Columbia’s Controversial Response, Uplifting (Or Sad) Suburban Parenting Goal, & More
Around the College Towns: Links and commentary related to urbanism and higher ed for the week of March 22 - March 28
Note: This is my weekly links round-up called Around the College Town. I just got back from a conference in Chicago, so I will provide some reflections from that, too, along with commentary on urbanism and higher ed articles from the week. These are mostly local stories or those that have fallen through the cracks. But I do provide a couple of thoughts on Trump and Columbia that kept popping up at the conference (scroll past the first header if you don’t want to hear it).
My Take on Columbia’s Response to Trump
I usually try to steer clear of big Trump news in these things, as there is better and deeper reporting on that in my fellow higher ed news sites, such as
. But I was at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Annual Conference in Chicago this past week and it was prime conversation, including from colleagues at Columbia University and affiliated Teachers College, my alma mater.From what I heard at CIES, a lot of people in the community are not happy with the leadership, believing that they caved to pressures and that they should have held the line. However, others thought the pressures were too great to withstand. I also heard that many international students are scared and confused about what is going on—this last one is particularly sad to me.
My take: Columbia did not “cave” to the Trump admin. I actually think the Columbia leadership is relieved that someone came in and forced them to do something. I’m guessing they thought that the campus was in need of a reset after a year and half of tumult. Trump’s demands offered the leadership a chance to change course.
In a couple years, they can just reverse course and blame everything on Trump, too. Above all, they want the campus to settle down, if possible. We will see if this will work or backfire. Let’s check in in 2029.
Shockingly Low Professor Salary
A salary at the University of Texas at San Antonio shocked my fellow academics over on Reddit. The post was for an Assistant Professor of Practice, The Writing Program with a listed salary of $40,000. Some of the responses from the chat:
This comes out to just above $20/hour. You can make more managing a Buc-ees, and probably get better benefits.
Yet many will apply and someone will take it.
This number was an insult in 2005, 20 years ago.
Adjusted for inflation, that is about 75% of what I made fresh out of undergrad with no real experience.
This kind of job is one reason why I warn people about PhDs and chasing academic careers. There are simply too many listings like this one after spending a decade in graduate school. Granted, this one can technically be done with only an MA (since it’s a writing center job), but the ad puts “Doctoral degree” as the “Preferred Qualifications.” Sad state of the sector.
Around the College Town Links
Monmouth University is closing its famous polling institute. Strange move considering the press it brings the uni. Bad sign.
Drake didn’t defame Des Moines Community College in a logo battle. My question is why are we so bad at logos these days? Everything doesn’t have to look the same.
Speaking of logos, Duke University is mad that the HBO show White Lotus has used the school’s logo. I think we are having a Streisand Effect here.
Hilarious college basketball news, University of North Texas couldn’t host their home game in the quarterfinals of a tournament because the faculty had a scheduled luncheon.
In more college basketball news, a team that just played (and won a game in) the NCAA March Madness tournament is relegating itself to a lower division. This is probably a wise decision for a small school.
Transit stops are so pathetic in the Bay Area that people are installing their own benches and other amenities. Sad state of affairs from one of the richest regions in the history of the world.
A church near me in Laguna Beach has submitted plans to build affordable housing on its grounds through the Yes in God’s Backyard (SB4). Locals in this ultra wealthy enclave that pretends its a small artists colony are of course throwing a fit (I hope to visit the site soon).
Around Substack
Note: I also think it’s important to shout out some fellow Substackers who I am reading here this week. Here are a few:
at covers Meta’s usage of the pirate book site to train AI. This is also in the wake of the massive viral trend on social media where everyone is turning photos into Ghibli. Much to think about:
Meta appears to have obtained Zuckerberg’s permission to download and use LibGen’s data set, pirating millions of books. It’s alleged that OpenAI has done the same.
In some good AI news, though,
at has a breakdown of Waymo crash data. It turns out that the robots are better drivers than humans. They will only get better.
who writes at has a thoughtful essay wondering about revitalizing old Rust Belt cities with “Great Bones.” Ever since I’ve moved out here to California, I have envied these places on the other side of the country, even though I recognize their challenges.Over the same 44 million miles, Waymo estimates that human drivers would get into 190 crashes serious enough to cause an injury. Instead, Waymo only got in 36 injury-causing crashes across San Francisco or Phoenix. That’s an 81 percent reduction in injury-causing crashes.
I believe there’s value in preserving what remains of pre-WWII housing stock and their neighborhoods, and capitalize on their quality as well as scarcity to attract newcomers to aging cities. Given the prices of homes in the nation’s least affordable cities, often without the pre-WWII connectivity that people enjoy, it could be an option worth exploring.
Finally… Viral Suburban Parenting Goal
A video of a mom sending her 7 year-old boy into a Chick-fl-A to order and pick up the meal was being lauded on social media. The mom was looking to build confidence in her son, and it seemed to work! It was an uplifting post that many were applauding. So what did I find sad about it?
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I view it as sad because a kid ordering fast food while his mom is in the parking lot is so rare that it's newsworthy. Our built environment in the US constricts kids from doing very normal things. We must rethink our spaces to give back their independence. I will have a post on this next week.
When I was seven (through ten), I was independent for a couple hours after school. There were several shops I could visit on the way home, including a pizzeria with slices (and a jukebox, where I first heard Prince and Eurythmics).
“de moine” lol