Topic: University Endowments

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected a lower court ruling that required heterosexual plaintiffs to meet a higher evidentiary hurdle in workplace discrimination claims. This decision, stemming from a case involving the Ohio Youth Services Department, signals a shift in how "reverse racism" and bias claims are handled under Title VII. The ruling coincides with increased federal scrutiny of Ivy League universities, including proposals to tax large, tax-free endowments and address tuition inflation driven by government-backed student loans.

Protesters are demanding that universities like Columbia disclose and divest from holdings tied to Israel, yet 99.5% of Columbia's $13.6 billion endowment remains opaque. Current SEC 13F filings only cover a small fraction of these multi-billion dollar funds, complicating the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement's goals.

Students at Emory University reported feeling "unsafe" after pro-Trump messages were written in chalk on campus, leading the university president to announce new social justice initiatives. In Connecticut, legislators are considering a tax on Yale University's $26 billion endowment. The hosts mock the "chalking crisis" as a hoax and discuss the massive wealth held by elite universities while student costs continue to rise.

Harvard University has launched a $6.5 billion fundraising campaign despite already having a $31 billion endowment. In other news, a 20-year-old driver killed two cyclists and injured two others in Hampton, New Hampshire. The hosts question the necessity of Harvard's massive capital drive and express suspicion over the circumstances of the cycling "accident."