Jennifer L. Hoffman ✨😷

Oh probably! My school does seem to be blanketing the airwaves with them.

Friends from Minneapolis reporting to me that things are at the point where folks are being hidden in other people's houses and we are in the "again" part of "never again" which the "never" was supposed to preclude

UNC-Chapel Hill Preps Policy on Recording Professors The school aims to clarify guidelines after a secret recording controversy and growing fear of surveillance.

UNC is close to finalizing its policy which outlines permissible circumstances to *SECRETLY RECORD FACULTY IN THE CLASSROOM.*

Legal LDF Pingts Fund Read a PDF of our statement here. Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) announced it reached a settlement on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) challenging the U.S. Department of Education's anti-opportunity "Dear Colleague Letter," related "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) document, certification requirement, and EndDEl portal. The lawsuit alleged that the Department sought to prohibit and chill lawful efforts to ensure equal educational opportunities for Black students, and that its guidance rested on a legally flawed interpretation of Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause. Prior on April 24, 2025, LDF and the NAACP successfully secured a preliminary injunction against the certification requirement. The settlement follows the Trump Administration's decision to vacate its appeal in a related challenge. As part of the settlement, the Education Department agreed that it will no longer rely on the "Dear Colleague Letter" or its certification requirement, nor will it attempt to enforce or reinstate them under a different name. The Department also agreed not to use their "End DEl" portal or related FAQ document. The settlement also preserves the NAACP's preliminary injunction win, which recognized students' right to receive information free from vague prohibitions. The settlement affirms Black students' right to equal opportunity in classrooms and extracurricular activities, including access to inclusive and accurate curricula, selective programs, affinity groups, and policies that foster a sense of belonging.

Every uni/college that caved proven as craven cowards

“…DOE agreed…it will no longer rely on the "Dear Colleague Letter" or its certification requirement, nor will it attempt to enforce or reinstate them under a different name…DOE also agreed not to use their "End DEl" portal or related FAQ doc.”

A Historically BLACK University cannot say Black.
A Historically BLACK University cannot say Black.
A HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITY cannot say Black.

RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE

Judge denies DHS bid to rush removal of Liam Ramos and his family Kristen Stenvik, superintendent of the district where Liam goes to school, said the ruling provides both “additional time” and “continued uncertainty.”

Judge denies DHS bid to rush removal of Liam Ramos and his family www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...

Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.

“The full impact of the executive order will take decades to realize, since already-tenured faculty are not affected by the new policy. But its scope is significant: Oklahoma’s regional and community colleges employed more than 900 tenured professors in 2024, according to federal data.“

Yes, I loved this series! Such fun to see all these household names show their stuff.

Excellent. Shut it down. Then we can go to the arrests and prosecutions.

Because these monsters cannot ever, ever be allowed ot lose at anything. No one, in their warped view, is ever allowed to tell them no.

Every last one of them MUST be removed from office, prosecuted, and locked up for their crimes. No cowardly "the American people want us to look forward" bullshit.

Good question -- maybe @joshuasokol.bsky.social knows? It sounds like in the courthouse case it was considered a resource, but you might be right that public health would be a better framing.

I hope you invited him over to look through a telescope! 🤩

I hope you'll keep applying! Let me know if you ever want feedback on your application. 🙂

I agree! Just thinking about how I can do a better job of bridging that divide in my own communication.

... so that dark sky conservation doesn't become something unattainable for everyday folks.

To be clear, I absolutely agree that darkness is a natural resource, as well as part of our cultural heritage, and I talk about it as such. I just wonder if we need to be careful to also bring these ideas close to home for our audiences...

Like, we don't expect anyone to be able to create a complete nature preserve in their city or suburban neighborhood. But we *could* create darker skies right where we live, with relatively minimal effort or cost to our quality of life.

If we present darkness is a natural resource to conserve, are we implicitly saying it's okay for it to be conserved only in special places like national parks?

I found that park visitors were generally receptive to this idea -- they really enjoyed seeing the magnificence of the dark sky along with the stunning landscape. But as much as I endorse the effort, I worry a little about this framing...

3 years ago I spent time in the Grand Canyon (an International Dark Sky Park) as the Astronomer in Residence. This program explicitly treats darkness as a natural resource and argues for its conservation along with the terrestrial ecosystem.

Super interesting 🧵 on darkness and how we conceive of it (both legally and culturally). 🔭🧪

They’ve been on this for a minute. More teaching + post tenure review (and contracts) plus ai supercharged productivity surveillance tools also makes professors more vulnerable to student evals, which gives admin more power to fire you. That’s the plan.

🚨 Tangipa et al v. Newsom et al Learn more here.

🚨BREAKING: U.S. Supreme Court DENIES Republican effort to block California's new congressional map! VICTORY for our client, the DCCC, and the voters of California. www.democracydocket.com/cases/califo...

this unprecedented momentum behind a single issue sure might be a useful fulcrum to try and wrench this country back from over the brink

At least they’re acknowledging it…? Surely there are many others doing the same but not fessing up.

But agree: ugh. Do not want.

Absolutely.

Amen! Now let's get all the other kids out of detention too!

@niais.bsky.social Bunny hat in action 😍