.
Disclosure: The Daily Wire has announced plans for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">kids entertainment content</a>.

Young man applying drag makeup

Tennessee Tech Cancels Campus Drag Shows For Mocking God, Inviting Minors

Christianity

Drag Queens

LGBTQ

Tennessee

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/flint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flint</a>, Michigan, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrat</a> Mayor Sheldon Neeley does not have a bachelor’s degree in communications despite biographies claiming that he did for years on multiple official websites and a government document.
Numerous websites with Neeley&#8217;s biography claimed he graduated from Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) with a bachelor’s degree in communications, but Fox News Digital <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whitmer-backed-flint-michigan-mayor-lied-graduating-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reached out</a> to the university, and it confirmed Neeley only attended and never graduated. When asked about the phony claim, Neeley&#8217;s office deflected the blame to a staffer, and said he “has been clear from the beginning” about only receiving an associates degree from Delta College and studying for a time at SVSU.
“Any legislative biography that said otherwise was a compounded oversight made by a political staffer. Mayor Neeley has worked to set the record straight,” a spokesperson for the city said in a statement, <a href="https://www.abc12.com/news/flint-mayor-says-he-doesnt-have-degree-from-svsu-despite-biographies-that-claimed-he-does/article_a4ba9610-2ef0-11ed-a008-b7ae39a07e61.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC 12 News.
Multiple official websites, including the city&#8217;s website for a time, falsely credited Neeley with a bachelor&#8217;s degree, and a Michigan House <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(c0bhgfvwkhd3pvzqe5yc3tuc))/documents/2019-2020/Journal/House/pdf/2019-HJ-11-07-107.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proclamation</a> honoring the former Democratic state legislator said that he earned a bachelor&#8217;s degree from SVSU. Local news outlets have also published Neeley’s false education information, Fox News reported.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220906193253/https://www.michiganbusiness.org/about-medc/executive-committee/mayor-sheldon-neeley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> to <a href="https://www.michiganbusiness.org/about-medc/executive-committee/mayor-sheldon-neeley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revise</a> the false claim on its website Wednesday. Neeley serves on the executive committee for the corporation. Meanwhile, Neeley’s state legislator biography continues to <a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/20908" target="_blank" rel="noopener">falsely describe</a> his educational achievements as of this article’s publishing. The organization <a href="https://urbancoremayors.org/our-mayors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Urban Core Mayors</a> and the <a href="https://cqrcengage.com/masb/app/person/46903?0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Association of School Boards</a> also say Neeley graduated from SVSU with a bachelor’s degree in communications.
The Flint mayor is up for re-election in November and has received an endorsement from Michigan Democratic Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gretchen-whitmer-continues-to-brag-about-creating-25000-auto-jobs-but-thats-not-true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gretchen Whitmer</a>. “[T]here is no one that’s going to get it done better than Mayor Neeley. That’s why he needs a second term,” Whitmer <a href="https://nbc25news.com/news/local/gov-whitmer-endorses-sheldon-neeley-for-flint-mayor-re-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> of Neeley in May.
Neeley has risen through the ranks of the Michigan political world, beginning his career as a Flint city councilman for nine years before successfully running for state representative in 2014 and then for mayor of the long-beleaguered Michigan city in 2019. Democratic politics has also become a part of the Neeley family. His wife Cynthia took his seat as a state legislator after he resigned to become mayor.
Neeley will face former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver in November, who he defeated in the 2018 election.

Mid section of man in graduation gown holding diploma

Whitmer-Endorsed Michigan Mayor’s Bios Falsely Claimed He Has Bachelor’s Degree. He Blames A Staffer.

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley's Biographies Falsely Claimed To Have Bachelor's Degree

Democrats

Flint

Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan

College is getting a bad rap these days, and for good reason.
The price tag for University, Inc. is astronomical, sending countless students into a debt spiral of their own design. Many campuses now double as indoctrination centers, where students are taught a singular set of progressive rules. Naysayers and free thinkers alike face discrimination, or worse, for challenging that groupthink.
At least the core subjects taught in these houses of higher learning remain the same. Right?
In many cases, that’s true. Yet there is a wave of new courses that won’t help graduates find a job or gain an invaluable skill. You might crush it at your next Trivial Pursuit game, though.
Yes, we all love pop culture, but do we need to pay through the proverbial nose to learn all of its nuances?
<h3>“Literary Contests And Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook”</h3>
Need to learn every detail about the pop superstar’s love life? Obsessed with Swift’s ruminations on LGBTQ+ culture? This University of Texas course is your salvation. Professor Elizabeth Scala will <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/taylor-swift-class-university-of-texas-austin/">guide students through Swift’s colorful career</a>, focusing on her literary chops.
“For me, it’s all about form (not just or even primarily about content). We will study Swift’s songs as poems and literary structures.” Scala <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2022/08/22/taylor-swift-class-university-texas-offered-fall-2022/65413810007/">told</a> the American-Statesman.
The university’s Facebook dove deeper into this critical class, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/UTDepartmentOfEnglish/photos/a.4014535531933637/5051664228220757/?type=3">saying</a> it “provides an introduction to literary studies and research methods that uses the songwriting of @taylorswift as the basis for teaching a wide range of skills.”
<h3>“Beyonce, Gender And Race”</h3>
The University of Copenhagen may seem like an <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/09/05/beyonce-class-university/">unlikely source for all things Queen Bey</a>, but in 2017 the school unleashed a popular course offering just that.
Students could study the songstress’ lyrics, performances, and music videos, zeroing in on hot-button issues she stirs such as sex, race, and gender. 
“One of the goals is to introduce black feminist thought, which is not very well known in Scandinavia,” Professor Erik Steinskog told Denmark&#8217;s TV2 in 2017 in the run-up to the course’s debut.
Alas, a recent search of the university’s courses finds “Beyonce” isn’t available for current students.
<h3>“Lady Gaga And The Sociology Of Fame”</h3>
Professor Mathieu Deflem, a professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, got his 15 minutes of fame by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/25/lady-gaga-celebrity-fame">teaching about the versatile pop star</a>. The syllabus explored Lady Gaga’s career before her transition to the big screen and alliance with future President Joe Biden on sexual assault issues.
Like Madonna before her, Lady Gaga took an active role in her own rise to superstardom, material the professor found illuminating … and worth sharing.
Deflem became overwhelmed by the fame the course brought about, as meta an experience as possible. He ended up teaching it only five times before shifting to other topics. None of that stopped him from penning a book, with the same title as his course, capturing that moment in his career.
<h3>“Makin’ Whoopi: Goldberg’s Canon”</h3>
Whoopi Goldberg teaches an unofficial course on misinformation five days a week via “The View.” She’s not an official professor, but that doesn’t stop her or her ill-informed peers.
The Oscar winner also inspired her <a href="http://abacus.bates.edu/~cnero/makinwhoopi.html">own symposium at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine</a>, based primarily on her work prior to joining “The View.”
Professor Charles I. Nero&#8217;s “Makin&#8217; Whoopi: Goldberg&#8217;s Canon” symposium debuted in 2013, a time before Goldberg’s current “View” work led to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-effective-immediately-abc-suspends-whoopi-goldberg-over-wrong-and-hurtful-holocaust-comments">suspension</a> atop her serial obfuscations.
<h3>“Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse”</h3>
Michigan State University could be the go-to place for George A. Romero fans.
The Pittsburgh filmmaker’s career is synonymous with zombie films, and his legacy is alive and well via <a href="https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2012/new-zombie-course-helps-students-learn-about-survival-behavior">this cagey online course</a>. The syllabus has real-world applications, at least for those expecting modern culture will collapse sooner than later.
And people are paying attention. The course grabbed headlines courtesy of <a href="https://christopherirvin.com/proj/surviving-the-coming-zombie-apocalypse-disaster-catastrophes-and-human-behavior/">Bill Maher and Conan O’Brien</a>, and should a zombie outbreak actually occur, its alumni may lead humanity to a brighter future.
<h3>“Arguing With Judge Judy: Popular ‘Logic’ On TV Judge Shows”</h3>
This intro course at the University of California, Berkeley, the former home for free speech advocacy, examines a <a href="https://rhetoric.berkeley.edu/courses/freshman-seminar-arguing-with-judge-judy-popular-logic-on-tv-judge-shows-2/">specific realm of modern TV</a>. Shows like “The People’s Court” and “Judge Judy” anchor instruction designed to reveal common courtroom techniques.
One aspect of the course will feel all too familiar for anyone who ever battled an online troll.
“A fascinating aspect of TV judge shows from a rhetorical point of view is the number of arguments made by the litigants that are utterly illogical, or are perversions of standard logic, and yet are used over and over again,” according to the Berkeley web site.
<h3>“South Park And Contemporary Social Issues”</h3>
Professor Cartman would like to speak with you after class…
Comedy Central’s iconic and famously balanced series <a href="https://catalog.mcdaniel.edu/preview_course_nopop.php?catoid=21&amp;coid=15548">spawned a McDaniel College course</a>. The Maryland institution explored how the series, from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, use humor to navigate sticky public issues like immigration and terrorism.
“Using historical and contemporary texts, theories, and concepts from sociology and philosophy, this course will address issues such as race, gender, sexuality, consumerism, and many more,” the syllabus from the 2014-15 academic year read.
The course sprung to life in 2009 but is no longer available for curious students.
<h3>“Science Fiction Or Real Science? The Physics Of Star Trek”</h3>
Course founder Dr. Philip Kesten leaned on his appreciation for the ‘60s series by exploring its real-world potential for warp drives, phasers, and more. Even non-Trekkies were invited to sample the course, which also caught the attention of the greater “Star Trek” universe.
“What I’m trying to do is motivate some piece of science from Star Trek, and what I tell the students is that we’re going to peel back the layers bit by bit by bit. It’s a very different approach to one I would take in, say, an introductory physics class, where you start with a basic principle and develop one piece after the other,” <a href="https://www.startrek.com/article/how-star-trek-changed-my-life-dr-philip-kesten">Kesten told StarTrek.com</a> about his academic goals.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

v2 Toto – Wierdest Pop Culture Classes on Campus

Taylor Swift 101: New University Pop Culture Courses Offered On A Campus Near You

Beyonce

Hollywood

Lady Gaga

Readers Pass

South Park

Taylor Swift

Universities

Whoopi Goldberg

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/university-of-pennsylvania">University of Pennsylvania&#8217;s</a> convocation was disrupted on Monday as over 100 protestors — including members of the freshman class — used the ceremony to protest gentrification.
The sign-bearing demonstrators interrupted Penn President Liz Magill’s comments about the diversity of the incoming cohort to protest the closure of 70 affordable housing units, according to student-run newspaper <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2022/08/penn-convocation-uc-townhomes-liz-magill-class-of-2026">The Daily Pennsylvanian</a>. Some of the demonstrators were reportedly incoming freshmen.
“Welcome to the Penn community. We accept you. We love you,” a protestor said to the crowd via megaphone. “Many of you, like us, have been dispossessed. Many of you, like us, may come from low-income areas. It is important to know what institutions like this do to us when we are not paying them to accept us. It is important to know what this institution has been doing for decades.”
Magill was forced to fully pause her speech as protestors streamed into the convocation from nearby Locust Walk. University Chaplain Charles “Chaz” Howard, who also <a href="https://chaplain.upenn.edu/staff/chaplainhoward/">serves</a> as the elite school’s Vice President for Social Equity and Community, attempted to tell the protestors that he understood their motivations before reminding them that the event was meant to celebrate the incoming class.
The protestors chanted “Save UC Townhomes!” and “Stop Penn-trification!&#8221;
Magill, a former University of Virginia administrator who recently replaced former Penn President Amy Gutmann after her nomination by President Joe Biden to serve as United States ambassador to Germany, made another attempt at continuing her first major speech at the university.
&#8220;Many of our breakthroughs are the result of decades of productive disagreement with prevailing orthodoxies. A community of diverse individuals can&#8217;t live together unless they can listen to and learn from one another,&#8221; Magill said, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “Democracy cannot work unless people can live together, learn from one another and, paradoxically, disagree.&#8221;
The protestors, part of Save the UC Townhomes Coalition, argue that the university is contributing to the pending eviction of low-income residents at UC Townhomes as the school attracts affluent residents and businesses. Altman Management Company, which owns UC Townhomes, chose not to extend its affordable housing contract with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, informing residents last year that they had until July 8 to find new homes, according to <a href="https://www.34st.com/article/2022/08/university-city-townhomes-gentrification-displacement">34th Street</a>.
The move-out date had been extended to September 7 as most residents had not received Housing Choice Vouchers, which are required to apply for federally subsidized housing. Demonstrators from Save the UC Townhomes Coalition set up more than 15 tents on the premises and refused to leave until their demands were met, leading the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office to tear down the encampment on August 8.
Over the past year, the University of Pennsylvania attracted national attention as <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lia-thomas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lia Thomas</a> — a male who used to go by “Will” but now claims transgender identity and competes on the women’s swimming team — set multiple records and won the NCAA Division I national championship.
Although the university <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lia-thomas-nominated-by-upenn-rejected-by-ivy-league-as-ncaa-woman-of-the-year">suggested</a> nominating Thomas for the distinction of NCAA “Woman of the Year” — which recognizes “female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics” — other Ivy League schools instead opted to nominate Columbia University fencing champion Sylvie Binder.

University of Pennsylvania

University Of Pennsylvania Convocation Grinds To A Halt As Demonstrators, Students Protest ‘Penn-Trification’

Penn Convocation Disrupted As Students, Demonstrators Protest 'Penn-Trification'

Protest

With the Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-announces-student-loan-handout-national-debt-soars">announcement</a> this week that it would continue the moratorium on student loan payments through the beginning of next year and will forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt per student, student loan forgiveness is at the top of the current political agenda. Meanwhile, there’s little talk about bringing the cost of college under control, or why the cost of college became so outrageous in the first place.
While proponents of student loan forgiveness argue American taxpayers <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2021/02/23/5-reasons-to-support-student-loan-cancellation/?sh=4ba2fde277ac">need</a> to pick up the student debt tab to level the racial and socio-economic playing field, the reality is debt forgiveness disproportionately benefits the well-off and educated, as the wealthiest 40% of Americans hold <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/10/09/who-owes-the-most-in-student-loans-new-data-from-the-fed/">58%</a> of student debt, and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/10/09/who-owes-the-most-in-student-loans-new-data-from-the-fed/">56%</a> of debt is held by those with prestige and income-boosting post-bachelors’ degrees. Instead of forcing the <a href="https://twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/1562534480161959938">87%</a> of American adults who don&#8217;t have student loans to pay for the college experience of educated elites, American leaders must reform the universal federal student loan program that has driven the cost of college to grow <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2018/07/24/price-of-college-increasing-almost-8-times-faster-than-wages/">eight</a> times faster than wages.
Until 1965, the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp">cost</a> of college at private and public institutions remained fairly in line with inflation — these were the good old days, when a minimum wage summer job could cover all of one’s annual tuition, and then some. So what happened in 1965? President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the <a href="https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-one/">Higher Education Act</a>, which created guaranteed student loans by subsidizing capital for banks that would provide loans to low and middle income students.
This simultaneously expanded college access, especially for less privileged students seeking to attend private institutions, while keeping loan burdens manageable because private banks still controlled who could receive student loans and for how much. From <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp">1964-77</a>, the tuition at private universities grew 11.5% more than inflation as rising demand oustripped supply, while that at public institutions, it grew 1.6% less than inflation as the government massively expanded public college systems to accommodate an <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_191.asp">exploding</a> college-age population fueled by the Baby Boom.
<h3>Carter created unlimited, guaranteed college demand</h3>
This bank-dominated system remained in place until 1978, when an economy in shambles and the pressures of the Baby Boom’s succeeding Baby Bust on empty college classrooms prompted President Jimmy Carter to pass the<a href="https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-one/"> Middle Income Student Assistance Act</a>, which eliminated income requirements for student loans. At a time when colleges otherwise would have had to cut tuition or cohort sizes to stay full, this new bill ensured that anybody could be a full time student.
With this bill creating unlimited, guaranteed college demand, college tuition hikes were off to the races; from <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp">1978-92</a>, tuition at private universities grew 50.7% more than inflation, while that at public universities, it grew 25.4% more than inflation. Pretty dismal, right? Well, things got worse.
In 1992, the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/senate-bill/1150">Higher Education Reauthorization Act</a> introduced direct, guaranteed loans from the Department of Education itself, and, in response to higher tuition, removed borrowing limits, which removed any last incentive for schools to keep costs down. From <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp">1993-2006</a> (the endpoint of the common data set used in this analysis), tuition at private schools grew 39% more than inflation, whereas that at public schools rose 47% more than inflation. These massive increases were a result of large <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/state-higher-education-funding-cuts-have-pushed-costs-to-students#:~:text=Per%2Dstudent%20funding%20rose%20in,the%20cut%20exceeded%2030%20percent.">cuts</a> in state funding for public universities (who increased tuition to offset these losses) and <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/public-universities-work-hard-to-make-up-for-budget-cuts-but-in-state-students-may-be-paying-the-price/">growing room and board fees</a> (which were used to impose higher costs on students without having to increase headline tuition as much).
<h3>Debt forgiveness encourages rising tuitions</h3>
Without any changes to the federal student loan program, all debt forgiveness does is encourage a never-ending cycle of higher tuition, crushing debt, more bailouts, and more graduates lacking the positive equity to buy a house or even a wedding ring. A return to something more like the 1965 Higher Education Act but without federal loan guarantees — a mix of privately issued loans, low-interest capital, and strict requirements ensuring the loans would only serve lower and middle income students — would be a significant and realistic improvement. Banks would be more careful in issuing loans, taking care to make sure students aren’t overwhelmed with debt they’d never afford to repay.
By combining this reform with a database of student debt-to-income ratios ranked by college and by major, students would be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, and schools with unsustainable programs would find themselves either short of students or named-and-shamed into improvement. Requiring colleges to present average pay per major at that school upon graduation would probably also do wonders for helping students choose majors that make financial sense for them.
<h3>Purdue&#8217;s model worth considering</h3>
While politically infeasible, one could also even imagine a future where the federal government isn’t involved in issuing student loans at all, a world in which banks and schools create new financing programs on their own — and at their own risk. One school that has embraced an alternative funding model is Purdue University, a public institution <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/purdue-university-west-lafayette-1825">ranked</a> as one of the top 50 universities in our nation. Purdue has not only frozen its tuition since <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/purduemoves/initiatives/affordability/freezing-tuition.php">2012</a>, but it has also created a viable alternative financing model that leaves students tuition-debt free while encouraging them to make effective financial decisions.
With Purdue’s <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/purduemoves/initiatives/affordability/income-share-agreements.php">Back a Boiler</a> program, one can choose to pay no tuition during school, but pay a percentage of one&#8217;s earnings based on the typical Purdue graduate pay for that major over a period of 10 years. Though the cost to the student over the program’s lifetime is slightly cheaper than private loans and slightly more expensive than federal loans, the real difference is the university, not the student or the federal government, is the one ultimately responsible for potential losses and benefits — it’s up to Purdue to invest in its students success or suffer the financial consequences.
This aligns risk and reward with the agent responsible for the quality and value of the product — Purdue is incentivized to produce high quality graduates to maximize their returns, while keeping administrative bloat and other bureaucratic waste down to keep costs in check. If colleges across this country were to offer this model, it’s highly likely we’d see drastic improvements in quality and reductions in the cost of higher education across the board.
<h3>Why a bailout isn&#8217;t fair</h3>
But at the same time that we lament the cost of college, we also must remember that, once accounting for socioeconomic differences, men with bachelor’s degrees earn <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/research-summaries/education-earnings.html#:~:text=Men%20with%20bachelor's%20degrees%20earn,earnings%20than%20high%20school%20graduates.">$655,000</a> more in median lifetime earnings than those with only high school diplomas, while women with bachelor’s earn <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/research-summaries/education-earnings.html#:~:text=Men%20with%20bachelor's%20degrees%20earn,earnings%20than%20high%20school%20graduates.">$450,000</a> more. With the average undergraduate student debt load at <a href="https://studentloanhero.com/student-loan-debt-statistics/#:~:text=The%20average%20debt%20at%20graduation,2019%20report%20%E2%80%94%20the%20latest%20available.">$28,400</a>, this means the rate of return on average debt at graduation is 1,585%. A widespread bailout is hardly fair given the vast improvement in lifetime earnings that exists despite the contrivances of the federal student loan program.
Indeed, the federal student loan program has suffered the same fate of nearly every well-meaning but short-on-foresight subsidy. Modest successes from a limited-scope program drive the creation of reliant and growing constituencies who expand the program to the point of bloat and failure, ultimately doing more harm than help to the beneficiaries the program was built to serve.
In this case, the federal student loan program has financially impacted generations of Americans, leaving millions with debt and created a situation where the same government that created the problem can come in on a shining horse to save the day over and over again — politically, federal student loans are the gift that doesn’t stop giving.
To put an end to this scheme of student suffering, bureaucratic bloat, and political ponies, we have little choice but to turn back the clock on the federal student loan program, either returning loan-origination for federally subsidized loans back to banks or replacing the federal loan system entirely. Otherwise, like clockwork every election cycle, politicians will dangle the carrot of debt relief before desperate students all too eager to vote for their own demise, over and over again until the whole system comes crashing down.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Kenneth Schrupp is a Young Voices contributor writing on the intersection of business, politics and media. He also serves as editor-in-chief of the California Review, an independent journal.

Graduation

Why College Prices Have Spiraled

Leftism

Welcome to Bidenomics, where the president&#8217;s plans to fix the student debt crisis could drive up both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation</a> and the overall cost of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colleges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">college,</a> while doing nothing to fix the root of the problem, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/national-debt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost</a> taxpayers as much as $1 trillion.
According to the Wharton School, the plan is going to cost a bit more than the marketed $300 billion price tag. Biden&#8217;s “debt cancellation alone will cost up to $519 billion, with about 75% of the benefit accruing to households making $88,000 or less,” Wharton <a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/8/26/biden-student-loan-forgiveness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in a new study.
“Loan forbearance will cost another $16 billion” and “the new income-driven repayment (IDR) program would cost another $70 billion, increasing the total plan cost to $605 billion” at a minimum based on Wharton&#8217;s model.
“Depending on future IDR program details to be released and potential behavioral (i.e., &#8216;non-static&#8217;) changes, total plan costs could exceed $1 trillion,” the school warned.
For his part, Biden doesn&#8217;t believe that massive government spending contributes to inflation. In the spring, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-sick-of-this-stuff-biden-complains-that-the-american-people-believe-increased-government-spending-causes-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">barked</a> that he was “sick” of criticism against his administration&#8217;s spending plans.
“We have to talk about it because the American people think the reason for inflation is government spending more money. It’s simply not true,” he claimed. Even the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-covid-health-business-772e1eb45fb5981f3a2b6f2a4b0d201f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dinged</a> Biden for that false statement, explaining to the president that high spending does indeed contribute to rising prices.
Yet even before Wharton&#8217;s astronomical pricetag was released, folks like former President Barack Obama&#8217;s top economic advisor Larry Summers were blasting Biden&#8217;s bailout. Summers argued this week that the plan will add to inflation woes.
“Every dollar spent on student loan relief is a dollar that could have gone to support those who don’t get the opportunity to go to college,” Summers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/raises-demand-and-increases-inflation-obamas-top-economist-shreds-biden-plan-for-student-loan-cancellation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>.
“Student loan debt relief is spending that raises demand and increases inflation. It consumes resources that could be better used helping those who did not, for whatever reason, have the chance to attend college,” he added. “It will also tend to be inflationary by raising tuitions.”
Richard Vedder, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute and an economics professor, also recently <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/student-loan-handout-illegal-inflationary-immoral-inequitable">explained</a> for Fox News that the debt cancellation could lead to students taking out more student loans while colleges hike up prices even more.
“Forgiving student loans increases incentives for colleges to raise tuition and fees more aggressively,” Vedder argued. “Students will be emboldened to borrow more, thinking &#8216;I will not ever have to pay the loans back.&#8217;”
Vedder noted that the empirical data show that “most new federal student loan money ends up being absorbed by higher tuition fees; universities and their staffs benefit much more than students.”
Furthermore, Biden&#8217;s debt plan does nothing to stop the actual problem — government-backed loans giving cover for colleges to raise prices. The students taking out loans today will find themselves in a similar situation 10 years down the road, albeit with different payback options.
In short, the preliminary data suggests Biden&#8217;s debt amnesty will do zilch to fix the crisis or help the economy. In the words of attorney Mark Meuser, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/like-a-band-aid-on-gangrene-why-forgiving-student-loans-is-unconstitutional">It&#8217;s like putting a bandaid on gangrene</a>.” That&#8217;s Bidenomics in action, folks.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Joe Biden

Bidenomics: Student Debt Amnesty Could Cost $1 Trillion

Bidenomics: Student Loan Amnesty Could Cost $1 Trillion

Biden

Debt Forgiveness

Economics

Former New York City Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-de-blasio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill de Blasio</a> has landed a new job teaching public health courses at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/harvard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harvard University</a>.
The former Big Apple mayor will join the faculty of Harvard this fall as a visiting fellow at both the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School, as well as a Senior Leadership Fellow at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He will teach courses in public health leadership at the School of Public Health, and appear at various programs at the Institute of Politics. The two schools introduced de Blasio in separate announcements Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mayor de Blasio and [former Boston] Mayor [Kim] Janey to campus as Menschel Senior Leadership Fellows,” Dean Michelle A. Williams said in a statement to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-mlb-health-sports-education-115e4c03c5469553590e27fc4feaf165" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>. “Their insights and their mentorship will be tremendously helpful to students who aspire to public office, as well as to those who are looking to lead in other sectors.”
In its announcement, the <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/policy-translation-leadership-development/senior-leadership-fellows-program/news-events/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">School of Public Health</a> touted de Blasio&#8217;s tenure as mayor of America&#8217;s largest city, particularly during the COVID pandemic.
“He led New York City through the COVID-19 pandemic, turning what was once a global epicenter into the safest city in the country,” the announcement said. The school also touted de Blasio&#8217;s record on issues outside COVID: his initiative to make early childhood education a universal right in the city; his affordable housing projects and action plan against homelessness; his activism and push for a citywide $15 per hour minimum wage; and his passage of the Climate Mobilization Act, also known as the NYC Green New Deal, and initiatives to make the city carbon-neutral by 2050, including ending fossil fuel fuel use in new buildings.
De Blasio will teach an eight-week long course on leadership, focused on navigating major issues in public health challenges, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/nyregion/bill-de-blasio-harvard.html">The New York Times</a> reported. He will also hold office hours and meet with students and faculty, and serve as a seminar speaker.
At the Institute of Politics, de Blasio will visit Harvard several times throughout the semester for a variety of discussions and other events.
“Mayor de Blasio’s decades of experience in local government, federal agencies, national campaigns, and running the largest city in the country will provide invaluable insight to our students and the Harvard community,” Setti Warren, the director of the <a href="https://iop.harvard.edu/about/newsletter-press-release/new-york-city-mayor-bill-de-blasio-joins-institute-politics-fall-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Institute of Politics</a>, said in the news release Wednesday. “We are excited to welcome Mayor de Blasio to campus as we look for pathways forward on the challenges facing our democracy.”
De Blasio expressed his excitement on Twitter Wednesday. “I am VERY optimistic about the generation of leaders and activists coming up,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/BilldeBlasio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. “It will be a privilege to offer lessons I’ve learned through decades of public service. My key message to them: we CAN make bold progressive change. I know because I’ve lived it.”
The Harvard position is likely a career boost for the former mayor of New York City, who has unsuccessfully sought higher political office several times recently. De Blasio dropped out of the 2020 presidential campaign early in the cycle. He was mulling a run for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nyc-democrat-mayor-bill-de-blasio-makes-his-decision-whether-to-run-for-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Governor of New York</a> in 2022, but decided against it. He then announced a run for Congress in the redrawn 10th Congressional District, but <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/failed-dem-presidential-candidate-bill-de-blasio-drops-out-of-another-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped out</a> ahead of the primary.

Bill de Blasio

De Blasio’s New Gig: Former NYC Mayor To Teach Public Health Course At Harvard This Fall

Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio To Teach Public Health Course At Harvard In Fall

COVID

Harvard

New York

There is a certain pride that comes with being a University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill student, and we are about as Carolina blue-blazing as they come. Take one look at the excessive UNC apparel in our wardrobes, the bumper stickers on our cars, or the smiles we get whenever someone says “Chapel Hill,” and it is clear just how honored we are to attend our institution. However, as “Tar Heels born and Tar Heels bred,” we are concerned that free speech at UNC may soon be dead — at least for pro-life Tar Heels.
In spite of the fact that UNC-Chapel Hill has historically painted itself as a “diverse place, making room for an array of different viewpoints,” as Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unc.edu%2Fposts%2F2022%2F07%2F29%2Funiversitys-role-in-political-discourse%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683831150%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Reo6qFad%2B7ifSYfx64k4VI6UqHkqLN5EaKaCXxNnSfw%3D&amp;reserved=0">stated recently</a>, pro-life students on campus are essentially being told “except for you” — and unfortunately, it is our peers leading the charge against us.
Taliajah Vann, our student body president, recently issued an <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexecutivebranch.unc.edu%2Fexecutive-order-no-2%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683831150%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hZLXV4n0wYv7c6Q40YdJmeXWNstLMKjnB87R796rXpI%3D&amp;reserved=0">executive order</a> that specifically targeted pro-life speech, as she prohibited the Undergraduate Student Government Executive Branch from contracting or funding any individual, business, or organization that is openly pro-life. In addition, Vann <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexecutivebranch.unc.edu%2Fredirect-the-rage-unc-community-marches-to-stand-up-for-reproductive-rights%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683987382%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fuLTg6Kw2Tk7W1D7dEWWiddb2VKtE6a7I%2FtYW8RgZ4Q%3D&amp;reserved=0">announced</a> that her administration would be sponsoring a “Redirect the Rage Rally,” a march that is explicitly pro-abortion.
While Vann <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefire.org%2Func-chapel-hill-student-government-response-to-fire-concerning-executive-order-no-2-august-5-2022%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683987382%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vqWqgVh05lQ%2F%2FYRzs001dan2ffh%2BiPEu%2BogdQUUcGGU%3D&amp;reserved=0">clarified</a> that the executive order would not affect the funding of our Students for Life of America (SFLA) group, her attempt to placate outside media attention did not work on us. Funding is not the problem — promoting a hostile environment for students who hold different beliefs, however, certainly is.  
Instead of upholding UNC’s commitment to intellectual diversity, Vann’s executive order has allowed a governing student organization to take sides in a political debate (although ending the life of a preborn child shouldn’t be political). While we respect the personal opinions of all Tar Heels, the expectation of a student government is to remain neutral in outside politics; by choosing to take such divisive action, they are foregoing holistic representation and severing off parts of the student body.
Unfortunately, this student government-sanctioned attack on speech is only the tip of the iceberg. A <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffecdsurveyreport.web.unc.edu%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F22160%2F2022%2F05%2FFECD_Report_5-17-22.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683987382%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HGKR7RO2J4RjhKEfc5OeT7RxkoWRoq9WY3OIrAnRQ7Y%3D&amp;reserved=0">recent study</a> conducted across eight UNC-system campuses found that at UNC-Chapel Hill, 74% of conservative students said they were concerned their peers would have lower opinions of them if they expressed their political views — for example, being pro-life — and 57% were concerned their professors would have lower opinions of them. In addition, more than 40% of conservative students worried their grades would be negatively affected by advertising their political beliefs, whereas only 7% of liberal students were concerned.  
As a background for these students’ fears of ostracization, the study also showed that while conservative students leaned toward an indifference of ideology when making friends, liberal students reported a preference for being close friends with other self-identifying liberals over conservatives.
With such concerns over making friends, experiencing potential disdain of fellow classmates and professors, and receiving biased grades, it is no wonder that more than 40% of conservative students at Chapel Hill reported self-censoring at least once. That’s a sad number for a school that claims “respect for free inquiry and the obligation to cherish a diversity of viewpoints” is the bedrock of its institution.
Additionally, while UNC-Chapel Hill has won awards for many different reasons, it was recently handed a not-so-honorable mention when it landed on the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s  10 Worst Colleges<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefire.org%2F10-worst-colleges-for-free-speech-2022%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683987382%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vcsSYvXSMyqTwCcr8ppEt%2FHc%2BPcCnDff2TIGciFI%2BQA%3D&amp;reserved=0"> for Free Speech: 2022</a> list.
The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees <a href="https://bot.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/160/2022/07/Meeting-Book-University-Affairs-Committee_Strategic-Initiatives-Committee-July-27-PUBLIC.pdf">University Affairs committee</a> did <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchapelboro.com%2Fnews%2Func%2Freport-on-free-speech-details-unc-students-comfort-concerns&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckhamrick%40studentsforlife.org%7C274f2b468b854c8109d708da807b27e5%7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a%7C0%7C0%7C637963563683987382%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=P2xJFZ%2FiMlLM0GeA6s8LN40fIJdHyGLDsQ7rE8J7m%2B0%3D&amp;reserved=0">recently address</a> concerns and passed a resolution affirming UNC’s commitment to freedom of speech. However, without any real action, a resolution is at best just a nice thought and at worst a collection of empty words.
We truly love being called UNC students because UNC is more than just its name; it is a place of rigorous academics, rich history, meaningful research, and beauty. Behind its prestigious title, UNC is worthy of the pomp and circumstance — but, due to recent events, we must seriously discuss whether free speech on campus isn’t being allowed to similarly live up to its name.
After all, when conservative and pro-life students are afraid to use their free speech because of rampant and condoned hostility on campus, is it really free?
In order for free speech at UNC to once again become more than a shell of a word or a drop-in line for compliance purposes, the university needs to stop actively condoning the silencing of pro-life voices — starting with the rectification of Vann’s executive order, which intentionally seeks to intimidate pro-life students. Until obstacles to free speech such as this are removed, UNC-Chapel Hill students’ First Amendment rights will continue to be stifled.
Abigail Buxton and Brianna Shobert are co-presidents of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Students for Life of America group. Buxton is a sophomore and Shobert is a senior at UNC.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Daily Wire.

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