Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 8m

A barista addressed me as "Friend" twice.
Is the coffee shop a cult, or was I unknowingly threatening in some way that he was trying to diffuse?
Or maybe I finally give off no-gender vibes, and he didn't want to risk ma'am or sirring me?
WHICH IS IT, FRIEND?

Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 45m

I'm in the South because I want to be.
This is where the history is.
This is where the good work and good trouble is.

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Dave Mazella @davemazella.bsky.social · 1h

This appraisal and suggestion from @joshtpm.bsky.social seems important for higher ed folks to keep in mind, too. Trump may seem invincible to his followers & minions, but his second term is full of failures once it hits reality. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-s...

The Shutdown, Zombie Politics and How Trump Stumbled Into Not Being All-Powerful

It’s always a complicated matter to say who is “winning” a shutdown...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 1h

"If the University of Virginia agrees to the terms dictated by a memo sent last Wednesday by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, then this essay you are reading could cost the university all of its federal support—research funds, financial aid, everything."

Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 1h

And my take:

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Nashville Banner @nashvillebanner.bsky.social · 4h

Despite claims that community engagement is a priority for the project, residents of one South Nashville neighborhood were taken aback when they learned that The Boring Company had purchased property within a stone’s throw of their homes. “I don’t want the tunnel nowhere near us,” said one.

Boring Company tunnel project sparks neighborhood concern - Nashville Banner

Residents in South Nashville are concerned about how The Boring Company's planned tunnel connecting the airport to downtown will impact their lives and neighborhood.

nashvillebanner.com

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1h

This isn't just about the Compact for Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas Austin, University of Arizona, Brown University, and University of Virginia.

We ALL need to brush up on governance.

Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 4h

On the proposed Higher Education Compact: READ your Higher Education Institution and Board's bylaws & charter/establishing documents to understanding where the governance lies. Remember that fiduciary duty isn't purely financial. It's about the best interest of the institution in perpetuity.

Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Tim Steller @timsteller.bsky.social · 23h

The University of Arizona's faculty senate has voted to ask the UA president to reject the Trump administration's proposed compact. It's among an accumulation of voices who say not to be tempted by the good things in the compact due to its more fundamental threats.
tucson.com/news/local/e...

U of A Faculty Senate opposes Trump compact; provost says no decision yet

The University of Arizona Faculty Senate approved a resolution calling on the UA to reject the White House’s compact requiring ideological, political and financial commitments in return for federal fu...

tucson.com

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

ProPublica @propublica.org · 2h

As the Trump administration dramatically reshapes the U.S. public education system, ProPublica’s reporters are investigating how these changes affect people across the country.

Help us track developments at schools and colleges in your area 👇

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 4h

To put this on the record: @thexylom.com scooped Forbes by a full 12 days!

Unlike Forbes, whose data only has 25 universities, our database has all 212 land-grant, sea-grant, and R1 institutions affected by Trump's $100,000 H-1B fee.

And we didn't hide our reporting behind a paywall either:

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 4h

On the proposed Higher Education Compact: READ your Higher Education Institution and Board's bylaws & charter/establishing documents to understanding where the governance lies. Remember that fiduciary duty isn't purely financial. It's about the best interest of the institution in perpetuity.

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Mary Anne Franks @maryannefranks.bsky.social · 1d

"Academic freedom policies came from faculties, not the government. Governments are the enemies of academic freedom, not their protectors." Brilliant piece by @sivav.bsky.social about the Trump administrations' latest effort to censor universities newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 21h

Good conversation this morning with @politicsprof.bsky.social & @stephenricher.bsky.social about the proposed Trump "compact" on their Terms of Engagement podcast. Video at the link below.

My emphasis was: ignore the lofty goals and keep your eye on the enforcement mechanism—who has what power.

The Art of the Higher Education Deal?

YouTube video by Harvard Ash Center

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Rosa Lafer-Sousa @rosalafersousa.bsky.social · 4d

🚨 Are you an alum from one of the 9 universities Trump is attempting to extort right now?

✍️ Sign this petition to defend your university, free speech, and democracy. I signed.

This is a time for courage, not capitulation.
#JustSayNo #Compact 🧪🧠🧬

(context in thread)

Trump attacks 9 universities: Sign the alumni petition to defend your school now

Are you an alum outraged by Trump's attacks on universities? Defend your school now by signing this alumni petition in support of these 9 universities as well as campus communities across America.

alumni.controlshift.app

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Dan Hopkins @dhopkins1776.bsky.social · 6h

Grateful the Daily Pennsylvanian asked for my views on the administration's proposed Compact.

www.thedp.com/article/2025...

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Erin J. Wamsley 🧠📈😴 @wamsleylab.bsky.social · 6h

Dear Journalists,

PLEASE stop saying that Trump's #highered "Compact for Academic Excellence..." offers "preferred treatment" to signatories. That is false. Instead, it promises to revoke all funding, visa approvals, and tax-exemptions from any who don't agree to its outrageous fascist demands.

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

carwil.bsky.social @carwil.bsky.social · 1d

Vanderbilt AAUP: "The Compact is a threat. It aims to control nearly every aspect of university operations. Reject this Trump loyalty oath."

vanderbiltaaup.org/2025/10/06/s...

Statement by the Vanderbilt AAUP Executive Committee on the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

Vanderbilt’s AAUP chapter stands firmly against Trump’s “Compact,” which aims to control nearly every aspect of university operations. The compact contravenes federal law an…

vanderbiltaaup.org

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1d

I'm hearing this from many different corners of the history world. :/

Shanna "Read Black Fantasy" Miles @srmilesauthor.bsky.social · 1d

There are some very strange things going on at the Library of Congress. I’m doing searches for news articles from the Civil Rights Era. Political cartoons. That sort of thing. They used to be easily found.

That stuff is VERY hard to find now. Things are missing, people.

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1d

It's roughly here

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 1d

An important statement from #MIT faculty on Trump’s compact. #JustSayNo @nancykanwisher.bsky.social

Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 1d

I am proud of MIT, where our branch of AAUP has voted unanimously to endorse this statement urging MIT leadership and the MIT Corporation to reject the Compact wholesale
docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Letter Regarding Compact

MIT Chapter of the American Association of University Professors October 6, 2025 Statement on the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” MIT has been invited by the federal governmen...

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Jonathan Gilligan @jgilligan.org · 1d

The Vanderbilt chapter of @aaup.org has issued a statement condemning President Trump's proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" as an illegal assault on civil rights, academic freedom, shared governance, and institutional autonomy.

vanderbiltaaup.org/2025/10/06/s...

Statement by the Vanderbilt AAUP Executive Committee on the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

October 6, 2025 On October 2nd, Vanderbilt was among nine universities “invited” to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” with the federal government. The Compact, however, i…

vanderbiltaaup.org

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1d

A few pointed out there are other reasons for this growth pattern, but Wikipedia says that the 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak damaged or destroyed most of the park's adult trees, "a loss that would take generations to replace." The citation link is unfortunately dead because y'all didn't donate.

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly I find it very validating that all of BlueSky loves my tree. 💖

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Reposted by Angela Sutton (she/her)

Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 1d

"The compact is a threat." That's all that needs to be said.

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 1d

Vandy AAUP on the Compact. Share widely!

"We join the @aaup.org National Leadership in urging the Board of Trust, Chancellor Diermeier, Provost Raver, & the Vanderbilt leadership to completely reject this Trump loyalty oath & any other that seeks to commandeer Vanderbilt’s institutional autonomy."

Statement by the Vanderbilt AAUP Executive Committee on the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

October 6, 2025 On October 2nd, Vanderbilt was among nine universities “invited” to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” with the federal government. The Compact, however, i…

vanderbiltaaup.org

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1d

Could be! It's a Catalpa- durable AF.

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Angela Sutton (she/her) @drangelasutton.bsky.social · 1d

I love it!

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