Lawsuits in Republican-led states and a pair of court orders are blocking President Joe Biden’s efforts to ease loan repayments for cash-strapped graduates and enshrine new protections for LGBTQ+ students. Meanwhile, the president of New College of Florida fights back against criticism of the school’s decision to dump books en masse, and nearly 2,000 Cornell University are striking as fall classes begin.
Biden’s SAVE plan and new Title IX regulations paused
Biden’s SAVE plan was sidetracked in April after seven Republican-led states sued, believing the Department of Education was exceeding its authority. After a federal appeals court granted an injunction last month, the department requested a clarification on the court’s decision to bar the government from providing “any further forgiveness of principal or interest.” The court denied the department’s request this week, a move that some fear imperil all forms of loan forgiveness.
“If allowed to stand, this ruling would force millions of borrowers to pay hundreds of dollars more each month,” said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, according to Reuters.
The SAVE plan would have allowed borrowers’ debts to be forgiven after 10 years of qualifying payments, and it would have lowered some lenders’ bills to as low as $0 depending on their monthly income.
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Moreover, 10 states got the green light to continue ignoring new federal Title IX regulations that folded LGBTQ+ students and staff into its anti-discriminatory policies. The district judges’ rulings on two separate lawsuits recognized state lawmakers’ concerns that the regulations could pose a safety risk to other students. Despite the Department of Education’s attempt to enforce certain portions of the regulations, a Supreme Court order last Friday denied the request.
Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Idaho, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia will all be allowed to proceed. Injunctions from federal judges across another 16 states remain intact as well, CBS News reports.
Corcoran decries ‘sensationalized’ coverage of book dump
As news broke late last week about hundreds of library books being thrown out at the New College of Florida, students and activists charged onto the scene. However, college leaders have since defended the decision, regarding it as a routine consolidation of materials and a termination of damaged goods. However, some dumpster-diving students retrieved dozens of books in perfect condition. Many of the materials focused on LGBTQ+ topics and religious studies once housed in the college’s now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center, the Herald-Tribune reports.
College President Richard Corcoran has since defended the library’s decision. “Unfortunately, much of the coverage has been sensationalized, catering to the narratives of our critics,” Corcoran wrote in a statement.
However, New College placed its library dean on administrative leave for not following state administrative requirements while conducting the routine disposition of materials, WWSB reports.
1,600 employees go on strike
Maintenance and facilities workers, dining workers, gardeners, custodians and agriculture and horticulture workers went on strike the first day of move-in at Cornell University, The Hill reports.
Despite Cornell’s agreement to increase wages and provide stronger health and personal leave, union leaders believe they have failed to offer livable wages. “Workers at Cornell are fed up with being exploited and used,” said United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2300 President Christine Johnson. “The university would much rather hoard its wealth and power than pay its workers fairly.”
