Topic: Tenure

Journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project, declined a faculty position at the University of North Carolina after being denied tenure. Amy Goodman's coverage of the event is criticized for being slanted. Additionally, a coalition is calling on the Biden administration to permanently end the "global gag rule" regarding abortion counseling for international nonprofits.

The hosts argue that the influx of student loan money has corrupted higher education by turning students into "customers" whose feelings must be protected. An essay by a professor describes how the fear of poor evaluations and tenure denial prevents educators from challenging student beliefs. This environment is compared to the "lifestyle" marketing used by ISIS to recruit disillusioned youth who lack economic prospects.

Media critic Jeff Jarvis is criticized for an article in The Guardian defending Google against government overreach. The hosts mock Jarvis's use of Google's "Don't be evil" slogan and his status as a tenured professor.

Florida Atlantic University President Mary Jane Saunders issued a statement distancing the institution from Professor Jay Tracy's blog posts. While Tracy is a tenured professor, the university emphasized that he was speaking as an individual. The hosts note the demeaning tone used by the media when referring to the university and the pressure placed on the administration to penalize Tracy for his views.

Professor Amy Bishop is identified as the suspect in a shooting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville after being denied tenure. The discussion highlights reports that Bishop previously shot and killed her brother in Massachusetts in 1986, an incident originally ruled accidental. The hosts examine how such a history allowed her to remain in academia and later acquire a firearm.