 | | | “I believe that only in that atmosphere of intellectual freedom
can we solve the problems before us now.” — Rachel Carson The Rachel Carson Council cannot carry out its mission of educating and advocating for climate and environmental justice without a functioning democracy marked by robust debate, dissent, free speech and academic freedom.  This April — normally noted for Earth Day, the achievements of RCC’s graduating campus Fellows, and the blooming and bursting forth of beauty that is springtime — political assaults on American colleges and universities have created a crisis of democracy not seen since the repression of campus protests of the late 1960s that led to the killing of student protesters at Berkeley, Kent State, Jackson State, and more. Those protests intertwined opposition to the Vietnam War and the military-industrial complex, to sexism, racism, and economic injustice, and to the lack of student involvement and empowerment in the governance of the very institutions that claimed to teach and encourage their engagement as concerned citizens. That repression was part of long-standing right-wing anti-intellectualism and opposition to “liberal” education, especially at elite institutions. Today, attacks on academia are the standard stuff of those who feel threatened in an increasingly diverse, multicultural, and increasingly educated society that is questioning the triumphal narrative of American history and demanding a fresh, realistic look at our legacy of slavery, racial exclusion, military expansion, and environmental degradation. And, amidst a climate crisis that threatens all life and institutions, many students and their professors want their colleges and universities to take action – including divestment from fossil fuels, weapons production, and now from investments that may prolong the massive civilian casualties arising from the Israeli military assault on Gaza in response to the invasion by Hamas on October 7. That is why this April edition of the Rachel Carson Council Campus Dispatch offers extended coverage of the current campus disruptions and the arrests of student and faculty that emphasizes the danger to academic freedom — including RCC’s work with students and Fellows at our 68 campuses that calls for various kinds of divestment, that works to end environmental racism, and, necessarily, challenges the prevailing narratives of American history and government. Carleton professors Amna Khalid and Aaron Snyder open our April issue with a powerful argument that student activism is central to the true mission of higher education — to produce engaged citizens and not, as many argue, to simply carry out research, teaching and publishing by presumably objective scholars whose students simply need to take good notes. In today’s climate, however, David Bell, Professor of History at Princeton, argues in “Elise Stefanik: Dean of Faculty” that students and faculty had best be engaged, critical, think for themselves, and take action. Otherwise, the academic rules of the game will be set by politicians like Rep. Elise Stephanik (R-NY), Chair of the House Republican Conference, who led the harrying of Ivy League presidents in recent hearings. The responses of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to Stefanik’s sharp questioning about what steps she would take to prevent anti-semitism (pro-Palestinian demonstrations) were initially praised by some observers as reasoned, yet sufficiently tough.  That ended abruptly when Shafik ordered city police in riot gear to clear a student tent encampment leading to over 108 arrests and the suspension of students.
Student reporters at the Columbia Spectator and Columbia, Barnard and other faculty reacted with outrage, likening the clearing of the tent encampment similar to police attacks on students at Columbia in 1968 that fueled further campus protests. As protests have since spread rapidly, it should be recalled that American campuses and their students and scholars had already been reacting to a variety of political attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on campuses from Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Governor (R-TX), many state legislatures, and in the case of North Carolina, by the UNC systems Board of Governors. In North Carolina, for instance, students not only opposed the anti-DEI rulings, they were angered at never being consulted or included in the decision making. The result of the current wave of repression of campus activism and protest will undoubtedly be an increase in student radicalism, of doubt and distrust in American institutions, and the obscuring of more traditional forms of student engagement and activism around the environment. And, worse, colleges and universities will be further stereotyped and attacked by the right as hotbeds of subversion, rather than as critical American institutions educating citizens and carrying out ground-breaking research, teaching, and action to solve existential threats like global climate change. Take a look at this issue’s reporting on universities like Penn and San Diego State solving systemic sustainability issues in their host cities, or the celebration of research at Florida University that allows us all to better understand and protect a changing environment. And, of course, check out our “Books” section for a dozen new books in honor of Earth Day selected by Yale Climate Connections. | | | | | | | |  Bob Musil is the President & CEO of the Rachel Carson Council and author of Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America’s Environment (Rutgers, 2016) and Washington in Spring: A Nature Journal for a Changing Capital (Bartleby, 2016). He is also the editor of the forthcoming annotated edition from Rutgers University Press of Rachel Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind with his Introduction, updated marine science, and historic and contemporary illustrations and photographs. | | | | | | Student Activism is Integral to the Mission of Academe “What upsets me about all the protesting…It’s making it really hard for people to learn.” So said Georgetown professor Jacques Berlinerblau on a recent Inside Higher Ed podcast. Berlinerblau continued: What we do on a college campus [is] not quite free speech. It’s expert speech. That’s what presidents have to defend, right? A college campus is a place where people are credentialed, they train, they receive doctorates, they are certified by their universities. | | | | | | | | Elise Stefanik, Dean of Faculty The zealous Trump booster wields dangerous influence over higher education. No matter what you think of American academe, you still should not want Elise Stefanik to run your campus. Unfortunately, over the past six months, this canny and effective five-term congresswoman from New York, chair of the House Republican Conference, and a zealously servile supporter of Donald Trump, has maneuvered herself into a position of dangerous influence over higher education. | | | | | | | | More Than 100 Arrested at Columbia as Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protest More than 100 people protesting the war in Gaza were cleared off Columbia University’s campus, arrested and charged with trespassing on Thursday. The arrests came a day after the university’s president pledged during a congressional hearing on antisemitism to balance students’ safety with their right to free speech. New York Police Department officers in riot gear entered the encampment with zip ties in the early afternoon and systematically arrested protesters, who offered little resistance. | | | | | | | | Columbia in Crisis, Again On April 30, 1968, New York City police officers, acting at the behest of officials at Columbia University, cleared five campus buildings that had been occupied by students protesting various issues linked to the war in Vietnam and the fight for racial justice. Police arrested around seven hundred people, and more than a hundred injuries were reported. The Spectator, the campus newspaper, quickly got an edition out, the front page of which contained photos of police surrounding an academic and a student with a bloodied head, as well as clipped, yet highly vivid, eyewitness dispatches compiled by 20 student journalists. | | | | | | | | Scholars Decry Columbia University's Arrest of Pro-Palestine Protesters Columbia University's decision to act against pro-Palestine student demonstrators who had been occupying its South Lawn, culminated in suspensions and subsequent arrests of more than 108 protesters in the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and a harsh rebuke from scholars from across the world. “The issue for us on campus is freedom of expression,” said Dr. Najam Haider, chair of religion at Barnard College, a private women's liberal arts college that is part of Columbia. | | | | | | | | Dozens of Campuses Shed or Alter DEI Efforts as Political Pressure Mounts Since January 2023, at least 116 college campuses have altered or eliminated offices, jobs, hiring practices, and programs that explicitly recruit and retain students and staff from marginalized communities in response to state legislation and political pressure, according to a Chronicle analysis. The Chronicle combed through local media reports, spoke with faculty and students, and surveyed college administrators to better understand how pending and enacted anti-DEI legislation is changing campus services. | | | | | | | | UNC System Board Committee Approves Policy Gutting DEI. Students Say They Were Kept Out. Administrative positions and offices dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion are likely to be eliminated at all public universities across North Carolina following a vote Wednesday by members of the board that oversees the campuses. The UNC System Board of Governors’ University Governance committee approved a policy that repeals the university system’s existing policy and regulation on diversity and inclusion, which require each of the state’s 17 public campuses to employ diversity officers. | | | | | | | | | | Criticism Mounts Against Texas Gov. Abbott’s Executive Order on Campus Antisemitism The state AAUP conference recently pushed back against the directive, saying it uses overly broad language and singles out certain student groups. A Texas executive order directing colleges to update their free speech policies to address rising antisemitism is seeing growing pushback from free expression and academic groups, who say its language is an example of governmental overreach. | | | | | | | | Protests Roil Columbia, Spread to Other Campuses Columbia cancels in-person classes as pro-Palestinian protests continue on and off campus. Reverberations affect Yale, NYU and Harvard. Columbia University moved all classes online as tensions over war in the Middle East persisted on the New York City campus Monday. It’s a full-blown crisis that comes in the wake of both a mass arrest involving more than 100 pro-Palestinian students on the university’s South Lawn last Thursday. | | | | | | | | Here Are the Gaza Encampment College Protests We Know About So Far Large-scale protests have erupted, with students demanding universities divest from companies linked to Israel’s war. A growing number of college students nationwide are staging encampments to protest their universities’ investments in Israeli entities in light of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has reportedly killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. | | | | | | | | Who Are Today's Climate Activists? As Earth Month 2024 gets underway, climate activists around the world are planning rallies and other events over the coming weeks to draw attention to the growing threats posed by climate change. Many of these demonstrations will focus on what humanity can do to stop fueling the damage. But while activists are amplifying the dire findings from scientists, you’ll likely see fossil fuel supporters attacking them on social media and TV | | | | | | | | Climate Storytelling at Vanderbilt: Mary Annaïse Heglar Highlights “The Highs and Lows of Climate Grief” Most conversations about the climate crisis revolve around the science and policy considerations about how to mitigate them. But what if the stories we tell about our changing climate are just as important to those plans as science and its policy ramifications? Writers, artists and scholars of the environmental humanities have opened a parallel discussion about climate change—one that examines not just what the climate crisis is, but how it feels—that has grown steadily louder. | | | | | | | | This Earth Day, Celebrate Research Driving Environmental Change As the world commemorates Earth Day, it serves as a reminder to pause and contemplate our intricate relationship with the planet we call home. Today marks a global celebration of the natural world, prompting reflection on our collective impact as we commit to safeguarding the environment for future generations. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences showcases a selection of groundbreaking research that advances our understanding of Earth and paves the way for positive change. | | | | | | | | Harnessing the Power of Observability May Increase Climate-Friendly Behavior A team of researchers has found that providing information to others about personal efforts to promote sustainability could increase the adoption of pro-environmental behavior. Drive through a residential neighborhood, and if you spot one home with solar panels, chances are you will find at least one or two more. Observability, the ability to see the behaviors of others, has been known for decades as an essential driver of human actions. | | | | | | | | Rapidly-Intensifying Tropical Cyclones Likely to Increase Flood Hazard in the North Atlantic as Climate Warms Many of the most devastating tropical cyclones (TCs) in history, including Hurricanes Andrew (1992) and Katrina (2005), underwent a process known as rapid intensification (RI). Defined by a wind speed increase of at least 30 knots (35 mph) within a 24-hour period, RI can be difficult to predict and can leave coastal regions with little time to prepare for a high-intensity TC, as happened when last summer’s hurricane Otis made landfall at Acapulco. | | | | | | | | Companies Ignoring Climate Risks Get Punished by Markets, New Study Reveals A pioneering study from the University of Florida has quantified corporations’ exposure to climate change risks like hurricanes, wildfires, and climate-related regulations and the extent to which climate risks are priced into their market valuations. The research also exposes a costly divide – companies that proactively manage climate risks fare much better than those that ignore the threats. | | | | | | | | Biomedical Ethics Class Visits Downing Farms Catawba students in Dr. Megan Flocken's Biomedical Ethics class visited the local Downing Farm to explore sustainable agricultural practices in action. Downing Farms, established by Tim and Jill Downing, is dedicated to sustainable farming methods, like crop rotation and use of non-Genetically Modified (GM) seeds. In Tim's introduction, he explained that GM is not unsustainable per se, but that most GM products, like seeds, are designed to make food more resistant to harmful herbicides and pesticides, which incentivize their continued use. | | | | | | | | Sustainability for San Diego and Beyond SDSU is leading collaborative efforts to prepare the region to prosper in the face of climate change A welding shop, a former educational center, an abandoned dry cleaner and a vacant lot of overgrown grass. These are some of the sites across National City identified as having potential for redevelopment into affordable housing, community gardens or public transit centers. | | | | | | | | Penn Celebrates Operation and Benefits of Largest Solar Power Project in Pennsylvania Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area. On 1,600 acres in Fulton and Franklin counties in central Pennsylvania sit two solar arrays. Comprising more than 485,000 panels, these make up the largest solar project in the Commonwealth, with a capacity of 220 megawatts. | | | | | | | | OCS Hosts Final Climate Investment seminar to Reflect on Past Sessions, recommend Future Action The Office of Climate and Sustainability hosted the final installment of its Investing for Mission-Driven Institutions seminar series Tuesday evening, which invited participating students and faculty to reflect on the previous eight sessions and share their takeaways. After several rounds of discussion, participants came to a consensus that Duke has an obligation to pursue sustainable and climate-conscious investment management strategies in order to be aligned with the University’s mission. | | | | | | | | Rachel Carson’s Legacy: A Call to Embrace Nature-based Solutions As we commemorate the anniversary of Rachel Carson’s passing on 14 April 1964, it is a poignant moment to reflect on her enduring influence. Her seminal work, ‘Silent Spring,’ not only unveiled the perils of chemical pesticides but also ignited a pivotal global discourse on our environmental stewardship. Today, amidst the escalating threats of climate change, rampant environmental degradation, and the relentless emergence of new pollutants, Carson’s clarion call for ecological harmony is more pertinent than ever. | | | | | | | | 12 New Books to Honor Earth Day  These books link climate change to biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.
In the more than 50 years since it was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has become Earth Month, a longer time to take a wider view of our connections with nature.
For Earth Month 2024, Yale Climate Connections offers a bookshelf that links climate change with the broader goals of preserving biodiversity and cultivating healthy ecosystems. The first book, “Gaia’s Web,” maps the broader terrain for the more focused books that follow. We need an “environmentalism [that] can combat climate change, restore biodiversity, cultivate empathy, and regenerate the Earth,” writes the author. To preserve biodiversity in a changing climate, we need to better understand our wild neighbors, to learn lessons from the tenacious beasts that recovered from near extinction, and to appreciate the roles that insects play in healthy ecosystems. Read more | | | | | | RCC prides itself on its National Campus Network of 68 colleges and universities. We are working to engage faculty members, students, and administrators in our efforts for a more just and sustainable world. With our growing fellowship program, our presence on campuses across the country has never been greater. Contact RCC today to bring our staff to your campus for lectures, workshops, or meetings to help find the best ways to engage your faculty and students in the efforts against climate change, environmental justice, and the work of the Rachel Carson Council. Campus Visits with RCC President, Dr. Robert K. Musil  RCC President & CEO, Dr. Robert K. Musil, a national leader in climate change, environmental justice and health is again available to book for in-person campus speaking events! Musil has been called “informative, challenging and inspirational all at once.” He is “motivational” with “intellectual depth” and “extraordinary impact.”
Dr. Musil is available for campus lectures and visits involving classes, meetings with campus and community groups, consultations with faculty and administrators, or for Earth Day, Commencement, and other special events. Stays range from one to three days. Reduced fees are in place for 2024-2025 and can be designed to meet reduced budgets. To arrange a campus visit with Dr. Musil, contact the RCC President’s Office at office@rachelcarsoncouncil.org. The RCC also offers talks, classes, and workshops on student engagement, activism, sustainability, and the RCC Fellowship program with: Director of Civic and Campus Engagement, Mackenzie Kirschbaum; Associate Director of Communications, Claudia Steiner; and Research and Policy Associate, Theo Daniels. To arrange, contact Director of Civic and Campus Engagement, Mackenzie Kirschbaum. | | | | | | | |  The Rachel Carson Council Depends on Tax-deductible Gifts From Concerned Individuals Like You. Please Help If You can. | | | |  Sign Up Here to Receive the RCC E-News and Other RCC Newsletters, Information and Alerts. | | | | | | | | | | | |
