Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 2d

I'm getting flooded with emails now about how much my healthcare premiums are going to skyrocket.
Under ACA, paying already high premiums, I was able to have two lifesaving surgeries. Republicans just want people to die already.

Rep. Mike Levin @levin.house.gov · 4d

Californians are already getting notices that their health care premiums will skyrocket in 2026 if the ACA tax credits aren’t extended. Millions of Americans will see a 114% AVERAGE annual increase. That’s ridiculous and unsustainable.

1

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 5d

More on the compact.
Dartmouth said no (I’m so happy to be wrong.)

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

archive.ph/XjInb

Calling a ‘code red,’ Newsom says universities must reject Trump’s compact

The governor applied more pressure on USC, which received a proposal this week to cooperate with the Trump administration.

www.politico.com

1

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 7d

As ever, student reporting is some of the best. Excellent piece from Vandy’s newspaper, The Hustler. Drew Spiegel, co-president of Vandy’s College Democrats: “What’s at stake is nothing less than the university’s independence from tyrannical federal overreach.”
vanderbilthustler.com/2025/10/02/t...

Trump administration asks Vanderbilt, eight other universities to sign compact in exchange for preferential federal funding access - The Vanderbilt Hustler

Stipulations of the compact include capping international undergraduate student enrollment, freezing tuition for five years and limiting grade inflation.

vanderbilthustler.com

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Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 8d

Let’s see who takes the bait first. My $ is on Dartmouth.
Offers for “The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” went to Brown, Penn, MIT, USC, Dartmouth, Vandy, AZ, UT, and UVA. College Board will also love this because of the test requirement.

www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025...

White House approaches Dartmouth to sign agreement for funding benefits

The Trump administration chose universities that “are, or could be, ‘good actors,’” senior adviser for special projects May Mailman told the Wall Street Journal. 

www.thedartmouth.com

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Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 8d

Rest in peace, you extraordinary, inspiring woman.
janegoodall.org

Remembering Jane - Jane Goodall Institute USA

1934-2025 Remembering Dr. Jane Scientist. Conservationist. Humanitarian. Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, was a remarkable example of courage and conv...

janegoodall.org

Reposted by Deb Ryan

Amy McGrath @amymcgrath.bsky.social · 9d

Hegseth claimed we need to “return to the male standard” in combat jobs, but there has never been a separate male and female standard. When women entered combat roles, one standard was set, and we’ve been meeting it ever since. You can either do the job or you can’t. Period.

youtu.be/9TGwqIi1qIA

Hegseth's Comments on the Military Show "He still has a lot to learn," says Amy McGrath

YouTube video by Democratic Majority Action PAC

youtu.be

29 180 550

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 11d

Yep.
www.newsobserver.com/opinion/arti...

Trustees are making one mess after another at UNC-Chapel Hill | Opinion

Following the election of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2016, Republican lawmakers moved to take full control of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

www.newsobserver.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 14d

""Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." -- Proverbs 16:18

apnews.com/article/pell...

What to know about the opposition around renaming new Pell grants after Trump

A proposal to name a new provision in the federal Pell Grant program after President Donald Trump has sparked controversy.

apnews.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 14d

"State Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, slammed Walters... after the announcement, saying... Walters' appointment as superintendent led to 'a stream of never-ending scandal and political drama' and calling him 'an embarrassment to our state.'"
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

Oklahoma state superintendent who ordered schools to teach the Bible resigns to lead anti-teachers union group

Oklahoma state Superintendent Ryan Walters embraced controversial culture war issues during his tenure.

www.nbcnews.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 15d

The FAFSA is open a week early.

For more on changes to financial aid:

A good summary from UNC Charlotte
ninercentral.charlotte.edu/article/One-...
Another from Emory
studentaid.emory.edu/resources/fe...
and another from NAICU
www.naicu.edu/policy-advoc...

NAICU - Frequently Asked Questions About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

www.naicu.edu

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 16d

More chaos for higher ed, with good reason.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors consider leaving US south

Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politics

www.theguardian.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 17d

Interesting news for UNC…

www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

Former Provost Sues UNC-Chapel Hill Trustees Over Closed Meetings

Chris Clemens accused the trustees of "hiding matters of grave public concern,” including tenure debates, using a Signal group and closed session.

www.theassemblync.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 17d

Heck yeah, Chicago!
chicago.suntimes.com/education/20...

Chicago Public Schools stands by Black Student Success Plan in face of Trump administration's threat

The school district told the U.S. Department of Education it should be given more time and due process before a federal grant is withheld.

chicago.suntimes.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 18d

@ncgovernor.bsky.social How about NC?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

States rally to offset fracturing of federal healthcare agencies: ‘Diseases don’t see state lines’

Changes to regulatory or information environments will help states decouple from federal health recommendations

www.theguardian.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 19d

What's happening at Harvard, from @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social
If you're not reading student newspapers, you should be. They are on the front lines and doing some of the most important reporting right now.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Education Department Gives Harvard 20 Days To Submit Documents in Admissions Investigation | News | The Harvard Crimson

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on Friday gave Harvard a 20-day deadline to turn over information in an investigation into its consideration of race in undergraduate admissions, ...

www.thecrimson.com

Reposted by Deb Ryan

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 19d

You hear a lot about the FIre free speech rankings, which dominate media coverage:
More info about their methodology, which excludes calculation of state level policies. Instead, it is basically student assessment/institutional policies/events.
rankings.thefire.org/methodology
osf.io/6d5gv

How We Rank Colleges on Free Speech

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's College Free Speech Rankings is a comprehensive comparison of the student free speech experience on 257 colleges and universities nationwide, incl...

rankings.thefire.org

15 71 310

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 22d

Higher ed news #2 today from @theintercept.com
theintercept.com/2025/09/16/g...

Google Secretly Handed ICE Data About Pro-Palestine Student Activist

Google handed over Gmail account information to ICE before notifying the student or giving him an opportunity to challenge the subpoena.

theintercept.com

1

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 22d

Higher ed news today #1

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Members of Congress condemn Kristi Noem over fate of migrant ‘Dreamers’

Letter signed by 78 demands to know how many people protected under Daca have been arrested or deported

www.theguardian.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 22d

Just donated to her GFM. Rock on, Angie!

newmexicanextexan.bsky.social @newmexicanextexan.bsky.social · 22d

Angie Vargas is a heroine who walks among us.

Grant Marek @grantmarek.bsky.social · 23d

Though she doesn’t have ample free time as a soccer mom with a full-time job, Vargas tries to use what slivers she can manage shrewdly. “The minutes that I do have extra, I use them for the community.” Her method? Chasing ICE officers with her car.

via @sfgate.com
www.sfgate.com/la/article/a...

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Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 23d

The only way for higher ed to move forward is to fight back.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/16/u...

University of California students, professors and staff sue the Trump administration | CNN

The Trump administration is using civil rights laws to wage a campaign against the University of California in an attempt to curtail academic freedom and undermine free speech, according to a lawsuit ...

www.cnn.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 23d

Congratulations to @xpleeformnhouse.bsky.social
Thank you for your thoughtful leadership in this tragic time. Lee's victory statement read: “I have never lost sight of the situation that brought us to this moment, and I will work hard every day to carry forward Speaker Melissa Hortman’s legacy."

1

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 23d

Yes, please!
apnews.com/article/main...

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is taking steps to run for Senate in 2026, sources tell AP

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is taking steps toward running for the U.S. Senate in 2026. That's according to two sources who spoke to The Associated Press.

apnews.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 24d

Great reporting from the N&O on what’s going on in NC.

www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

What changes did UNC System campuses make in 2nd year of anti-DEI policy?

Learn more in The N&O’s higher ed newsletter about new steps UNC System campuses are taking to comply with the repeal of diversity, equity and inclusion.

www.newsobserver.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 24d

Local government is sometimes the strongest of all. “These are bumpy times... if we’re going to get our asses handed to us, then we’re going to get our asses handed to us with our values intact.” -- Leonardo Williams, the Democratic mayor of Durham, North Carolina
www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

Democratic mayors are backing colleges even ‘if we're going to get our a—es handed to us’

Despite the economic risks many cities face, some mayors argue the stakes are about free speech and the future of academia.

www.politico.com

Deb Ryan @missdebcollege.bsky.social · 29d

Remembering friend, classmate, and extraordinary human being John Schroeder today.