Afternoon Update: Students say Baker College set them up to fail. Now the feds are investigating.

Departments that take political stands; S.D. governor seeks inquiry into complaints from tip hotline; cleaner’s error destroys research; and more. [Afternoon Update Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. TROUBLING PRACTICES [Students Say Baker College Set Them Up to Fail. Now the Feds Are Investigating.]( By David Jesse [STORY IMAGE]( According to a notice from the college’s accreditor, the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid is reviewing Baker’s recruitment and marketing practices. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Where Does Your Department Stand on Abortion? Antiracism? Immigration?]( By David A. Bell [STORY IMAGE]( Departments, programs, and schools are issuing statements on a host of political issues. That’s a mistake. THE REVIEW [A Dishonesty Expert Is Accused of Fraud. She’s Not the First One.]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( A conversation with Stephanie Lee about lies, damn lies, and statistics. CAMPUS SPEECH [S.D. Governor Seeks Investigation After Calls to Tip Hotline About College Policies]( A [whistle-blower hotline]( designed to [report liberal practices]( at South Dakota’s public universities has received calls saying they encourage “transgender ideologies,” promote race-based teaching, and push mask mandates, said Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, who has asked the state’s Board of Regents to investigate the complaints and take action on them. (Associated Press, The Chronicle) SEXUAL VIOLENCE [Student Who Reported Rape Can Be Sued for Defamation, Connecticut Court Says]( The state’s top court ruled on Friday that a former Yale student is not immune to a defamation suit by another student who was exonerated in criminal court after she accused him of rape. The decision said that because he had fewer rights to defend himself in campus proceedings than in court, the accuser can’t benefit fully from immunity granted to witnesses in criminal cases. Critics said such immunity is essential to encouraging victims of sexual violence to report the crimes. (Associated Press) ACQUISITIONS [Idaho Attorney General Says State Board’s Meeting on U. of Phoenix Deal Broke the Law]( In court documents filed last week, the official said that at least one of the State Board of Education’s executive sessions concerning the [University of Idaho’s acquisition]( of the for-profit online university should have been public. The session violated the state’s open-meetings law, he said, and so the board’s approval of the deal is “null and void.” (Idaho Press, The Chronicle) SEXUAL ABUSE [Supreme Court Lets Lawsuits Over Doctor’s Sexual Abuse Proceed Against Ohio State]( The court on Monday let stand a ruling that allows more than 230 men to sue the university over abuse by Richard H. Strauss. As is typical, the court did not explain its reasoning. The men are among [hundreds of former athletes]( and other alumni who say they were [abused by Strauss]( a team physician at OSU from 1978 to 1998 who killed himself in 2005. (Associated Press, The Chronicle) LEADERSHIP [Former U. of Michigan President to Return to the Faculty in the Fall]( Mark S. Schlissel, who was [ousted]( last year over what the Board of Regents said was an [inappropriate relationship]( with a subordinate, will teach courses on human immunology as a tenured professor. His original employment contract entitled him to do so, in a controversial provision, known as [faculty-retreat rights]( that some colleges are seeking to curtail. (The Detroit News, The Chronicle) RESEARCH [RPI Sues After Cleaner’s Error Allegedly Destroys Decades of Research]( After a custodian switched off a super-cold freezer in a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute lab, wrecking research and causing $1 million in damage, the New York university sued the company that employed him. The freezer contained cell cultures and other material at minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit. The worker said he had shut it off because of its “annoying” beeping sound. (Times Union) 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. 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