Latest news with #Shibley
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's federal warnings to USF and Tampa? They don't say much.
The Department of Education announced Monday that 60 colleges and universities could face 'potential enforcement actions' if they didn't step up to protect Jewish students on campus, 'including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and education opportunities.' On that list of 60 institutions were the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa — both of which told the Tampa Bay Times they had not received the letters after the department made its announcement on Tuesday. Despite the ominous warnings of enforcement actions, the letters themselves contain no concrete allegations, no specific changes the schools must make and no mention of the potential punishments if they don't. USF is under investigation for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the bases of race, color and national origin. But the school was informed of that complaint in February 2024, and has been fully cooperating with the review, which is ongoing, said spokesperson Althea Johnson. 'Importantly, in its communication with USF, the U.S. Department of Education has stated that opening an investigation in no way implies that a determination has been made on the merits of the complaint,' she added. So why send a letter at all? 'The prior administration remained tepid, either reaching toothless resolution agreements with schools or allowing complaints to accumulate,' wrote Craig Trainor, the Department's Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. 'I write to remind you of your legal obligations under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act.' It's not unheard of for different administrations to focus on different areas of enforcement, said Robert Shibley, special council for campus advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Under the Obama administration, the Department in 2011 sent a formal letter to federally funded institutions outlining its updated interpretation of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. 'The statistics on sexual violence are both deeply troubling and a call to action for the nation,' the department wrote. The 19-page letter, since rescinded under Trump, clearly communicated that this would be the department's priority, Shibley said. 'These kinds of shot-across-the-bow letters aren't new,' Shibley said. But the education department under former President Joe Biden had already communicated that antisemitic discrimination was a priority in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 'This letter is just turning up the volume and focusing the message on these 60 institutions,' Shibley said. The incident that landed the University of Tampa on that list occurred in September 2023, roughly a month before the Oct. 7 attack, said spokesperson Eric Cardenas. 'The incident was resolved through the student conduct process,' he said. 'The university has fully complied with the (U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights) review to date.' Florida's public universities, including USF, were quick to adopt stricter campus protest rules in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack. The school now prohibits protests past 5 p.m. and asks for preapproval to host events on campus. 'You can say whatever you want about Israel, pro or con,' Gov. Ron DeSantis said at an April 2024 press conference. 'What you don't have a right to do is commandeer property. You don't have a right to harass individual students or faculty members.' The state has also signaled support for Trump's executive order instructing immigration officials to deport student protesters who voiced criticism of Israel as the conflict in Gaza intensified. 'It is a privilege for foreign students to attend universities in Florida or any other state in the country,' said State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues. 'Those who break the law or pose a threat to the safety and security of U.S. citizens should be concerned about losing the privilege of being in America.' The question of how to distinguish speech that is critical of Israel from speech that is antisemitic has always posed a problem in higher education, Shibley said. 'I sometimes question whether it's even possible,' he said. But the Department of Education's letter did nothing to clarify that distinction, and unlike the Obama administration's 2011 letter on Title IX complaints, it failed to outline the department's expectation for enforcement. 'If 100 people are carrying signs one day it's a protest and protected, but what if you're person 101 and someone complains that now it's a hostile environment, do you have the same rights as the first 100 people?' Shibley said. 'When schools have to deal with this kind of uncertainty, this invisible threshold, the natural reaction is to just shut it all down.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
RI State Police corporal honored by Special Olympics
SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI) — Special Olympics Rhode Island (SORI) has announced the winner of the second annual Elwood Johnson Outstanding Service Award. Rhode Island State Police Corporal Kyle Shibley has been named the recipient of the award, which seeks to honor members of the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Torch Run community. The annual running event raises both funds and awareness for Special Olympics. MORE: 3 Special Olympics RI athletes to compete in 2025 World Winter Games 'While all 15 nominees are outstanding members of law enforcement and committed supporters of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Rhode Island, Corporal Shibley's extraordinary service and deep connection with our athletes set him apart,' said SORI President Ed Pacheco. 'For over a decade, he has been a driving force in fundraising and advocacy, a constant presence at competitions, and a friend to so many of our athletes.' Shibley spoke to 12 News on Thursday and shared why he cares so much about Special Olympics. 'Just to be involved with Special Olympics and to see the smile on these athletes' faces when you put a medal over their head, it really means a lot,' Shibley said. 'We will continue this tradition of the state police supporting Special Olympics Rhode Island for many many years to come.' The award is named in honor of Richmond Police Chief Elwood Johnston who has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics Rhode Island and the Torch Run. Those who are up for the award are nominated by their respective departments or agencies. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education Department Orders Schools To Stop All Racial Discrimination
Last Friday, the Department of Education released a "Dear Colleague" letter directing educational institutions to stop all forms of racial discrimination in essentially all aspects of their operations, including "admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life." The letter, from Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor, mostly reiterates existing civil rights prohibitions on racial discrimination, as well as the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that barred race-based affirmative action in college admissions. "If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person's race, the educational institution violates the law," the letter reads. "The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation's educational institutions. The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent." While the letter primarily focuses on existing legal protections against race-based discrimination, it also singles out more nebulous forms of apparent discrimination in educational institutions. "Other programs discriminate in less direct, but equally insidious, ways," the letter reads. "[Diversity, equity, and inclusion] programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not." Obviously, the Education Department is well within its rights to remind schools that they can't discriminate against students based on race. But the DEI-related provisions could also create confusion and possibly cause some colleges to suppress academic freedom in the name of eliminating DEI. After President Donald Trump signed several executive orders banning DEI programs in the federal government, West Point went so far as to disband several student cultural organizations. "I think, what the letter is mostly meant to signal is a change in enforcement priorities. Most of what it's saying here is not new at all. But I think what they're trying to communicate is that they're going to enforce these laws with a different emphasis," says Robert Shibley, special counsel for campus advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a First Amendment organization. Shibley says the passage focused on DEI programs could lead to confusion and overreach, depending on how schools interpret it. "The way 'teach' is going to be interpreted, is going to be very important when looking at this 'Dear Colleague' letter," Shibley says. " I do think there's legitimate concerns to be had there. And I think it's important that the department clarify that sooner rather than later." Shibley also noted that universities shouldn't jump to overly broad interpretations of letters like this without further clarification. "I think it's also incumbent on universities to be responsible when they are figuring out how to apply these….Universities need to have a common sense approach to making a good faith effort to follow this kind of guidance. But that doesn't mean that they have to do things that are manifestly unjust at a moment's notice." How schools will ultimately interpret the letter remains to be seen, but if what happened at West Point is any indication, some colleges may do far more than merely follow decades-old civil rights law. The post Education Department Orders Schools To Stop All Racial Discrimination appeared first on
