Author: James A. Bacon
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A Hostile Environment for Jews
by James A. Bacon Matan Goldstein is a rarity at the University of Virginia — a Jewish student unafraid to openly defend Israel in its war with Hamas and oppose Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a pro-Palestinian group that praised Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks on Israeli citizens. The Israeli student has appeared on…
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W&L Students Trained in Privilege, Identity, and Intersectionality
Once upon a time university students spent their college years, to use the vernacular of the time, “finding themselves.” It was a journey they undertook on their own by sampling from a wide range of courses, experimenting with sex, alcohol and drugs, and floating ideas — and shooting them down — in dormitory bull sessions.…
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How Unbiased Is UVa’s Religious-Diversity Task Force?
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia task forced assigned the job of ensuring that UVa is “welcoming” to all religions includes two faculty members who signed an open letter criticizing UVa President Jim Ryan for failing after the October 7 terrorist rampage afflicted upon Israel to acknowledge the suffering of the Palestinian people.…
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At Last, Something Bold from Youngkin
by James A. Bacon Governor Glenn Youngkin has always fought for lower taxes, but his proposals — one-time rebates, tinkering with tax schedules — never captured the imagination. Speaking before the House and Senate Finance Committees today, he rolled out two initiatives that you don’t need a tax preparer to understand. Proposal #1: a 12%…
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The Asymmetrical Application of Free-Speech Principles
by James A. Bacon Clifford S. Asness, founder of AQR Capital Management, did a masterful job of distilling the free-speech debate on college campuses to its essence. Though he had in mind the disastrous testimony of the three Ivy League presidents last week regarding Palestinians and Jews, his Wall Street Journal op-ed describes the dilemma…
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Kalven Principles for UVa?
by James A. Bacon Five years ago, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan took to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter to comment upon the horrific murder of 11 Jews in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh by a white nationalist. “This kind of hate and violence goes against everything this country…
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Does UVa Need to Charge Higher Tuition to Keep Pay Competitive?
by James A. Bacon The Ryan administration notched up two big wins in the University of Virginia Board of Visitors meeting Thursday and Friday. It pushed through 3% tuition increases for the next two academic years and it framed the budgetary debate to its advantage. Rather than engaging in a wide-ranging discussion of how UVa…