Because we can't just have nice things, this week yet again James and Nic are tasked with sifting through the wreckage that is higher education in the age of anti-intellectualism. This week the duo gets to spend a sweet moment basking in the glow of a successful educator's strike (Shoutout CSU!) before being immediately reminded of the how hard it is out here in these streets. We pour one out for the Florida governor/baby man who just really wants y'all to chill with all these book bans and try to read the tea leave or what exactly the state of Oklahoma thinks diversity is. It's...not great. But we've got each other, great book recs, and a country Beyonce album to look forward to if that's your thing. Silver lining?

Further Reading:

California State Union Approves Tentative Deal, Despite Dissent (Inside Higher Ed)

DeSantis denies Florida book ban claims, backs limiting 'bad-faith' objections (ABC 6 South Florida)

The Rise and Fall of DEI at the University of Oklahoma (Chronicle of Higher Education)

The Met Aims to Get Harlem Right, the Second Time Around (New York Times)

What We're Reading:

Emma Pérez, Testimony of a Shifter

Zora Neale Hurston, I Love Myself When I'm Laughing, and then Again When I'm Looking Mean and Impressive