- Education Department Title IX Rule Takes Effect
- Administration Designates Confucius Institute US Center as Foreign Mission
- AAU, Associations Urge DHS, State Department to Ensure Timely Processing of International Student Visas
- Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus Co-Chairs Urge Relief for USDA NIFA in Pandemic Package
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TITLE IX RULE TAKES EFFECT
The Education Department’s new Title IX Rule takes effect today after Judge Carl John Nichols of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday denied a motion that asked the courts to delay the August 14 effective date for the Education Department’s new Title IX regulations. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of 17 states and the District of Columbia challenging the substance of the new regulations and the process by which they were issued. On Monday, a federal judge in New York denied a motion seeking a stay and preliminary injunction in a similar suit filed by the New York state attorney general and the New York City Board of Education.
Previously, AAU joined 24 other organizations to submit amicus briefs in support of these motions, and 71 other higher education organizations to submit an amicus brief in a similar lawsuit filed by the National Women’s Law Center in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
In May, former AAU President Mary Sue Coleman issued a press release to urging the Education Department to delay the implementation of “this extensive and complex change in federal regulations” due to the additional burden these changes would put on campus operations that are already “strained to their limit” by the pandemic. In January, AAU submitted comments asking the department to remove certain requirements of the rule and to provide clarifications about others.
ADMINISTRATION DESIGNATES CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE US CENTER AS FOREIGN MISSION
On Thursday, the administration announced it would designate the Confucius Institute U.S. Center in Washington, D.C. as a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China. According to the administration, the program is part of Beijing’s propaganda and influence operations on campuses and in K-12 classrooms. The designation would require the center to submit reports to the U.S. government about its funding, personnel, curriculum, and other activities in the country. While the action does not directly affect campus-based Confucius Institutes, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in the announcement that the goal of the designation is “to ensure that American educators and school administrators can make informed choices about whether these [Chinese Communist Party]-backed programs should be allowed to continue, and if so, in what fashion.”
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE DHS, STATE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE TIMELY PROCESSING OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISAS
On Wednesday, AAU was joined by ACE, APLU, and NAFSA on a letter to Assistant Secretary of State Carl Risch and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan urging them to ensure international student visas are processed in a timely, safe manner that allows them to return to their studies in the fall. The letter requests that DHS and the State Department work together to share rapidly evolving guidance to help colleges and universities as they advise their international students about entry into the United States.
CONGRESSIONAL AGRICULTURE RESEARCH CAUCUS CO-CHAIRS URGE RELIEF FOR USDA NIFA IN PANDEMIC PACKAGE
On Monday, Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus co-chairs Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders requesting they include relief for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture in any future pandemic aid package. According to the representatives, funding for our nation’s agricultural research provides a major return on investment that “assist[s] producers, businesses, and local families while helping our nation maintain its competitive edge as the leader of global agricultural research.” The letter further highlights the need for aid to restart research shuttered because of COVID-19. “In order to restart research with the necessary safety protocols in place, Congress must invest in additional resources to cover costs related to securing personal protective equipment and unbudgeted restart materials needed to safely facilitate research again,” the representatives say.