| | “We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road—the one ‘less traveled by’—offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.” —Rachel Carson, Silent Spring As a new academic year begins, campuses across the nation are buzzing with more than just the excitement of returning students and fresh course loads. Behind the scenes, a complex web of political, social, and environmental issues continues to shape the landscape of higher education. DEI offices are closing, book bans are spreading, and protests are being stifled. The climate in higher education is shifting dramatically, but amidst these challenges, there is also resilience, innovation, and action. In states like North Carolina and Kentucky, DEI centers have been shuttered, sparking concerns over the future of diversity initiatives on campuses nationwide and the impact on student support services. At the University of Virginia, new restrictions on protest activities signal a tightening grip on campus expression, while at NYU, their recent stance of anti-Zionist discrimination in student conduct guidelines has reignited debates over free speech. These developments raise urgent questions about how universities can remain spaces of open dialogue and equitable access in an era of increasing polarization. Despite growing pressures, campuses remain vibrant centers for climate research and sustainability initiatives. Universities are at the forefront of discovering solutions to the climate crisis, from Swarthmore College’s innovative carbon-free energy system below their dining centers, to the University of Maryland’s advancements in climate-friendly air conditioning. The recent Aspen Institute call for a systemic approach to climate education highlights how institutions are integrating climate science into curricula and expanding climate centers, even as they navigate complex political landscapes. Student activism is also driving change. Fossil fuel divestment campaigns continue to gain traction, with over 1,500 college endowments committing to divestment strategies. A recent, contentious vote at Brown University even led to the resignation of a trustee in protest, underscoring the power of student-led movements to challenge institutional norms and advocate for a more sustainable future. As we gear up for a historic election cycle focused on environmental and social justice, the youth vote will be pivotal. Yet, with student voting having declined in 2022, the question remains whether this key demographic will mobilize in 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris, a proud alumna of Howard University, has brought renewed attention to the role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in shaping political engagement and leadership. Her candidacy has the potential to inspire a new generation of HBCU students, young voters, and first-time voters to become more involved in the political process. We also spotlight RCC Campus Network (RCCN) member Duke University’s Marine Lab, where students and researchers are addressing critical issues in marine science and climate change and debuted a new documentary on coastal community partnerships. In our “RCC Fellows Speak Out” section, you’ll hear directly from some of our 2024-2025 cohort of Rachel Carson Council Fellows. They share their insights on topics ranging from coastal erosion, familial connection to nature, and the effect policy has on environmental degradation. Their firsthand accounts offer a window into the challenges and triumphs of environmental advocacy, reflecting a generation’s unwavering commitment to justice and sustainability. This month, we introduce a new section to the RCC Campus Dispatch that amplifies diverse voices in environmental history. Our “Roots of Resilience” section celebrates trailblazers like Marguerite Williams, the first Black woman to earn a PhD in geosciences, and Grace Lee Boggs, whose legacy bridges environmental justice and social movements. Their stories remind us of the enduring impact of dedicated individuals working at the intersection of activism and education—much like the voices of our own RCC Fellows and university students today. Our “Books” section features Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake, a novel that navigates the complex intersections of environmental activism and identity. Through the lens of fiction, Kushner explores how personal and political tensions shape our engagement with the natural world—a timely reminder of the power of storytelling in inspiring action. As the new RCC Assistant Director of Campus and Civic Engagement and co-editor of the RCC Campus Dispatch, I am excited to bring these stories of resilience, advocacy, and innovation to light. Despite the challenges facing higher education, our campuses remain vibrant, dynamic spaces where critical conversations and groundbreaking research continue to thrive. Whether it’s advancing climate solutions, defending free speech, or advocating for DEI, the fight to preserve the integrity and purpose of higher education is more important now than ever. Stay informed, stay engaged, and join us in amplifying the voices and efforts that are driving change across campuses nationwide. Diego Tovar | | | | | | | Diego Tovar — Assistant Director of Campus and Civic Engagement Diego Tovar, Assistant Director of Campus and Civic Engagement, holds his master’s in Global Environmental Policy from American University and an undergraduate degree as a Udall Scholar in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability with a minor in Political Communication from Colorado State University. Diego has worked for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Navajo Nation Washington Office focusing on climate justice and climate adaptation. | | | | | How Big Oil’s Big Money Influences Climate Research A new study offers the first comprehensive look at the ties between fossil fuel companies and universities. For more than a decade, students have been begging their universities to stop investing in oil and gas companies. In 2019, protesters stormed the field of a Harvard-Yale football game at halftime, yelling, “Hey hey, ho ho! Fossil fuels have got to go!” | | | | | | University Funding From Fossil Fuels Slowing Switch to Green Energy – Report Study’s authors say integrity of higher education ‘at risk’ upon finding lack of attention to role of oil and gas firms Fossil fuel companies’ funding of universities’ climate-focused efforts is delaying the green transition, according to the most extensive peer-reviewed study to date of the industry’s influence on academia. | | | | | | University of Maryland Researchers Are Playing a Major Role in the Future of Climate-Friendly Air Conditioning Thanks to consistent funding from the Department of Energy, the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering has been improving the global landscape of energy conversion. As global temperatures continue to rise at a dangerous rate, so does the number of air conditioning units in use. | | | | | | Climate Ready: Innovative System Helping Local College Campus Become Carbon Neutral Students returning to class at Swarthmore College may not realize it, but they're part of a big change. The college has a huge environmental goal that it's a lot closer to reaching thanks to what's beneath the campus, especially beneath the Swarthmore College Dining Center. "It's the heart of our carbon-free energy system on campus," said Andrew Feick, Associate Vice President of Sustainable Facilities Operations and Capital Planning at Swarthmore College. | | | | | | Built By Students, For Students: EcoVillage Home a Product of Passion, Innovation The home designed and built by students, one of six constructed in the EcoVillage at Loy Farm’s first phase, involved more than 60 students over the course of an academic year and yielded lessons students will carry into their futures. Before teaming with fellow students last fall to build one of the first six homes in Elon’s new EcoVillage at Loy Farm, Abi O’Toole ’26 had never held a drill or used a power saw. | | | | | | Yale at Climate Week NYC 2024 From Sept. 24 to 27, Yale will host a four-day summit in New York City that highlights the breadth and depth of the university community’s work to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Under the banner of Yale Planetary Solutions (YPS), leading thinkers and organizations from across the Yale campus and around the world will convene at the Yale Club of New York City to explore and advance solutions to climate threat. The event coincides with Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event of its kind, and a meeting of the UN General Assembly. | | | | | | The Aspen Institute Is Calling for a Systemic Approach to Climate Education at the University Level Arizona State and UC San Diego will begin requiring climate courses this academic year. Columbia, Harvard and Stanford are going even further, creating schools devoted to climate change. In 2019, Laura Schifter’s phone buzzed with a message: “Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage From Climate Change.” | | | | | | | | How Biden Raised the Profile of the Free College Movement Although a signature campaign promise remains unfulfilled for the president, he still left his mark on the issue, laying the groundwork for Harris, Walz and the Democrats to build on if they win in November. President Biden entered the White House nearly four years ago with ambitious plans to make community college free—and check off a top item on progressives’ wish list for higher education. | | | | | | Can Professors Get STEM Students to Vote? STEM students vote at lower rates than college students over all. Experts say that connecting their course material to what’s on the ballot can help. For years, students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics have voted at lower rates than their peers—especially lagging those in education and library science, who are most likely to vote. | | | | | | Politics Climate is Increasingly a Factor in College Selection Politics count as a factor in college selection among perspective students, according to a new Echo Delta report. "Politics of College Choice: How Students’ Political Views Influence Where They Enroll" — authored by Jarrett Smit, senior vice president of strategy at Echo Delta, and Grant De Roo, the founder and principal at ADV Market Research — is based on a nationwide survey that included more than 1,000 high school juniors and seniors. | | | | | | Student Voting Declined in 2022. What Could That Mean for This Election? Far fewer college students voted in 2022 than 2018. That may not mean turnout rates will stay low this year, but the data could provide a clue about how to promote student voting come November. College students voted at lower rates in the 2022 midterm elections than they did in 2018, according to a new report, raising the question of whether the massive youth voting turnout that contributed to President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020 will be replicated in the upcoming presidential election. | | | | | | What Kamala Harris’ Presidential Nomination Could Mean For HBCUs The candidate’s status as a Howard University alum could spotlight the role historically Black colleges and universities play in preparing future leaders. At Texas Southern University, a Houston-based historically Black university, Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination to lead the Democratic ticket has sparked a sense of “pride and motivation,” according to sociology professor Carla Brailey. | | | | | | New College’s Book Dumping Went Viral. A Beloved Student-Led Center Was the Biggest Loss. A room tucked away at New College of Florida used to be decorated wall-to-wall with student-made oil paintings and drawings. One side housed a collection of books covering topics like gender studies, Black history, and LGBTQ+ issues. Another corner featured art supplies, including crochet hooks, stitch markers, and knitting needles used by the college’s decades-old knitting club, Anarchy Deathsticks. | | | | | | University of Kentucky Disbands DEI Center, Will Reassign Employees State lawmakers indicated further legislative attacks on DEI could be forthcoming, President Eli Capilouto said Tuesday. The University of Kentucky dissolved its diversity, equity and inclusion center Tuesday, preemptively addressing concerns over DEI by the state’s conservative lawmakers. The institution will reassign the responsibilities of the Office for Institutional Diversity to other campus offices, and the changes will not result in any job losses, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said in a statement. | | | | | | UNC Charlotte Shutters Its Three DEI Offices Amid Demand For ‘neutrality’ The university said it is complying with a new systemwide policy barring institutions from having offices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The University of North Carolina Charlotte dissolved its three DEI-related offices — the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; the Office of Identity, Equity and Engagement; and the Office of Academic Diversity and Inclusion — and reassigned 11 workers to comply with a new system-wide policy that bans such offices, the university announced Aug. 8. | | | | | | Utah VP on DEI Closures: ‘It’s Been a Grieving Process’ Lori McDonald, the University of Utah’s vice president of student affairs, reflects on the expedited process officials took to comply with the state’s new anti-DEI law. The University of Utah is one of many institutions in Republican-led states nationwide to be impacted by legislation mandating the closure of diversity, equity and inclusion offices—as well as the cultural and affinity centers that typically fall under the DEI umbrella. | | | | | | Can You Teach Free Speech? These Colleges Are Trying. The kinds of questions freshmen have to answer at orientation are typically mundane and uncontroversial: “Where are you from?” or “What do you think you’d like to major in?” or “Have you found the dining hall yet?” At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a group of first-years went past the small talk and swapped opinions on one of the most pressing topics facing higher education today — free speech. | | | | | | UVA Tightens Protest Rules After Chaotic Spring The state flagship will ban encampments and require people wearing masks to provide identification on request. The University of Virginia updated its protest policies Monday to include a ban on encampments and to require anyone wearing a mask on campus to provide identification when requested by university officials. The state flagship also laid out its penalty system for “willful noncompliance with University policies.” | | | | | | New Survey Examines Student Perspectives on Campus Protests Some 18% of college students on campuses with large protests reported in a new survey that the political climate interfered with their education, compared with 62% who said it did not. The nationwide survey, administered by SurveyUSA and led by Dr. Neil Gross, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology at Colby College, examines college students' involvement and opinions surrounding last spring’s antiwar protests encompassing a small percentage (16%) of student participants nationwide. | | | | | | Professors at the Protest When protests against the Israel-Hamas war swept across college campuses this past spring, student activists were joined in some cases by their professors. That’s what happened at Indiana University, where state police led a particularly aggressive crackdown on demonstrators. The professors’ reasons for participating were varied and complex, but their decisions point toward a thorny and persistent question: Do faculty members have any business joining student protests? | | | | | | NYU Says Anti-Zionist Discrimination Could Violate Student Conduct Rules Discrimination against people with Zionist beliefs, such as denying their entry to open events, could violate the university’s policy. Attacks on or discrimination against people because of their Zionist beliefs could violate New York University’s updated student nondiscrimination and anti-harassment guidance, drawing free speech concerns from some faculty members. | | | | | | Duke’s Marine Lab: At the Frontlines of Climate Change and Ocean Sciences Some learning just requires you to get salty, wet and muddy. Two hundred miles from Duke’s campus, the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort is an unusual learning environment where Duke students and researchers are addressing questions of ocean and marine science that affect us all. Learn more about the lab’s work and its partnership with the coastal community in a new documentary that will debut online at noon, Monday, Sept. 9. | | | | | | Duke Marine Lab Origins: Science With a Community Connection Dive into the fascinating history of the Duke University Marine Lab with Duke’s centennial year documentary, "Origins of the Duke Marine Lab.” Discover why Beaufort was chosen as the perfect home and explore how the lab has evolved since 1938. Get an inside look at DUML’s acclaimed research, impactful teaching and dedicated community service. | | | | | | 1,500 College Endowments Are Divesting From Fossil Fuels. You Can Convince Your School to Divest Too Most of you probably know that governments must soon change to cleaner and greener energy sources to prevent people from suffering or dying from the damaging effects of pollution and severe weather-related events. Fewer people know that students and environmental activists have pressured university and college officials for years to divest their endowment funds of all fossil fuel holdings. | | | | | | Brown Trustee Resigns in Protest Over Divestment Vote Joseph Edelman resigned over a looming vote to divest from companies linked to the war in Gaza. He called the vote, spurred by student pressure, “morally reprehensible.” Brown University trustee Joseph Edelman stepped down abruptly on Sunday, expressing objections to a looming October vote in which the board will decide whether to divest endowment funds from 10 companies profiting off the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. | | | | | | ‘Fossil Fuel Companies Are Hijacking Our Universities’: 6 Top Schools Received Over $100 Million in Funds From Polluting Industries Since 2003 Elite universities in the United States — which conduct important climate research — are raking in millions from fossil fuel interests, potentially creating conflicts of interest. This is according to a collection of new reports compiled by student organizers and released by the student-led Campus Climate Network as The Guardian reported. | | | | | | Rachel Carson, Terry Tempest Williams, and Finding Hope Amidst Change I began my journey on the twelve-mile auto tour route at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, steering wheel in one hand, binoculars in the other. It was a birding expedition I had taken often, but never with the slight breeze of late September. I had no knowledge of the birds I would soon encounter; the prospect made me press the gas with gentle excitement. Each venture to the refuge is different. If there is anything that is consistent in Utah, it is change. | | | | | | Rachel Carson, Concrete and Steel in Brooklyn My neighbor’s fig tree hangs over the wall between us. When I moved to Brooklyn in June, the buds were green and taut. Now, at the dawn of fall, the juicy gems drip onto the tomato plants baking in the courtyard. When my parents drove up from Virginia to help me move, they looked for life on every street corner. “Look, Molly, a tree! You’ll be fine here,” they reassured themselves. This made me question whether I would, in fact, be fine here, but we must bloom where we are planted. | | | | | | Surrender and Staying by the Sea: Reflections on Climate Change In my new home in Iceland, it’s impossible to forget the power of the sea. It etches itself into our bodies and the roads we travel, and the vision we craft for what is to come. Of course, life everywhere relies on the mercy of water, air, and earth. But that reliance feels much more obvious here in Iceland, the land of fire and ice, with stories of recent avalanches, landslides, volcanic eruptions, gales and arching rainbows. I’m accustomed to a slower kind of slide into the devouring sea, like the one I witnessed growing up on the North Carolina coast. | | | | | | Adventurer to Activist: Climbers and Climate Advocacy I was halfway up the boulder with just one mat and a spotter beneath me. It probably wasn’t the safest setup, and the higher I climbed, the larger the risk of falling loomed. The more I pushed my body up the face of the rock, the harder it was mentally to retreat. If I didn’t give it my all, one wrong move could mean a serious injury, maybe worse. But there was so much to hold on for— like the pink and blue sunset that would soon paint the sky, or the thousands of stars that would brighten the desert night. | | | | | | Equi-tea: A Tale of Two Worlds At the peak of dawn, like clockwork, kitchens around the world come alive with the quiet ritual of making a fresh cup of tea, setting the tone for the promise of a new day. For so many, tea is deeply woven into the mundanely beautiful routines of our daily lives. We have tea for our sore throats, teatime to cherish with friends, and an evening cup to relax. Our language even reflects this inherent connection – from “spilling the tea” when we share some gossip to “sipping the tea” when we watch the world unfold before us. | | | | | | An Environmentalist in Alabama? When it comes to biodiversity in the United States, the South sparkles for its incredible array of species. The region’s frequent rain and warm, subtropical climate have nurtured an astonishing variety of freshwater animals. Alabama, in particular, has been described by scientists as a global biodiversity hotspot, boasting the highest number of freshwater fish, mussels, and crayfish species in the country while seventy percent of the state is covered in forests. | | | | | | The Climate Solution in Your Backyard – Urban Trees It’s a hot morning in May, and we’re lugging a burlap sack full of tree roots along the Illinois Prairie Path, taking care to hold the sapling’s slender trunk upright. We crunch slowly along the gravel path and take care to make way for the only other people out this early on a Sunday – mostly neon-clad bicyclists and enthusiastic dogs. Wiping the sweat from our brows, we place the young Quercus bicolor where an X marks the spot and start to dig. | | | | | | The Mystical Emu In elementary school, my family surprised my sister and I with a trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate the start of winter break. In the nights leading up to our departure, I would fall asleep dreaming of exploring Epcot, sipping on mystical butterbeer, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Booing my way up to Cinderella’s Castle. Having never visited Florida before, I was enchanted by the stories my friends shared about the warm, lush weather and palm trees lining every street. The entire experience felt like a dream come true, and I couldn’t wait to step into this magical world. | | | | | | Marguerite Williams Marguerite Williams broke barriers in the field of geosciences, becoming the first Black person to earn a PhD in the discipline. Her pioneering research and career set the stage for future generations, especially Black women, in a field where representation remains disproportionately low. From 1973 to 2016, only 69 Black women earned PhDs in geosciences out of nearly 23,000 total degrees awarded, highlighting the profound significance of Williams’ accomplishments. | | | | | | Grace Lee Boggs Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese-American author, activist, and speaker, stands out as a transformative figure whose work bridged environmental justice and social movements. With a career spanning over 70 years, Boggs made significant contributions to urban agriculture and community resilience, particularly in Detroit. Her journey highlights the intersections of activism, education, environmental justice and community engagement. Boggs’ path into activism began in Providence, Rhode Island, where she was born in 1915 to parents from Qing dynasty China. | | | | | | CREATION LAKE A deft, brainy take on the espionage novel. A woman infiltrates a cabal of French radicals. Will she go native? The narrator of Kushner’s fourth novel goes by Sadie, though her real name—like much of her identity—is clouded in mystery. She works undercover to undermine environmental activists, formerly for the U.S. government, but since a case went sideways, she’s gone freelance. Now, she’s been commissioned by unnamed “contacts” to disrupt the Moulinards, a small farming cooperative in southwestern France protesting a government effort to construct a “megabasin” to support large-scale corporate farming. The Moulinards’ leader, Bruno, is an “anti-civver,” skeptical not just of capitalism but of the entire human species. (His writings—he exists largely in the form of email dispatches—argue that Neanderthals might have been better adapted for the planet.) Sadie has an arsenal of tools to monkey-wrench the monkey wrenchers—a willingness to exchange sex for access, a knack for languages and hacking, well-made cover stories, fake passports—but her work among the Moulinards stokes her own identity crisis. As she enters their world, she processes their enthusiasm, their philosophy (there are abundant references to critic Guy Debord), and their paranoia, which escalates as a national minister plans a visit to the region, upping the stakes. As if echoing Bruno’s concern, Sadie is such a slyly clever human that she’s undermining her own humanity. Sadie is similar to Kushner’s earlier fictional protagonists—astringent, thrill-seeking, serious, worldly—but here the author has tapped into a more melancholy, contemplative mode that weaves neatly around a spy story. Nobody would mistake it for a thriller, but Kushner has captured the internal crisis of ideology that spy yarns often ignore, while creating an engaging tale in its own right. Click here to purchase | | | | | RCC prides itself on its National Campus Network of 69 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 Communications, Claudia Steiner; Assistant Director of Campus and Civic Engagement, Diego Tovar; Assistant Director of Research and Policy and Programs, Theo Daniels and Assistant Director of Research and Policy Programs, Joy Reeves. To arrange, contact Assistant Director of Campus and Civic Engagement, Diego Tovar. | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | |