The other university in Cincinnati has had a program for several years to help historically underrepresented students in first-year STEM classes. Basically, they study those students (and "historically underrepresented" also includes backgrounds like JD Vance's), figure out what sorts of things would help them (lessons in study skills and organization, extra tutoring, better explanations of how all the things at college like office hours and student support centers and all of that work, extra review sessions before exams, etc.) and them make those things available to ALL students in those classes. They had been getting pretty good results. They just got notice that their funding was stopped. Not even a federal grant -- a private grant was canceled.

Brenda, that all sounds just marvelous! Tea box included.

Hil, on the other hand, that new is horrendous. I'm sorry for everyone who won't benefit now.

Cruelty really is the point, and they are finding every avenue to serve it up.

Hil, on the other hand, that new is horrendous. I'm sorry for everyone who won't benefit now.

The person I heard this from said that they're going to try to keep the program going, but they're getting a lot of confusing messaging.

Also, a friend of a friend who was on a panel to review research grants (from grad students) for the NIH said that they got the initial set of grant applications to look over, and then got to the meeting, and the set of applications to discuss was much smaller. The ones that had been removed were all the ones where any of the "Are you a member of any of these underrepresented groups?" boxes were checked.

Good lord, Hil, that is appalling. Both of those.

In very mild good news - I may run out of Halloween candy in time to stock up on Valentine's Day candy. All the backstock in my drawer is out in the wee pot on my desk

The ones that had been removed were all the ones where any of the "Are you a member of any of these underrepresented groups?" boxes were checked.

Yeahhhhh because that’s subtle about the sexism and racism. Totes.

I just keep singing everything is awful to the tune of “Everything is Awesome” in the Lego movie, and trying not to completely meltdown in front of ltc. My heart goes out to everyone with job insecurity right now. I noticed my friend in the foreign service no longer had a fb account.

Mischief Managed. Onerosity confronted and conquered.

Huzzah!

Looks like this is what's going on with the first-year STEM program. Howard Hughes Medical Institute pulled their funding. [link]