Weekly Briefing: How Jonathan Haidt started a social-media war

Plus, why cheating has become normal. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. Jonathan Haidt’s online war, student cheating on the rise, and ‘fealty’ oaths at the U. of Florida How Jonathan Haidt started a social-media war. Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University, argued in his latest bestseller The Anxious Generation that screen time and social media are to blame for the teen mental-health crisis. Then Chris Ferguson, a psychologist at Stetson University, reported in a scientific journal that he’d studied dozens of experiments and found that “reducing social-media time has NO impact on mental health.” Haidt fired back, and the fight was on. So who won? [Our Stephanie M. Lee unpacks the feud](. “A student army of cheating.” That’s what hit Amy Clukey, an associate professor at the University of Louisville, when she returned to the classroom last spring after a leave of absence. Students cheated on informal discussion-board prompts and essays, and one student even emailed her an apology for cheating that seemed like it was written by ChatGPT. It’s not just AI that worries professors, it’s students’ willingness to cheat. Our Beth McMurtrie reports on what’s behind this [widespread cultural change](. How the U. of Florida forced faculty to play nice with a conservative-backed civics center. In the spring, the University of Florida’s new Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education was in its early days. Some graduate students complained that liberal-arts faculty members were targeting them for affiliating with the center, and there were rumors that humanities departments would block the its curricular proposals. That’s when Ben Sasse stepped in. Sasse, then the university’s president, told the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that his college would be absorbed by the Hamilton Center if he didn’t fix the problems. [Our Garrett Shanley has the story](. This week on College Matters from The Chronicle: When President-elect Donald J. Trump amplified a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating people’s pets, the president of Wittenberg University didn’t think much of it at first. Then, the institution — a private college in Springfield — began receiving violent threats. Our Jack Stripling interviews Michael Frandsen, Wittenberg’s president. [Listen here](. Last week’s most read story: Stanford University is making changes to its renowned creative-writing fellowship. For instructors, [the shift feels personal](. Subscribe to The Chronicle Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. ADVERTISEMENT Lagniappe - Read. After a packed news week, you may want to escape. I’m reading author [Sally Rooney’s latest novel]( about two brothers mourning the recent death of their father. (The New York Times) - Listen. The piano composition [The Struggle of the Magicians Part Three]( is the start of a great compilation album showcasing New Age music in the United States. (YouTube) —Fernanda Upcoming Workshop Our renowned professional development program for department chairs is returning in January! We've partnered with experienced academic leaders at Dever Justice LLC and research experts at Ithaka S+R to design a comprehensive two-week program that will help chairs navigate their day-to-day responsibilities, develop a strategic vision for their department, and understand the higher-ed landscape in which they're operating. [Learn more and register.]( Chronicle Top Reads DECISION 2024 [Trump Retakes the Presidency. Here’s How Election Day Played Out on Campuses.]( By Declan Bradley, Sarah Brown, Amanda Friedman, Garrett Shanley, Jasper Smith, and Andy Thomason [STORY IMAGE]( The former president has promised to wield the executive branch more aggressively, including scrutinizing colleges. THE REVIEW | OPINION [A Second Trump Term Could Devastate Higher Ed]( By Brendan Cantwell [STORY IMAGE]( Trump’s first term landed a glancing blow. A second could yield a direct hit. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [The Saga of a Celebrated Scientist — and His Rodent Dystopia]( By Lee Alan Dugatkin [STORY IMAGE]( John Calhoun’s mouse heaven turned into mouse hell. ADVERTISEMENT From the Chronicle Store [Campus Housing for Tomorrow]( [Campus Housing for Tomorrow]( Student housing has undergone substantial shifts in recent years, due to inflation, the high cost of building, and drops in enrollment. [Order this report]( for insights on how to navigate these challenges and meet students’ evolving needs. 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