Afternoon Update: Productivity Pressure and Winter Break

Faculty layoff uses disputed Wisconsin policy; Utah State official quits over assault comments; women settle with frat over alleged rapes; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Academe Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. ADVICE [Winter Break and Productivity Pressure]( By Rebecca Schuman [STORY IMAGE]( Here’s what you should do this holiday season, rather than work yourself to a frenzy. ADVERTISEMENT FACULTY [Tenured Professor Is Laid Off After Program Cut at U. of Wisconsin]( The move on the university’s Platteville campus was the first under a [controversial policy]( adopted by the Board of Regents in 2016, that [allows such layoffs]( in response to discontinued programs. (Wisconsin State Journal) CAMPUS SAFETY [Utah State U. Police Chief Quits After His Comments on Sex-Assault Claims Are Revealed]( In recorded remarks he warned the university’s football players that young women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may claim consensual sex was an attack because they feel “regret” and want to evade their faith’s ban on premarital sex. (The Salt Lake Tribune) STUDENTS [Women Settle With Eastern Michigan U. Fraternity Over Alleged Rapes]( Ten women, mostly former students, have settled with Delta Tau Delta, one of the fraternities sued over reported sexual assaults, including gang rapes, in 2016. Terms were not disclosed. Some of the alleged assailants are facing criminal charges. (The Detroit News) UGLY SPEECH [Speaker at Millikin U. Graduation Sparks Outrage With Transphobic Comments]( The Illinois university apologized for comments by the Rev. Wally Carlson in the invocation and said it would vet such prepared remarks in the future. (WAND) SCIENCE [Journal Retracts Paper Based on DNA of Vulnerable Minority Populations in China]( The decision by Human Genetics follows efforts to expose research that is complicit in human-rights violations. The paper draws on DNA samples from nearly 38,000 men, including Tibetans and Uyghurs who almost certainly did not give proper consent. (The Intercept) CHRONICLE REVIEW [Knowledge and Paranoia; the Year’s Must-Reads]( By Len Gutkin These are 2021’s don’t-miss essays — from The Chronicle and elsewhere. NEW FEATURE [Here’s a List of Colleges That Require Students or Employees to Be Vaccinated Against Covid-19]( By Andy Thomason and Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( Our comprehensive tracker now includes campuses that are requiring booster shots. EVENTS [Browse Upcoming and On-Demand Virtual Events]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join a discussion with national experts and leading practitioners on how to navigate an uncertain future and what new ideas your institution can pursue. UPCOMING EVENT [Join us January 18-22]( for a virtual professional development program on overcoming the challenges of the department chair role and creating a strategic vision for individual and departmental growth. [Reserve your spot now](. Space is limited. SPONSOR CONTENT | the university of queensland [Learn how globalization and sustainability are connecting our present to our past.]( ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Future of Gen Z]( [The Future of Gen Z]( The pandemic has had a deep psychological effect among Gen-Zers on the path to college. Learn how Covid-19 is likely to shape the preferences of college students in the decade ahead and how institutions will need to respond to the expectations of this generation. [Order your copy today.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES Apply for the top jobs in higher education and [search all our open positions](. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK What did you think of today’s newsletter? [Strongly disliked]( | [It was ok]( | [Loved it]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2021 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037