Podcasts about dear colleague

On today's episode, we discuss recent developments in US Higher Education, including Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, and the new significance behind this case under the Trump Administration, as well as the "Dear Colleague" letters issued by the US Department of Education this year. Subscribe to our podcast today to stay up to date on employment issues from law experts worldwide.Host: Marcia DePaula (email) (Steptoe & Johnson PLLC)Guest Speaker: Derek Ishikawa (email) (Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP)Support the showRegister on the ELA website here to receive email invitations to future programs.

District cites legal advice, fear of losing funds The Haldane school board voted unanimously on Tuesday (April 22) to suspend its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy in hopes of safeguarding $450,000 in federal funding threatened by the Trump administration's opposition to DEI programs. The district's resolution suspended the policy "pending clarification of the conflict between the respective positions of the state and federal governments regarding Title VI [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964] and DEI." The five-member board also approved a resolution certifying compliance with Title VI, which prohibits racial discrimination in federally funded programs. The Trump administration had set a Thursday (April 24) deadline for local school districts to eliminate "illegal DEI practices" or potentially lose funding. However, on Thursday, a federal judge in New Hampshire temporarily blocked the administration's guidance forbidding DEI efforts in K-12 public schools. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the Republican administration of violating teachers' due process and First Amendment rights. On Friday, attorneys general from 18 states, including New York, sought a federal court order stopping the Department of Education from implementing the April 3 certification demand, calling it illegal and unconstitutional. In February, the U.S. Education Department told schools and colleges they needed to end any practice that differentiates people based on their race or they would risk losing their federal funding. Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, issued a "Dear Colleague" letter arguing that a Supreme Court decision in 2023 banning race-based college admissions extended to DEI policies in public schools. "DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not," Trainor wrote. "Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes. Consequently, they deny students the ability to participate fully in the life of a school." Earlier this month, the department ordered states to gather signatures from local districts certifying compliance with civil rights laws, including rejection of what the federal government calls "illegal DEI practices." The directive did not carry the force of law but threatened to use civil rights enforcement to rid schools of DEI practices. Schools were warned that continuing such practices "in violation of federal law" could lead to U.S. Justice Department litigation and termination of federal grants and contracts. At least 15 states, including New York, said they would not comply with the federal order. "We understand that the current administration seeks to censor anything it deems 'diversity, equity & inclusion,'" wrote Daniel Morton-Bentley, a lawyer for the New York Education Department. "But there are no federal or state laws prohibiting the principles of DEI." He added also that the federal government had "yet to define what practices it believes violate Title VI." At Haldane, interim Superintendent Carl Albano called the federal dollars, which are used to educate students with disabilities, provide student lunches and fund other initiatives, "a significant amount of money" that "could be at risk if you keep these policies in place." He said that Haldane's legal counsel had advised suspending the DEI policy, at least temporarily. The district adopted its DEI policy in December 2022 in "recognition of the inherent value of diversity and acknowledgement that educational excellence requires a commitment to equity in the opportunities provided to students and the resulting outcomes." The policy noted that Haldane's mission is to prepare its students to succeed in "an ever-changing global society," a goal that requires incorporating a DEI l...

Financial markets continued their upheaval today after President Trump has doubled down on his tariffs. The S&P 500 was down 0.8% in late trading, following another volatile day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 563 points, or 1.5%...while the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower. This comes as a growing number of Republicans are signing onto bills that would give Congress more power over tariffs. Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon introduced a bill today that would give Congress the authority to approve tariffs. In the Senate, six Republicans have signed onto a companion bill led by Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell. That bill has prompted a veto threat from the White House. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is publicly sticking by the tariff strategy Tariffs aren't the only issue dividing Congressional Republicans as the revised 2025 Republican Budget resolution is scheduled to hit the floor this week. This is the same bill that the Senate approved in the early hours of Saturday morning. At least three other Republicans have said they will oppose it on the House floor. That comes despite pressure from a Dear Colleague letter from House Republican leadership on Saturday and a private conference call on Sunday. And Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was at the White House today. It's his second visit since January. He stated that his country will eliminate the trade deficit and trade barriers with the US, and that he hopes Israel can serve as a model for other countries to do the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Monday Matters, Jen and I talk about some of the responses to the “Dear Colleague” letter sent out by the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Sent to educators across the country, this letter has generated a multitude of responses from teachers, principals, and superintendents alike. If you would like […] The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Dear Colleague Letter appeared first on Principal Matters.

In this week's rapid-response episode, Dr. Heather Shea is joined by Drs. Felecia Commodore and Brendan Cantwell to break down the latest developments in higher education policy and politics. They discuss the U.S. Department of Education's historic layoffs, the detainment of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, and the federal government's decision to withdraw funding from Columbia University and the University of Maine system. Correspondents discuss Why does this matter? And what can student affairs educators and higher ed leaders do to respond? Tune in for expert insights and actionable takeaways. PlayCurrent Campus Context: Education Cuts, Student Detainment, and the Politics of Funding Suggested APA Citation Shea, H. (Host). (2025, March 14). Current Campus Context: Education Cuts, Student Detainment, and the Politics of Funding (No. 251) [Audio podcast episode]. In Student Affairs NOW. https://studentaffairsnow.com/currentcontext-mar14/ Transcript Heather SheaHeather. Hello. Welcome back to current campus context brought to you by Student Affairs. Now the online learning community for 1000s of us who work in alongside and adjacent to higher education and student affairs, I'm your host, Heather Shea, and this episode was recorded at 5:11pm, Eastern Time on Thursday, March 13. As always, things might have changed by the time you listen, as I shared last week, this limited series is all about making sense of the moment. We're in higher ed is facing rapid changes, and each week we will bring in two experts to help us break down what's happening, why it matters, and what we can do within our spheres of influence. Our goal to provide not just news, but context, perspective and strategies for action. I also want to mention we have a rotating group of five experts contributing to this series, so you'll see some familiar faces over the next several weeks, and you can learn more about all of our correspondents on our website, Student Affairs now.com I'm excited today to introduce our two correspondents who will help us unpack the latest developments. First, Dr Felecia Commodore, an expert in leadership, governance and administrative practices in higher education, with a focus on HBCUs MSIs and black women in leadership. She is an associate professor in educational policy organization and leadership at the University of Illinois. Urbana Champaign, welcome Felecia. Felecia CommodoreThank you. Excited to be here talking through this time. To be alive Heather Sheaa lot. It's a time and joining us again this week. Thanks so much for coming back. Dr Brendan Cantwell, Brendan is an expert in higher education and Policy Governance and political economy of higher ed. He is a professor of higher adult and lifelong education at Michigan State University. Thanks for coming back and joining us for another day, for another episode. Brendan, Brendan Cantwellhey, great to be here. It feels like a year in between the week, Heather Shearight? Yeah, there this week is a lot of things have have happened, so I'm going to give a quick synopsis of three things that have kind of risen to the top of my list, and then we're going to unpack and discuss. So first of all, last week, we reported on Linda McMahon issuing a statement about the final mission. Now, earlier this week, the US Department of Education laid off over 1300 employees, really gutting the department, one of the largest cuts in history. I'm left with many questions, right? So what functions of the department remain? What responsibilities will shift to other agencies? What does this mean for federal financial aid, for education policy, for the office of civil rights enforcement, of the policies that the Dear Colleague letter laid out, which we discussed a little bit last week as well. That's issue number one. Second, I'm thinking about the detainment of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, in other words,

The Department of Education has rolled out guidance on how it plans to enforce President Trump's recent EOs regarding "unlawful DEI." Although the guidance provides education institutions with some information regarding how to comply, many questions remain unanswered.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Organization Strategies 02:52 Understanding the New Department of Education Guidance 05:55 The Impact of Title VI on Higher Education 09:00 Admissions and the Essay Loophole 11:51 Curriculum and Academic Freedom 15:05 Protests and Free Speech on Campus 17:59 Compliance and Discriminatory Practices 20:53 Conclusion and Future Implications

SEASON 3 EPISODE 107: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: He has to go. And Minority Whip Katherine Clark. And Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. And for that matter, Gavin Newsom has to go. Because after these standard-issue moderate Democrats vanished on election night they have suddenly reappeared 125 days later to address the REAL issue: Democratic House members who actually DID something to protest Trump - even just something symbolic like Al Green did, or those who supported him did. Jeffries and the others called them to a "come to Jesus" meeting to warn them never to ignore his "Dear Colleague" letter again, that the way to stand up to Trump lighting the county and the world on fire is to hold up mincing little pickle ball paddles with mild words on them and especially to coordinate outfits while not clapping. Out. Jeffries, Clark, Aguilar. And anybody else who doesn't realize that the last people capable of piercing Trump's bubble are Democrats at his speeches to Congress, and the media which has failed at the task even more than the Dems have. We need civil disobedience and instead Jeffries is warning Democrats, and 10 Democrats are joining the fascists, in punishing Democrats. And Newsom? His comments about trans athletes are bad enough. That he did them during a podcast with Charlie Kirk, arranged by Newsom's ex-wife Kim Guilfoyle, is far worse. I mean Newsom's judgment was already in doubt (he married Kim Guilfoyle FFS), but this is insanity. The nation is ablaze and the Dems are sending strongly worded notes. The media continues to collapse.It believed Trump's lies about pressuring Russia while he was in fact increasing his demands of Ukraine to include Zelensky resigning. And when Trump told a reporter he couldn't ask a certain question the White House Correspondents Association continued its policy of not commenting. And golly why did Trump think he could publicly threaten Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow? Well, because of Joe Scarborough, obvs. B-Block (38:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Stephen A. Smith is not running for president, but keep asking him. Happily he IS showing he doesn't understand the first thing about any of this. His newest political crush? Candace Owens. Meanwhile Musk doesn't understand sports or America. And the Prime Minister of New Zealand fired a diplomat for reminding Britain that Trump is simply doing now what they did to Czechoslovakia in 1938. C-Block (49:20) THURBER SPECIAL: Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio, needs about $200,000 to keep going. The least we can do is raise consciousness. So for the first time since the election here is not just one but two Thurber stories: my favorite ("A Box To Hide In") and my late father's ("I Went To Sullivant." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We apologize for being tardy to Homeroom today, Class! While we don't have a parent note, we do have trending education news to share with you! Let's focus in, because policy changes are coming fast, loud, and confusing. First, more labor unions representing educators join the AFT in their lawsuit against the federal Department of Education. The lawsuit follows the federal department's release of a Dear Colleague letter on February 14th outlining threats to funding for schools engaged in "DEI" efforts. Through the uncertainty, we agreed that we should focus on the effects, not the bluster. And now we see effects, as the department cancels hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for teacher apprenticeship programs. In response, eight state Attorneys General, including Wisconsin's Josh Kaul, filed suit. Because this isn't how we help students. So, there's a lot here. We urge you to focus past the dogwhistle of "DEI." This is a targeted attack on poor communities and on public schools. We'll be back on Wednesday and Friday with more hopeful podcasts! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Play Episode Description The ground is shifting daily in higher education—policy changes, legal battles, funding threats, and challenges to equity and access. These aren't just headlines; they have real consequences for students, educators, and institutions. That is why Student Affairs Now is launching a limited weekly series called "Current Campus Context." In this week's rapid-response episode, Dr. Heather Shea is joined by Drs. Brendan Cantwell and OiYan Poon to break down the latest developments—from the Department of Education's uncertain future to new guidance in the form of a Feb. 14 Dear Colleague Letter and FAQ, and executive branch threats to punish campuses that hold "illegal" campus protests. Why does it matter? And what can student affairs educators and higher ed leaders do to respond? Tune in for expert insights and actionable takeaways. Suggested APA Citation Shea, H. (Host). (2025, March 7). Current Campus Context: Dear Colleague Letter FAQ, "Illegal" Protests, and more (No. 249) [Audio podcast episode]. In Student Affairs NOW. https://studentaffairsnow.com/currentcontext_march7/ Transcript Heather SheaWelcome to the very first episode of current campus context brought to you by Student Affairs. Now the online learning community for 1000s of us who work in alongside and adjacent to higher education and student affairs, I'm your host, Heather Shea, and this episode was recorded at 5:15pm Heather Sheaon Thursday, March 6. Things might have changed by the time you listen. This new limited series is all about making sense of the moment. We're in higher ed is facing rapid change, and each week we will bring two experts to break down what's happening, why it matters, and what we can do within our spheres of influence. Our goal not just provide the news, but context, perspective and strategies for action. So I'm so excited to introduce our first two correspondents for today. First, Dr Brennan Cantwell is an expert in higher education policy, governance and the political economy of higher education. He is a professor of higher adult and lifelong education at Michigan State University. Hi, Brendan, hey, great to be here. And Dr oyun Poon is an expert in the racial politics of education, access, college admission systems and Asian Americans in education. She is a co director of the college admissions futures collaborative and consultant on higher education equity to Eleanor Governor JB Pritzker education team. Hello, well, welcome, hey, great to be here. Yeah. Thanks so much for joining. So this week, we're focusing on a few key developments with some significant implications for higher ed the first item earlier this week, Linda McMahon, immediately after being sworn in as Secretary of Education, issued her first statement about the department's final Mission. Pretty ominous sounding statement, and I think we expect it hasn't dropped as of the recording yet, an executive order charging McMahon with dismantling the Department of Education, even though we know that officially abolishing it would require an act of Congress. But this leaves me with questions about TRIO programs, Pell Grants, FAFSA. So that's Topic number ONE. Topic number two, february 14, your colleague letter. And then the subsequent FAQ document, which I think was meant to provide some clarification, but for me, made it more hazy in terms of what if anything we should be doing. And then meanwhile, the Chronicle of Higher Ed has been reporting that many campuses are taking anticipatory measures to comply. So that's topic two. And then the third topic, well, I don't want to bring in every single social media post. Earlier this week, Inside Higher Ed reported that the President doubled down on social media posting that college and universities that allow a legal protest would be at risk of losing federal funding. I'm thinking this maybe flies in the face of free speech. Maybe so. I think it goes without saying that these three issues wi...

One of the benefits of hosting a podcast in our field of civil rights and special education is that we can do quick follow-ups to incidents as they happen. If you follow us on social media, you know we cover many topics there, and we utilize the podcast for more in-depth conversations about relevant happenings in our field. One such recent event is the "Dear Colleague" letter of 2/14/25 sent out by the US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). It gives guidance clarifying how they will interpret federal laws about discrimination for educational institutions that receive federal funding. Let's take a closer look in today's episode. Show Highlights:Recent executive orders and memorandumsThe weaponization of DEIUnderstanding the “Dear Colleague” letterA breakdown of the January 21 Executive Order and its impactThoughts on civil rights, discrimination, and DEIWhat school districts need to understandAttempts to spread fear and chaosThere is power in the voice of the people! Stand up!Links/Resources:Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org Thank you for listening!Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show.Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns!FacebookInstagram–We are doing videos on Instagram, so connect with us here and send us your questions!TwitterIEP websiteEmail us: admin@iepcalifornia.org

Welcome to class, Pencil Busters! Today, we're discussing "Dear Colleague" letters, following up on our Homeroom session from Monday. Last week, the Office of Civil Rights within the federal Department of Education sent out a "Dear Colleague" letter to all schools subject to the department. So today, Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny break down what these letters are and why they matter. Ultimately, at least according to Johnny, these letters are antithetical to a healthy democracy- especially with contents like this latest one. Will this letter from the federal Dept. of Ed dictate curriculum? No. But will it influence curriculum and educational outcomes? Most certainly. Tune in to learn more! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Christian activist Jason Fileta and Biblical scholar Brian Doak talk about the state of Christianity in the United States in light of the Trump administration's emerging policies. How are Christians responding to the current political climate? What is it like to be a "DEI" professional in a Christian environment right now?Atlantic article: Is This What Cancel Culture Achieved?We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi.The February 14th Dear Colleague letter.More politics content with Jason:HOW Christians need to prepare for the new phase of American politicsDoes Trump Believe God actually SAVED him?If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

EAB's Carla Hickman and Kate Brown discuss the practical effects of the “Dear Colleague” letter and offer insights into how higher education institutions might respond to increasingly aggressive federal attacks on DEI. They urge listeners to prepare for all contingencies while avoiding the risks of proactive compliance. Carla and Kate also share resources available to help education leaders make informed decisions as they navigate the political landscape.

Class, let's get into the news for this week. President Trump's administration made clear that they do not value diversity, equity, or inclusion. Though those words "diversity," "equity," and "inclusion" separately rarely prompt any vitriol, together they form a rallying cry of- ironically- discrimination from some. Diversity is a basic truth of life, none of us is exactly the same. Inclusion should be a uniting force, where each individual is valued. And equity, equity is fairness incarnate. Equity is an ideal of each person having a fair shot at opportunity and success. Yet the second Trump administration paints these terms as sinister. And now in a Dear Colleague letter, this administration uses the very Department of Education they profess a desire to dismantle, to dictate curriculum. In response, AFT- led by President Randi Weingarten- sued the very same federal Education Department alleging that the dictates are not only harmful to students, but also illegal. Join us to discuss. BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Megan and Jill to discuss multiple updates from the Department of Education (ED). Karen kicks off the episode by debriefing listeners on ED's Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that directed institutions to cease using race preferences as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming, or be at risk of losing federal funding. Megan then discusses the latest updates with income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, including ED taking down the online application for the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) program and other income-based plans. From there, Jill unpacks the availability of batch correction functionality for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA, and what financial aid professionals can expect. Lastly, the team discusses Linda McMahon's pending confirmation as ED secretary, and the pending executive order from President Donald Trump that could seek to dismantle ED. 

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has made clear he has no intention of changing course based on one of the new directives from the Trump Administration. Earlier this month, the Department of Education issued a so-called Dear Colleague letter, which stated that any institutions receiving federal funds from that Department would be required to eliminate all race-based programs – including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs – or risk losing federal funds. Washington’s K-12 schools receive 7 percent of their funding from the Department of Education. Reykdal responded with his own letter last week, stating in part that he has: “Advised Washington’s school districts that they should not make changes to their existing policies, practices, and programming in accordance with this letter.” Guest: Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal Relevant Links: KUOW: 'We are not going backward.' Washington schools chief tells districts to maintain DEI programs despite Trump threat Seattle Times: WA superintendent tells schools to stand firm on ‘race-based’ programs Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shawna Mannon, mom to high school student Carter, joins FAACT's Roundtable Podcast today to discuss what her family experienced at her son's former high school regarding his food allergies and why she filed a lawsuit against the school district. We're also joined by FAACT's General Counsel and VP of Civil Rights Advocacy, Amelia Smith, JD, to explore civil rights and how they impact people with food allergies. Resources to keep you in the know:Contact OCR: Contact Office of Civil Rights - U.S. Department of Education"Dear Colleague" letter from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Russlynn Ali (PDF) - U.S. Department of EducationSection 504 Protections for Students with Food Allergies - U.S. Department of EducationPACER's National Bullying Prevention CenterFAACT's Education Resource Center - BullyingFAACT's Accommodations & Civil Rights Advocacy Resource CenterYou can find FAACT's Roundtable Podcast on Apple Podcast, Pandora, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.Thanks for listening! FAACT invites you to discover more exciting food allergy resources at FoodAllergyAwareness.org!

The university presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn testified before Congress on antisemitism in their schools. It didn't go well. Sarah and David talk Title VI implications, and: -David feels gaslit -The parents of a young Kansas City Chiefs fan threaten to sue Deadspin for libel -Acheson and why mootness is easy and standing is hard -Happy holiday housekeeping Show Notes -Harvard ranked last in free speech  -U.S. Department of Education Reminds Schools of Their Legal Obligation to Address Discrimination, Including Harassment -Department of Education's newest ‘Dear Colleague' letter relies on unconstitutional standards, but offers some promise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While we gear up for season 4 of the Learning Can't Wait podcast, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes.   This week is Kristina Ishmael, Deputy Director of the office of EdTech at the U.S. Department of Education.   Kristina sits down with Hayley Spira-Bauer to discuss how schools can leverage federal funds and integrate ed-tech with in-person learning.  They also discuss the important role that mental health plays for students and teachers alike, and Kristina shares how her own mental health journey led to a career in education.   Join us every Tuesday at https://lnkd.in/gWneRU_u.  Next week, we revisit our conversation with Nina Rees, the President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

A lot has been happening up on the Hill that affects higher education. In his latest podcast episode, Dr. Drumm McNaughton catches up on the latest news with Tom Netting, president of TEN Government Strategies, who advocates before Congress, federal agencies, and state governments on behalf of private institutions of higher education and post-secondary education companies.   Tom discusses the parts of the infamous debt ceiling bill that are important to the higher ed community, the two-year cap on discretionary spending that will impact the Department of Education, the House and Senate voting in favor of disapproving the Biden administration's proposal for student debt cancellation, income-driven repayment changes being proposed at the regulatory level, and the return to the repayment, the Department's reaction to the Biden administration's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Second Forum on NC-SARA, when the upcoming Neg Reg will likely take place, Title IX and short-term Pell eligibility updates, and the Department's strong look at the definition of a third-party servicer.   Highlights   The McCarthy-Biden compromise codifies student loan repayments resuming since Congress and the president have recognized that the pandemic is over. The bill proposes that 60 days after June 30, the student loan repayment process begins anew, including the requirement for interest to start accruing, for collection agencies to connect, and for servicers to reconnect with the borrowers. The Department is once again beginning to discuss with servicers how to implement contact with borrowers to reeducate and refresh their memory of these responsibilities. The transition won't start right on September 1. There'll be some lag time for borrowers to get back into the transition.   The two-year cap on overall discretionary spending in the broader context of the McCarthy-Biden compromise will affect higher ed policy and likely complicate the ability to expand Pell Grants. Other spending programs will probably have to be reduced to expand Pell Grants. The two-year cap will worsen the Department of Education's situation since it did not receive the money it requested in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations process for more staff.   Over the last three to four weeks in May and into the first week of June, the House and the Senate voted in favor of disapproving the Biden administration's proposal in the actual joint resolution for student debt cancellation, income-driven repayment changes being proposed at the regulatory level and the return to the repayment. The Biden administration will undoubtedly veto the disapproval, and there won't be enough votes to override the veto. So the Biden administration will continue to pursue these endeavors. But the Supreme Court will also weigh in on this process and the two pieces of litigation it heard on February 28, sometime in June. The Supreme Court will decide on race equality and admissions this month. The Court will likely reject it.   The Biden administration released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that addresses gainful employment, administrative capability, financial responsibility, certification procedures, and the ability to benefit.   For gainful employment, the Department came up with a new metric, which they're calling an Earnings Premium Test or Earnings Premium Metric. This attempts to assess the earnings potential of individuals shortly after they graduate from programs below the associate's degree level and up to associate's, baccalaureate, and master's degree offerings to determine whether the earnings potential is comparable to or literally more than the average of individuals aged 24 to 35. Schools will have their eligibility for their programs based on this metric and the prior borrower defense to repayment metrics. From the school's perspective, the ability for a cohort going all the way to individuals age 34 versus an individual two to three years after graduation doesn't seem to be a direct corollary.   The earnings potential and debt-to-earnings assessments will now be part of the Financial Value Transparency List. All programs at all institutions will start seeing publicly provided information on how their programs fare under both metrics. It will only impact the eligibility of those subject to the short-term program cap, meaning less than an associate's degree or state colleges, universities, and others, but all proprietary programs. The Department acknowledges it has four years of earnings and debt data for all institutions and their programs. The Department, this administration, and prior administrations have said that the way in which the definitions of an institution of higher education are structured in the law doesn't suggest that that's the intent of Congress.   NC-SARA is doing a policy revision of its entire set of standards, including distance education and enrollment criteria. In early January and into the first couple of months of this year, communities provided about 60 recommendations. NC-SARA is currently in forum two and phase two, where groups can respond to the 60 or so proposals. The deadline for that recently passed. NC-SARA's goal is to have its policy revisions completed by the end of this year to go into effect next year.   The Department recently questioned NC-SARA about its misrepresentation and aggressive recruiting, advertising, and marketing changes to the regulations that go into effect July 1 of this year to see if significant revisions need to be done or to have it dismantled.   The Title IX discussions on the concerns about athletes' eligibility and participation in sports have been delayed. What also hangs in the balance is the broader, comprehensive retooling and recasting of the regulations around Title IX, including all the VAWA regulations and all the issues related to sexual discrimination, such as the institutions' responsibilities, the support services for and regulations protecting the rights and the concerns of the accuser and the accused.   On June 9, new safeguard rules and regulatory changes under the Federal Trade Commission and the protection of personally identifiable information, cybersecurity, and the like will be enacted. They will require more substantive assessment routinely on an annual basis in relation to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the development of plans, and the development of more than just an individual responsible for this. It will be integrated into the very culture and core of all institutions that have any relation to federal dollars, including all institutions of higher education. This is a stepping stone to get to NIST 800-171.   Higher ed needs to consider one bill on short-term Pell eligibility and the opportunity for individuals in blue-collar work to potentially have access to Pell Grants to meet the demand for skilled workers in fulfillment of the infrastructure bill.   The Department is taking a strong look at the definition of a third-party servicer and proposed a Dear Colleague letter with changes to those regulations earlier in the year and then walked back to different timelines for implementation. The Department has some concerns with OEMs. How the Department attempted to define the third-party servicer may have included too many entities.   Read the transcript →   About Our Podcast Guest Tom Netting Having spent all of his professional career devoted to higher education policy oversight and implementation, Tom Netting has an extensive knowledge of the laws and regulations governing all aspects of higher education. His considerable background and experience have afforded him the opportunity to view the development and implementation of federal higher education and workforce development policy in their entirety – including issues related to higher education and workforce development, health care, veteran affairs policies, and the procurement of federal appropriations.   About the Host   Dr. Drumm McNaughton, the host of Changing Higher Ed®, is a consultant to higher ed institutions in the areas of governance, accreditation, strategy and change, and mergers. To learn more about his services and other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm's website, https://changinghighered.com/.   The Change Leader's Social Media Links   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com   #changinghighered #higherednews #washingtonupdate

A recent Dear Colleague letter that addresses the Department of Education's upcoming expansion of a third-party service regulation will likely impact nearly all higher ed institutions that contract with a vendor to use their services and programs. The original rule was designed to monitor contracted companies that provide colleges and universities with services to manage various aspects of Federal Student Aid. In his latest podcast episode,  Dr. Drumm McNaughton discusses the recent Dear Colleague letter and the upcoming regulation expansion with Michael Goldstein, Managing Director of Tyton Partners' Center for Higher Education Transformation.  Mike talks about: Why the Department penned the letter and what it says. What the Department's position is on the regulation it's expanding. What colleges and universities will likely be impacted by the implementation of this expanded rule. How it will likely affect the working relationship between institutions and third-party servicers. How higher ed has been reacting to the letter. What will likely happen as a result.   Podcast Highlights The Dear Colleague says that the Department of Education will have the authority to look at the contracts and economic relationships between institutions and enterprises that provide them with services, including online program managers. This will require them to deliver detailed information about their finances to the Department. Based on laws and regulations, the Department will also be immune from any type of congressional review and from being challenged in the courts. The Department believes it's responsible for ensuring that the Federal financial aid monies is being properly used, and thus are examining transactions between institutions and these enterprises. But it has grabbed hold of a third-party service or regulation, which was intended for entities that actually put their fingers on the federal money. The Department of Education was prompted to publish the Dear Colleague letter because the GAO, the Inspector General, and various congressional oversight committees have said the Department doesn't fully understand this relationship between institutions and the enterprises that provide them with third-party services. The Department issued this Dear Colleague letter on February 28. It initially gave higher ed two weeks to comment on it, but the comment period was extended to March 30. The Department also moved back the implementation date from May 1 to September 1. The Department also published an announcement saying that it is going to initiate a Negotiated Rulemaking process that will include a comprehensive review of multiple regulations, including regulations that involve the oversight of entities that are providing services to institutions. The Department will initiate this over the next six to eight months, starting in late spring. These regulations will likely not go into effect until July 1, 2024, at the earliest. Negotiated Rulemaking enables the Department to implement regulations, whereas a Dear Colleague letter is an opinion that can be rescinded the day after it was issued and by the next administration. The Department is likely attempting a regulatory proceeding because, if there is a change, it will have effectively changed the rules. And by the time there is another administration, it will have triggered a process that cannot easily be reversed if the Department has promulgated a rule, even though it has not necessarily gone into effect. With a few minor exceptions, every higher ed organization, including those usually at odds with each other, like the American Council on Education and the US Chamber of Commerce, have united by saying that the Dear Colleague position is wrong. More than just institutions that use third-party or online services will be affected. Essentially everything short of janitorial services will or may fall under these rules, including LMS or any online program delivery software that is “rented” by an institution. This will also likely prevent institutions and those entities that work with institutions from actually being able to work together. The Department has likely self-sabotaged itself by essentially saying that companies that are normally subject to the foreign exclusion regulation no longer have to comply since the Department does not have that authority.   #DearColleague #HigherEducation #HigherEdPodcast About the Podcast Guest Mike Goldstein Mike Goldstein has a long history of close engagement with higher education.  He was the founding Director of New York City Urban Corps, the nation's first large-scale student intern program designed to support access for less affluent students through the use of the Federal Work Study Program.  He went on to lead a Ford Foundation-supported effort to establish similar programs in cities across the U.S.  He returned to New York City government as Assistant City Administrator and Director of University Relations.  From there, Mike joined the then-new University of Illinois Chicago campus as Associate Vice Chancellor for Urban Affairs and Associate Professor of Urban Sciences.  In 1978 Mike joined the Washington, DC law firm of Dow Lohnes to establish a new legal practice focusing broadly on issues confronting higher education.   By 2014 when his firm merged with the global law firm Cooley LLP, the higher education practice he headed was the largest and one of the highest regarded in the country.  Mike has been a pioneer in the development of alternative mechanisms and institutional structures for the delivery of high-quality postsecondary education, including helping to accomplish substantial regulatory reforms that made telecommunicated and then online learning broadly available.  He is the recipient of the WCET Richard Jonsen Award, CAEL's Morris Keeton Ward, the President's Medal from Excelsior College, and USDLA's Distance Learning Hall of Fame Award, as well as an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Fielding Graduate University for his contributions to the field of adult learning.  He is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law, and was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.  He and his spouse Jinny, an education and media consultant and former head of education for the Public Broadcasting Service, live in Washington, DC.   Read the podcast transcript →   About the Podcast Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton, host and consultant to higher ed institutions. To find out more about his services and read other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm's website, https://changinghighered.com/.   The Change Leader's Social Media Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com  

On this week's show, Kristina Ishmael, Deputy Director of the office of EdTech at the U.S. Department of Education sits down with Hayley Spira-Bauer to discuss how schools can leverage federal funds and integrate ed-tech with in-person learning.  They also discuss the important role that mental health plays for students and teachers alike, and Kristina shares how her own mental health journey led to a career in education.

“Innocent until proven guilty” has been the rule of the American justice system since its inception. It still is today. Unless, that is, you happen to be accused of wrongdoing on a college campus. In that case, you might as well be dragged before the modern-day equivalent of the Star Chamber, where campus administrators hardly even pay lip service to your due process rights.As we explored last week with Carissa Hessick, it is a far graver injustice to deprive an innocent person of the liberty than to let a guilty person go free. That is why the founders gave the accused so many protections in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) was created to uphold these protections against rules passed under the Title IX legislation that require colleges to effectively prosecute students outside of the criminal justice system. In these campus tribunals, those accused of serious misconduct like sexual assault have been denied basic protections like the right to a live hearing, to cross examine witnesses, and even to hear the full charges being levied against them.Joe Cohn, director of FIRE's Legislative and Policy department, joins me this Sunday to discuss a proposed rule change from the same administrative office behind the infamous 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter. The new language would turn certain kinds of constitutionally-protected free speech into a punishable offense under the broad umbrella of “sexual harassment.” Under the new rule, the “trial” that results from alleged misconduct would be conducted by a single college administrator acting as judge, jury, and prosecutor.Anyone connected with an American university that receives federal funding (aka, virtually all colleges) should tune in to this important broadcast. The first step to protecting your rights is to know what they are. Be sure to share this with any college students who may not know their rights, and check out FIRE's free Guide to Due Process and Campus Justice.

Congress has the power to improve patients' access to affordable and transparent care. That's why it's important for patients to know which lawmakers support legislation that positively impacts patients across the country.To make this information accessible, Patients Rising Now created a beta 117th Congress Advocacy Scorecard.This inaugural report shows how many bills each chamber considered that would impact patients, and it tested whether lawmakers had opportunities to support pro-patient legislation or Dear Colleague letters.Spoiler alert: because Congress has been only voting on sweeping gigantic legislative packages, a lot of pro-patient policy never even made it to the floor for votes, and Members of Congress didn't have enough bills to consider for our report card.We will be watching this trend and working on the Hill to make Members get the opportunity to vote on pro-patient policy. Next year with a more comprehensive scoring system, Members of Congress will also be notified when Patients Rising Now will be watching and grading specific votes that affect patients.  Hosts: Terry Wilcox, CEO, Patients RisingDr. Robert Goldberg, “Dr. Bob,” Co-Founder and Vice President of the Center for Medicine in the Public InterestGuests:Rachel Derby, Executive Director of Patients Rising NowDiane Talbert, Patient Correspondent and Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Patient AdvocateLinks: 117th Congress Advocacy ScorecardFind Polling and Voting information near youMidterm Elections Debrief Webinar RegistrationNeed help?The successful patient is one who can get what they need when they need it. We all know insurance slows us down, so why not take matters into your own hands? Our Navigator is an online tool that allows you to search a massive network of health-related resources using your zip code so you get local results. Get proactive and become a more successful patient right now at PatientsRisingConcierge.orgHave a question or comment about the show, or want to suggest a show topic or share your story as a patient correspondent?Drop us a line: podcast@patientsrising.orgThe views and opinions expressed herein are those of the guest(s)/ author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of Patients Rising.

Join us on the Fireside Chat as we speak with special guest online activist MRA Title IX. MRA Title IX has a particular interest in Title IX and believes in the radical notion that it should protect everyone. Naturally this is a problem.

Hello and welcome to HBR News where we talk about the news of the week! This week we talk about Kate Moss' recent statements regarding allegations directed at the Playboy mansion and Hugh Hefner, Pierre Poilievre says he will require the use of plain language if elected Prime Minister, Ohio vs the Dear Colleague letter, and more!

Episode 89: Gonorrhea Basics. Written by Robert BensacenezRobert, Dr. Schlaerth, and Dr. Arreaza discuss the basics of gonorrhea, including presentation, treatment, and even a potential gonococcal vaccine.Introduction: Gonorrhea is commonly known as “the clap” or “the drip”. This ancient disease, described as “the perilous infirmity of burning” in a book called The History of Prostitution, has been treated with many remedies throughout history, including mercury, sulfur, silver, multiple plants, and even gold. Today we will discuss the clinical features, diagnosis, and current therapy of gonorrhea. By the way, did you know that gonorrhea in Spanish is used as an insult in Colombia? Well, now you know it. Definition: Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae (common name gonococcus), which is a gram-negative, intracellular, aerobic, diplococci. This disease leads to genitourinary tract infections such as urethritis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and epididymitis. This is Rio Bravo qWeek, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California. Our program is affiliated with UCLA, and it's sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. ___________________________Gonorrhea. Written by Robert Besancenez, MS4, Ross University School of Medicine. Moderated and edited by Hector Arreaza, MD. Discussion participation by Katherine Schlaerth, MD. Epidemiology: The disease primarily affects individuals between 15–24 years of age (half of the STI patients in the US). CDC estimates that approximately 1.6 million new gonococcal infections occurred in 2018. Incidence rates are highest among African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanic populations.Transmission is sexual (oral, genital, or anal) or perinatal (causing gonococcal conjunctivitis in neonates). Risk factors include unsafe sexual behaviors (lack of barrier protection, multiple partners, men who have sex with men (MSM), and asplenia, complement deficiencies. Individuals with low socioeconomic status are at the highest risk: poor access to medical treatment and screening, poor education, substance use, and sex work. Presentation: The incubation period is ~ 2–7 days, and sometimes patients do not develop any symptoms. Urogenital infection: Gonorrhea is commonly asymptomatic, especially in women, which increases the chance of further spreading and complications. When symptoms are present, typical symptoms include purulent vaginal or urethral discharge (purulent, yellow-green, possibly blood-tinged). Discharge is less common in female patients. Urinary symptoms include dysuria, urinary frequency, and urgency. Male: - Typical presentation is urethritis. - Penile shaft edema without other signs of inflammation.- Epididymitis: unilateral scrotal fullness sensation, scrotal swelling, redness, tenderness, relief of pain with elevation of scrotum —Prehn Sign— and positive cremasteric reflex.- Robert: Prostatitis: fever, chills, general malaise, pelvic or perineal pain, cloudy urine, prostate tenderness (examine prostate gently). Female: - Cervicitis: Friable cervix and discharge (purulent, yellow, malodorous), - PID: pelvic or lower abdominal pain, dyspareunia, fever, cervical discharge, cervical motion tenderness but also uterine or adnexal tenderness, abnormal intermenstrual bleeding. PID can be subclinical and diagnosed retroactively when tubal occlusion is discovered as part of a workup for infertility. PID can cause Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (perihepatitis with RUQ pain).- Bartholinitis presents with introitus pain, edema, and discharge from the labia. - Vulvovaginitis may occur but is rare (due to the tissue preference of gonococci)Extragenital infection: Proctitis: Rectal purulent discharge, possible anorectal bleeding and pain, rectal mucosa inflammation, or rectal abscess (less common).Pharyngitis: sore throat, pharyngeal exudate, cervical lymphadenitis.  Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI): Triad of arthritis, pustular skin lesions, and tenosynovitis.  As mentioned in Episode 46, on December 23, 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to warn the medical community about the increased cases of DGI in California and Michigan. Increased cases may be caused by decreased STD testing and treatment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and not necessarily because of a more virulent strain of gonorrhea. Later, treatment of gonorrhea was updated because of resistance.  Epidemiology: ∼ 2% of cases. Most common in individuals younger than 40 years old, the female to male ratio is 4:1. A history of recent symptomatic genital infection is uncommon. Asymptomatic infections increase the risk of dissemination due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Clinical features: Two distinct clinical presentations are possible. Arthritis-dermatitis syndrome:Polyarthralgias: migratory, asymmetric arthritis that may become purulent.Tenosynovitis: simultaneous inflammation of several tendons (e.g. fingers, toes, wrist, ankle).Dermatitis: vesicular, pustular, or maculopapular lesions, possibly with a necrotic or hemorrhagic center.  Most commonly distributed on the trunk, extremities (sometimes involving the palms and soles). Typically, < 10 lesions with a transient course (subside in 3–4 days). Additional manifestations: fever and chills (especially in the acute phase). Purulent gonococcal arthritis: Abrupt inflammation in up to 4 joints (commonly knees, ankles, and wrists). No skin manifestations, rarely tenosynovitis. Genitourinary manifestations in only 25% of affected individuals. Not to be confused with reactive arthritis.  Health care providers living in California: Order Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and culture specimens from urogenital, extragenital mucosal sites (e.g., pharyngeal and rectal), and from disseminated sites (e.g., skin, synovial fluid, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid) before initiating empiric antimicrobial treatment for patients with suspected DGI. Report within 24 hours of diagnosis to the California Department of Public Health. Complications of DGI: sepsis with endocarditis, meningitis, osteomyelitis, or pneumonia. Diagnosis of gonorrhea: The test of choice is Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) of first-catch urine or swabs of urethra, endocervix and pharynx, and synovial fluid in disseminated infection. Other possible tests: gram stains and bacterial cultures (Thayer-Martin agar, useful for antibiotic resistance, results may take 48 hours, sensitivity is lower than NAAT.)Synovial fluid analysis: Appearance of fluid can be clear or cloudy (purulent), high Leukocyte count (up to 50,000 cells/mm3): especially segmented neutrophils, gram stain positive in < 25% of cases. Treatment: Ceftriaxone and doxycycline for uncomplicated cases, but may require different approaches in case of allergies or intolerance to these antibiotics, or in severe cases.  Uncomplicated gonorrhea (affecting cervix, urethra, rectum, pharynx)First-line treatment: single-dose ceftriaxone 500 mg IM (1 G for patients >150 Kg) PLUS doxycycline 100 mg PO twice a day for 7 days If a chlamydial infection has not been excluded.During pregnancy: Ceftriaxone PLUS single-dose azithromycin 1 gram PO(doxy is contraindicated – teratogen) Complicated gonorrhea (salpingitis, adnexitis, PID/ epididymitis, orchitis)Single-dose ceftriaxone IM PLUS doxycycline PO for 10–14 days  (women may require additional administration of Metronidazole PO for 14 days).  DGICeftriaxone IV every 24 hours for 7 days In case Chlamydia infection has not been ruled out: PLUS doxycycline PO twice a day for 7 daysDrainage of purulent joint(s) Sequelae: Without treatment, a prolonged infection may lead to complications, such as hymenal and tubal synechiae that lead to infertility in women. Prevention:-Screening for gonorrhea (USPSTF recommendations, September 2021, Grade B): Annual NAAT screening of gonorrhea AND chlamydia for sexually active women ≤ 24 years (including pregnant persons) or > 25 years with risk factors (e.g. new or multiple sex partners, sex partner with an STI, etc.). Evaluate for other STIs if positive (e.g. chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV).  There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against screening gonorrhea in asymptomatic males (Grade I).In all patients: Evaluate and treat the patient's sexual partners from the past 60 days. Provide expedited partner therapy if the timely evaluation of sexual partners is not feasible. Single-dose cefixime PO (if chlamydia has been excluded in the patient) OR Single-dose cefixime PO PLUS doxycycline PO for 7 days. Sexual partners must be treated simultaneously to avoid reinfections. A possible gonococcal vaccine: A gonococcal vaccine is theoretically possible, let's remember that the meningococcal vaccine exists. Meningococcus is closely related to gonococcus. A study published in 2017 showed that MeNZB® (a vaccine used in New Zealand until 2011 to fight against a meningitis epidemic) provided partial protection against gonorrhea. Food for thought for you guys. Conclusion: Let's remember to screen asymptomatic women for gonorrhea, identify symptomatic patients and start treatment promptly, and prevent serious complications, and more importantly, let's promote safe sex practices to prevent this disease.Now we conclude our episode number 89 “Gonorrhea Basics”. Gonorrhea affects mainly the urogenital area, but it can spread to the pharynx, rectum, skin, and even joints. When you see septic arthritis in patients with high risk for gonorrhea, suspect disseminated gonococcal infection and start treatment promptly. Even without trying, every night you go to bed being a little wiser.Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek. If you have any feedback about this podcast, contact us by email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. This podcast was created for educational purposes only. Visit your primary care physician for additional medical advice. This week we thank Hector Arreaza, Robert Besancenez, and Katherine Schlaerth. Audio edition: Suraj Amrutia. See you next week! _____________________References:Seña, Arlene C, MD, MPH; and Myron S Cohen, MD.  Treatment of uncomplicated Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections, UpToDate, updated on Jan 27, 2022. Accessed on April 5, 2022. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/treatment-of-uncomplicated-neisseria-gonorrhoeae-infections Ghanem, Khalil G, MD, PhD. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in adults and adolescents, UpToDate, updated on Sep 17, 2021, accessed on April 5, 2022. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis-of-neisseria-gonorrhoeae-infection-in-adults-and-adolescents Klausner, Jeffrey D, MD, MPH. Disseminated gonococcal infection, UpToDate, updated on March 3, 2022. Accessed on April 5, 2022. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/disseminated-gonococcal-infection Petousis-Harris H, Paynter J, Morgan J, et al. Effectiveness of a group B OMV meningococcal vaccine on gonorrhea in New Zealand – a case control study. Abstract presented at: 20th International Pathogenic Neisseria Conference. Manchester, UK; 2016. 

Listen, Subscribe, Share the Show, Donate. Help us keep this train rollin! True Hemp Science www.truehempscience.com Promo Code: PROPCODE HEMP CAST FREE ON LOCALS Hempcast Free (referenced In Today's DNB) - Propaganda Report Community (locals.com) Notes & Links from Today's Show Biden, Democrats to remember Capitol riot with speeches, prayer (usatoday.com) Dear Colleague on Activities to Mark One Year Since January Sixth | Speaker Nancy Pelosi Amazon Echo suggests TikTok 'penny challenge' to a child (usatoday.com) https://highersidemeetups.com/events/ https://noagendameetups.com/ https://www.foxnews.com/world/aoife-beary-a-survivor-of-2015-berkeley-balcony-collapse-dead-at-27-report https://www.amsmeteors.org/search/sonic+boom/?s=sonic+boom https://phys.org/news/2018-04-satellite-earth-week-average.html https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/588076-betty-white-cause-of-death-confirmed-by-her-agent https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/tech/elizabeth-holmes-verdict/index.html https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-whistleblower-shook-the-companyand-his-family-1479335963 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Holmes https://www.wsj.com/articles/chuck-schumers-filibuster-stunt-senate-democrats-joe-manchin-kyrsten-sinema-voting-rights-11641249526     The Propaganda Report on Rokfin The CFR Plots To Shut Up Critically Thinking Americans | Rokfin The Propaganda Report on Patreon The Propaganda Report Store Support Our Sponsors! Donate… If you find value in the content we produce and want to help us keep this train rollin, drop us a donation via Paypal or become a Patreon. (links below) Every little bit helps. Thank you! And thank you to everyone who has and continues to support the show. It's your support that enables us to continue producing shows. Paypal Patreon Subscribe & Leave A 5-Star Review… Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Google Play Music Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Tunein Listen on Stitcher Follow on Spotify Like and Follow us on Facebook Follow Monica on Twitter Follow Binkley on Twitter Subscribe to Binkley's Youtube Channel https://www.paypal.me/BradBinkley https://www.patreon.com/propagandareport https://twitter.com/freedomactradio https://twitter.com/MonicaPerezShow https://www.youtube.com/bradbinkley https://www.youtube.com/monicaperez

Following Democrat losses in an off-year election cycle Tuesday night, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Wednesday afternoon sent around a “Dear Colleague” letter intended to rally Democrats on Capitol Hill.  To understand the message Pelosi sent and where her party's progressive and moderate factions go from here, Axios Re:Cap host Margaret Talev is joined by Axios Congressional reporter Alayna Treene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this episode, I am able to share the recent APE Collaborative hosted by the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID). This is a brand new collaborative, where experts in the field of APE are invited to speak on a specific topic and then viewers are able to interact with one another and the experts. For this very first collaborative, the guest speakers were Dr. Garth Tymeson (Emeritus Professor of UW-Lacrosse) and Dr. Ali Brian (Associate Professor of University of South Carolina. Both of these panelists are former What's New in APE podcast guests and renown scholars within the field of APE. Dr. Tymeson discussed the latest Dear Colleague Letter in relation to APE, how these letters come to be, and the impact of this letter and other Dear Colleague Letters on the field of APE. The second panelist, Dr. Ali Brian, discussed research tips and advice for young scholars, as well as common pitfalls many researchers make, in the field of APE. The next NCPEID sponsored APE collaborative is scheduled for October 21st @ 12 pm EST, and will feature Dr. Suzanna Dillon (Professor at Texas Woman's University) and Brad Weiner (APE Teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools). They will discuss APE advocacy and best teaching practices.

Hepatic encephalopathy basics, disseminated gonococcal infections, polyarthralgia question winner, jokes.Today is March 29, 2021.On December 23, 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter because of the increasing reports of disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI). Today, we want to share with you parts of that letter. CDPH is working with local health departments to investigate these cases of DGI, where some patients have experienced homelessness or using illicit drugs, particularly methamphetamine. The CDC noted a similar increase in cases in Michigan in late 2019.What is DGI? DGI is an uncommon but severe complication of untreated gonorrhea. DGI occurs when the sexually transmitted pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae invades the bloodstream and spreads to distant sites in the body, leading to clinical manifestations such as septic arthritis, polyarthralgia, tenosynovitis, petechial/pustular skin lesions, bacteremia, or, on rare occasions, endocarditis or meningitis. Patients have initially presented with joint pain attributed to another cause, which was only later determined to be due to DGI. Why is DGI increasing? Increased cases may be caused by decreased STD testing and treatment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and not necessarily because of a more virulent strain of gonorrhea. What do we need to do as medical providers?Screen: Reinstate routine screening recommendations for STDs in females

Are you concerned about the current performance of the English Learners in your school or district? Learn about the guidelines that the USDOE has outlined in their Dear Colleague Letter about ELs for school and district leaders. Hear how one leader summarizes her learning and shared experiences that was gleaned as she worked with staff in a workgroup.

On this episode Paulie and Billy chat with Dr. Ellie Kazemi. Ellie talks about how behavior analysis helped shape her kindness. We also talk about her research using robotics to help train ABA staff. If you enjoy this episode and would like to hear her talk on Behaviorism and kindness please see the info and link below provided to sign up for the virtual conference.Dear Colleague,            The B. F. Skinner Foundation invites you to join our first “Skinner Session” hosted through BehaviorLive on February 6, 2021 from 2:00pm CT- 5:00pm CT/12:00pm-3:00pm PST.            Join us for our very first Skinner Session, a virtual event featuring lectures on behaviorism by Dr. Julie Vargas and Dr. Ellie Kazemi. Dr. Vargas will discuss “Ethical Considerations involved in Decreasing Behavior” and Dr. Kazemi will discuss “How Behaviorism Helped Me with Kindness”. Both lectures are eligible for CEU's upon completion of a quiz. Behavior Analysts can earn up to 2 CEUs (Ethics & Supervision). Attendance will be taken via the BehaviorLive token system. This event is designed for BCaBAs, BCBAs, BCBA-Ds as well as students of, and all people interested in, Applied Behavior Analysis.            Following the lectures a virtual reception will be held. Ask questions of our lecture presenters Dr. Julie S. Vargas and Dr. Ellie Kazemi. Price for the event will be $10 and donations are welcomed. All proceeds benefit the B. F. Skinner Foundation. For detailed information about this event please view the attached programClick here to register!

On Wednesday, the Department of Education published its long-awaited new Title IX regulations. Over the years — and with the federal government’s prodding — Title IX has been twisted and used to justify censorship and the denial of core due process rights for those accused of sexual misconduct on America’s college campus. The new regulations will better protect certain free speech and due process rights long denied to students. On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, host Nico Perrino is joined by FIRE Executive Director Robert Shibley and FIRE Senior Fellow Samantha Harris for a deep-dive analysis of the new regulations and the history of Title IX abuse on campus. Show notes: Podcast transcript New Title IX regulations text FIRE press release on new Title IX regulations Information on the April 4, 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter List of lawsuits filed since 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter Campus Due Process Litigation Tracker “Twisting Title IX” by Robert Shibley www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

This conversation with Shep Melnick looks into the enforcement practices of the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education, one of the most powerful and secretive agencies in the administrative state. This agency caught the attention of many in 2011 when Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, sent a “Dear Colleague” letter […]

The full House is expected to vote on a resolution that will formalize the impeachment inquiry of President Trump and define the procedures for the next phase of the inquiry: the open hearings. The resolution will also affirm the "ongoing, existing investigation" being conducted by House committees, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a "Dear Colleague" letter to House lawmakers dated Monday.Support the show.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter dated Sunday, Sept. 22, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire must give Congress the whistleblower complaint by the time he testifies on Thursday -- or else."If the Administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the President, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation," Pelosi wrote.Support the show.

It's been seven years since Nancy Blair joined Tom Whitby on EdChat radio. We've loved her spunk, wisdom and balanced contributions to the weekly chat. She challenged us and provided support. We'll miss Nancy and members of the moderator team bid her a heartfelt farewell. @HarveyAlvy1 @ShiftParadigm @blairteach @tomwhitby @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork Ed Chat Archive: http://edchat.pbworks.com/ EdChat moderators Shawn Thomas, Mark Weston and Harvey Alvy join Tom Whitby bid Nancy Blair farewell.

Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by attorney Adam Zucker to discuss Title IX and the removal of the Obama era “Dear Colleague” letter.   The US constitution guarantees a few things to all citizens, the right to a trial, the right to an attorney, and the notion that all people are innocent until proven guilty. Those rights help ensure all people are treated fairly and get their fair chance. The problem is, this only applies to the criminal justice system; in the world of colleges and universities, students aren’t guaranteed these rights.   Adam Zucker believes students that have been accused of sexual assault or other crimes aren’t getting a fair shake. Adam and Aaron discuss due process and what that means as far as academia. Throughout the episode, Adam explains how students can be kicked off campus, removed from classes and expelled from school, even if they’ve been found not to have committed any crimes.   The Trump administration received a lot of criticism for their removal of the Obama era guidance known as the “Dear Colleague Letter” but Adam believes it was a step that needed to be taken to give fairness to the person accused. This is a fascinating discussion between Aaron and Adam and we hope you enjoy!   Host: Aaron Freiwald Guest: Adam Zucker   Follow Good Law | Bad Law: YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw Website: https://www.law-podcast.com

In this episode of TSC Talks, https://www.spreaker.com/episode/17404406 my guest Heather Lens shares from her heart about the lonely day when she first received the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex diagnosis in her then-5 month old daughter Madilyn and not wanting to leave the hospital, facing a multitude of daunting unknowns to the cascading events that followed; infantile spasms, challenges with seizure control, brain surgery, kidney involvement and more. She gives a gripping account of not only the external events but her inner process as she coped with wave after wave of devastating TSC related issues. She shares how she managed to turn this grief and pain to jumping right into the pool of advocacy with fundraising, walks, eventually becoming the TS Alliance Chair of OK. She gives a moving narrative on "closing" the deal at the March on Capitol Hill by getting every member of Congress in Oklahoma to sign the Dear Colleague letter starting with Markwayne Mullen, by asking the simple question, "What do I need to do to get your signature?" Homegrown sincerity, perseverance, and a willingness to examine the deeper feelings that often overwhelm us when managing the diverse uncertainties involved in TSC care, of a medically fragile child. Heather will leave you wanting to get up out of your seat and cheer her on as she continues to advocate, blog, sell real estate, and manage her daughter's care. "Learning to Love the Life I Never Wanted", the title of a recent blog Heather wrote in Huff Post is a cornerstone in the foundation of this woman's purpose as she closes the deal repeatedly, with love for her family as her guiding force.

In this episode of TSC Talks, https://www.spreaker.com/episode/17404406 my guest Heather Lens shares from her heart about the lonely day when she first received the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex diagnosis in her then-5 month old daughter Madilyn and not wanting to leave the hospital, facing a multitude of daunting unknowns to the cascading events that followed; infantile spasms, challenges with seizure control, brain surgery, kidney involvement and more. She gives a gripping account of not only the external events but her inner process as she coped with wave after wave of devastating TSC related issues. She shares how she managed to turn this grief and pain to jumping right into the pool of advocacy with fundraising, walks, eventually becoming the TS Alliance Chair of OK. She gives a moving narrative on "closing" the deal at the March on Capitol Hill by getting every member of Congress in Oklahoma to sign the Dear Colleague letter starting with Markwayne Mullen, by asking the simple question, "What do I need to do to get your signature?" Homegrown sincerity, perseverance, and a willingness to examine the deeper feelings that often overwhelm us when managing the diverse uncertainties involved in TSC care, of a medically fragile child. Heather will leave you wanting to get up out of your seat and cheer her on as she continues to advocate, blog, sell real estate, and manage her daughter's care. "Learning to Love the Life I Never Wanted", the title of a recent blog Heather wrote in Huff Post is a cornerstone in the foundation of this woman's purpose as she closes the deal repeatedly, with love for her family as her guiding force.

INTRODUCTION Hello and welcome to Day in Washington, your disability policy podcast. I’m your host Day Al-Mohamed working to make sure you stay informed. POST Recently I’ve been thinking about bulling. We’re all familiar with what bullying is right? Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior (usually among school aged children and youth) that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.  It is verbal, it is social, it is physical, it is even digital now with so many young people spending hours on their phones, tablets, and computers. Michelle Carter was a teenager and when her 18-year-old boyfriend texted her and said he wanted to kill himself, she urged him on. Goaded him into it. He killed himself by filling his truck with carbon monoxide in a parking lot in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. The courts just upheld her manslaughter conviction. The judge ordered her to serve 15 months in prison. But the case isn’t over yet. There are many arguing that she is being punished for “speech.” A CDC survey in Massachusetts in 2017 found that of nearly 1 million K-12 students, 15 percent reported being bullied in school or online, while 12 percent said they had contemplated suicide. Students with disabilities are bullied more than their non-disabled peers.  In fact, recent studies show they are likely to have been bullied more than three times as much. If you do the maths that is a terrifying number, that is more than 1/3 of kids with disabilities who have contemplated suicide. Even if it doesn’t lead to suicide, bullying can lead to school avoidance and increased absenteeism, dropping grades, an inability to concentrate, anxiety, depression, a loss of interest in academic achievement, and behavioral outbursts in some youth. In 2014, the Administration sent out a Dear Colleague letter highlighting the impact of bullying on children with disabilities and specifically invoked the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which requires that each child who has a disability and qualifies for special education and related services must receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Basically, that bullying interferes with that access to a free and appropriate public education. The letter also highlighted Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 because the harassment denies a student with a disability an equal opportunity to education. And of course this isn’t just in person. More and more we are seeing young people bullied and harassed via social media, texts, and other electronic communications.  A recent study showed that 30 percent of youth ages 10-20 reported experiencing some form of online harassment or victimization. In 2017,  nine senators asked Secretary Betsy DeVos what resources the U.S. Department of Education was providing schools in order to counter "the recent increase in hateful and discriminatory speech and conduct." They also asked for the number of ongoing investigations by the department into student-on-student harrassment based on things like race, religion, and sexual orientation, as well as whether the federal task force on bullying prevention would continue. And if the Federal government isn’t going to act, some state governments are looking to address the bullying problem themselves. California schools will be required to implement procedures to prevent bullying and cyberbullying by the end of 2019. In addition to the new procedures, Assembly Bill 2291, authored by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, requires school employees who regularly interact with students to have access to a bullying and cyberbullying training module developed by state officials. Two additional bills — Assembly Bill 2022 and Senate Bill 972 — approved towards the end of 2018 will improve access to mental health services by adding the National Suicide Prevention li...

Here's part two of the fabulous conversation between Katy Hamm and Chris Gilbert from Harvard University. This second part is a concentrated conversation on Title IX, sexual assault prevention, consent, and all of the social justice implications and political connections associated with those topics - especially at a highly routinized and traditional campus like Harvard. Chris goes through his experiences working in OSAPR (Office of Sexual Assault Prevention & Response) and how it has impacted his perspectives on society and education. MUSIC NOTES:- This week we shared tunes from the new Creighola (AKA Amish Rage) album, "UYULALA," which came out on May 1 through its creator, Scott Nicklas.- If you like what you heard, please check out amishrage.bandcamp.com to snag a digital copy of the album and all of his other music. And go to his Soundcloud account to keep up with all of his creations as he creates them!- I featured the song, "Fools, Frauds," this week.- Scott and I go way back in terms of creating music - back to our college days of DIY recording in garages and living rooms and making lots of noise together, so it feels very special to support the release of his new album this week!- Scott even has a feature on one of my earliest songs from 2011 - you can check it out here!As always, you can CHECK OUT THE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!- Don't forget, Android users - we are now on the Google Play Store!!- We're also FINALLY on Stitcher, so head over there if that's your preferred platform!- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!Thanks so much for tuning in and we will be back on Wednesday with a new episode!

The Obama administration was aggressive in its use of the “disparate impact” approach to civil-rights enforcement, which holds that policies that have a different statistical result for various demographic groups are illegally discriminatory even if they are neutral by their terms, in their intent, and in their application. One example is in the school discipline area, where the administration’s Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to state and local education officials, warning that this approach would be vigorously applied in K-12 schools receiving federal money and thus subject to the nondiscrimination provisions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Critics claim that this has resulted in students not being disciplined who should be, with the resulting disruption meaning that many students — and disproportionately poor and minority students — now have worse learning environments and that some teachers are being put at physical risk. Proponents of the policy claim it is necessary to protect the disciplined.Jason Riley of the Manhattan Institute has recently written on this topic in his Wall Street Journal column, and Roger Clegg of the Center for Equal Opportunity has worked on this issue for the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project. Both experts will join us to discuss this important topic.Featuring:Roger B. Clegg, President and General Counsel, Center for Equal OpportunityJason Riley, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Columnist, The Wall Street Journal; Author: False Black Power? Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up here. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

The Obama administration was aggressive in its use of the “disparate impact” approach to civil-rights enforcement, which holds that policies that have a different statistical result for various demographic groups are illegally discriminatory even if they are neutral by their terms, in their intent, and in their application. One example is in the school discipline area, where the administration’s Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to state and local education officials, warning that this approach would be vigorously applied in K-12 schools receiving federal money and thus subject to the nondiscrimination provisions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Critics claim that this has resulted in students not being disciplined who should be, with the resulting disruption meaning that many students — and disproportionately poor and minority students — now have worse learning environments and that some teachers are being put at physical risk. Proponents of the policy claim it is necessary to protect the disciplined.Jason Riley of the Manhattan Institute has recently written on this topic in his Wall Street Journal column, and Roger Clegg of the Center for Equal Opportunity has worked on this issue for the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project. Both experts will join us to discuss this important topic.Featuring:Roger B. Clegg, President and General Counsel, Center for Equal OpportunityJason Riley, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Columnist, The Wall Street Journal; Author: False Black Power? Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up here. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

PRESENTING AN EXPERT IN SEXUAL MISCONDUCT..What could be more timely! Thanks a lot, Mr. Weinstein, you jerk!  with expert and a wonderful returning guest, Attorney Kathleen Conn  on "Dear Colleague letters and Sexual Misconduct"

PRESENTING AN EXPERT IN SEXUAL MISCONDUCT..What could be more timely! Thanks a lot, Mr. Weinstein, you jerk!  with expert and a wonderful returning guest, Attorney Kathleen Conn  on "Dear Colleague letters and Sexual Misconduct"

Join the PaRDeS Cause, and help the Universal ReConstitution Movement for World Repair! Visit my website www.pardesism.com, podcasts with pdf included, or at iTunes and other places. I have a calling; a book to deliver, “PaRDeSism ~ Human Science 101”; and a job to perform, PaRDeS Universal ReConstitution for World Repair. Title: “PaRDeSism ~ Human Science 101” Subtitle: (PaRDeS primevalism ~ treeseeding our original common-sense on the Bible’s Creation Story 1:1-2:3; World ReConstitution, from Crisis City to PaRaDiSe Earth) Author: Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla. Where: At Amazon Formats: In paperback and digital, in English and Spanish translation. As we are creative, here and now, the universe reconstitutes. 001_Addressing Drugs by School Dialogue Austin ISD, Travis County JJ 1 Dear Colleague: Thanks for requesting suggestions on reducing the consumption of Drugs, Tobacco, and Alcohol, by way of school activities on the upcoming Red Ribbon Week. You came to the right place, for education is the baton of culture in the race of civilization. What doesn't get solved here, only gets worse out there; better still, if it's done wrong here, it gets amplified in the field of greater society. Teaching is learning, but let's not confuse the many topics with the single issue. Topics might be drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, but the issue is what we understand by education. Moreover, it's not education that's at issue, but rather understanding. Just like a building, it all starts off from a cornerstone; same here, reason has an original common-sense which lays the ground-work for understanding through language. The problem is that this original common-sense has somehow been corrupted by a virus of ordinary common nonsense. Austin ISD would be right-brain dead if it didn't listen to the sounds of the hallways.  If you feed junk-food to the mind, you get the urge for unhealthy substances. Imho, the place to start is dialogue: we, here and everywhere, now and always. 2 Dear Colleague: Glad to know that we agree that the starting point of a conversation is dialogue, but dialogue is not small talk. Rather, it goes back to the ancient Greeks with the Dialogues of Plato, where Exercise and Science and Philosophy would be taken up at the gymnasiums, as part of their daily discussions on matters of common interest to their city-state. Education is half, part of the problem, and half, part of the solution. Education has to be held accountable for its role in the deplorable state of schools regarding substance abuse and dependence on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Let’s not be so charitable and forgiving, and start calling things by their real name, as we understand them, and not by something that it is not. We as educators should, to the best of our ability, try to solve the problem that our students face in schools. The fear of making a mistake is so overpowering, that we end-up not trying anything at all, forfeiting taking risks and making creative leaps. We need to recognize that by suggesting school activities to our students, we’re combating topical effects, not addressing issuance causes. Back then the ancient Greeks would look at the big-picture view of things, not like we today, parceling things, sweating the small stuff, and losing sight of the ball, the essence. I suppose I am old school, very old school, more like school of antiquity, and more precisely, the archaic, that preceded it. Short-sighted remedies have been tried before, and all have failed. Isn’t it time to use a deep-search approach, to solve it once and for all? The whole, big-picture view of things, comprises the universe of discourse, the surroundings, and the system of interest. This I try to make it my approach to the question that you opportunely place before the faculty of what activities to recommend in addressing the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in schools. 3 Dear Colleague:

Joe Tamburino-Criminal defense attorney, Kaplan and Tamburino Joe covers a couple of legal cases including campus sexual misconduct and the US Dept. of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter. Kelly Olson-Owner of Hans Bakery A woman and her family went down a city in Florida to help the victims of Hurricane Irma. She shares her journey and the impact it made on her.

The Trump administration made the decision to rescind the "Dear Colleague" letter issued by the Obama administration regarding the issue of campus rape and Title IX. This is a major impact on how colleges handle reports of sexual violence.After teaching high school government for fifteen years, I was disappointed to find a lack of objective, straight-forward talk in the media about how government works. This podcast is a non-partisan look at American government and how it impacts you and the freedoms you enjoy.

Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast series Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by attorney Laura Laughlin.   Today, on Good Law | Bad Law, Aaron and Laura talk about Title IX and the Dear Colleague letter. The Dear Colleague letter was the guidance for Title IX since it came out in 2011. Now, Betsy Devos has taken a new stance on Title IX which Laura discusses in her latest blog article http://www.freiwaldlaw.com/laws/changes-title-ix-enforcement.   This topic is especially important with the start of the new school year upon us. College women face a significantly higher threat of sexual assault than anyone else and this new stance has a direct impact on their wellbeing.   Remember to tune in every Friday for new episodes of Good Law | Bad Law!   Host: Aaron Freiwald Guest: Laura Laughlin   Follow Freiwald Law: Twitter: @FreiwaldLaw Facebook: @FreiwaldLaw Youtube: Good Law | Bad Law Instagram: @goodlawbadlaw Website: http://www.freiwaldlaw.com

Amanda has survived a sexual assault, a failed suicide attempt, and years of predatory grooming as a teenaged cosplayer surrounded by Nerd Kings of a certain age. Sexual assault continues to dominate headlines as victims and allies alike refuse to stay silent about rape culture in this country, especially on our college campuses. I don’t know how to fix the criminal justice system to honor the victims of one of the hardest crimes to prove. But so long as we don’t shut up about it, we just may make a dent. I am so grateful that Amanda returned for another Manwhore Podcast to share her story of love, sex, and courage. ALSO: Hear why I agree, sort of, with Trump twat Betsy DeVos on Title IX! PLUS: alpha female, two boyfriends, anime conventions, bartenders, cheating, and The Naked Man! Click here for tickets to Manwhore Podcast: Live! Or click here to attend all of ManwhoreCon! Visit BASA.bar for more on Bartenders Against Sexual Assault. Title IX-related Links: Betsy DeVos’s speech Know Your IX Know Your IX’s Letter to University Presidents President Obama’s ”Dear Colleague” letter ”Fair Process, Not Criminal Process, Is the Right Way to Address Campus Sexual Assault” ”The Uncomfortable Truth About Campus Rape Policy” Become a member of my fanwhore community on Patreon for as little as $1! Click here to join today. Get $30 off convenient, licensed therapy with Talkspace with the promo code MANWHORE at sign up. Discover the wine you didn’t know you needed with Winc! Get $20 off your first month with promo code MANWHORE. Email your comments, questions, and stories to manwhorepod@gmail.com. www.ManwhorePod.com

After an hour of watching Steve Bannon expound on his worldview for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the hosts of the COMMENTARY Podcast determine that very little was said. John Podhoretz, Abe Greenwald, and Noah Rothman break down the half-formed worldview of the Bannon-wing of the GOP and the implications if it successfully remakes the Republican Party. Speaking of victimized worldviews, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos earns and receives applause for going after the Kafkaesque world the Obama administration’s “Dear Colleague” letter yielded.

This week Paul and Shimina provide words of wisdom to their “colleagues” based on personal situations and experiences that are either recurring or one-offs throughout their professional lives. Follow us on Facebook (Head Boss in Charge) and Twitter (@HeadBossPod). Email us a question at headbosspodcast@gmail.com. Song Credits: "Bossy" by Kelis (feat. Too $hort) "The Boss" by Rick Ross (feat. T-Pain)

Katherine Kersten joins Brian Anderson to discuss how public school leaders in St. Paul, Minnesota abandoned student discipline—and unleashed mayhem—in the name of “racial equity.” In January 2014, the Obama administration’s Departments of Education and Justice issued a “Dear Colleague” letter to every school district in the country, laying out guidelines to local officials for how to avoid racial bias when suspending or expelling students. Equity proponents view “disparate impact”—when the same policies yield different outcomes among demographic groups—as conclusive proof of discrimination. But nearly half a decade before that order was announced, the superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools had already embarked on a crusade to dismantle the purported “school-to-prison pipeline”—with disastrous effects for teachers and students. Read Katherine’s piece in the Winter 2017 Issue of City Journal, “No Thug Left Behind.”

This panel will discuss administrative agencies’ increasing use of devices such as guidance letters, consent decrees, and Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (instead of final rules or adjudications issued with APA procedural protections) as mechanisms for setting major policies that may be effectively binding on private parties. -- This panel was held on January 6, 2017 during the 19th Annual Faculty Conference in San Francisco, CA. -- Panel: “Dear Colleague”/Guidance Letters, Consent Decrees, and other administrative law innovations -- Prof. Richard Epstein, New York University School of Law; Prof. Gail Heriot, University San Diego School of Law; Prof. Richard Pierce, The George Washington University Law School; and Prof. Aaron Saiger, Fordham University School of Law. Moderator: Hon. Michael W. McConnell, Stanford Law School.

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is the largest nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of those with ADHD. In this episode of Attention Talk Radio, CHADD’s Public Policy Committee co-chair Dr. Jeffrey Katz (www.drjeffreykatz.com) and board member Elaine Taylor-Klaus (www.impactadhd.com) talk about what CHADD is advocating for on your behalf, the recent “Dear Colleague” letter issued  by the Office of Civil Rights related to accommodations for students with ADHD, and the promise of hope for those who could benefit from a Section 504 plan. If you want to understand who is advocating for you or understand the impact of the clarifying language of the Office of Civil Rights, this is a show you won’t want to miss! Attention Talk Radio is the leading site for self-help Internet radio shows focusing on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD), including managing symptoms of attention deficit disorder, adults with ADD, or adults who have children with ADHD. Attention Talk Radio, hosted by attention coach Jeff Copper, is designed to help adults and children (particularly those diagnosed with or impacted by attention deficit disorder or its symptoms) in life or business who are stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated. It will help adults and children get unstuck and moving forward by helping to open their minds and pay attention to what works. Attention Talk Radio host Jeff Copper is an ADHD coach. To learn more about Jeff go to www.digcoaching.com.

The issue of sexual assault on campuses and how to best combat these incidents is a highly debated topic among legal professionals. How should these crimes be handled and what can colleges do to protect their students? In this episode of Planet Lex, host Daniel Rodriguez speaks with Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Professor of Law Deborah Tuerkheimer about campus sexual misconduct. Deborah shares that historically universities have not handled issues of sexual assault well and that the significance of the problem is still being assessed as we look at how institutions of higher education respond to these situations. She talks about the 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter issued by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on how campuses should handle sexual misconduct and provides insight into how the document represents a shift in the way the federal government approached the issue. Deborah explains what Title IX is and how it helped establish that sexual harassment can create a hostile environment. In addition to the civil and criminal systems, she discusses what campuses can do to help those affected by sexual misconduct and why disciplinary responsibilities fall squarely on campuses to ensure that affected students are able to continue their education. Deborah closes the interview with her perspective on what else the federal government can do to bring adequate attention to these issues and the impact that the “Dear Colleague” letter has had on our nation's campuses. Deborah Tuerkheimer joined the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law faculty in 2014 after serving as a professor of law at DePaul University since 2009. Professor Tuerkheimer received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and her JD from Yale. She teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, evidence, and feminist legal theory. Her book, “Flawed Convictions: ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ and the Inertia of Injustice,” was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. She is also a co-author of the casebook “Feminist Jurisprudence: Cases and Materials” and the author of numerous articles on rape and domestic violence. After clerking for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jay Rabinowitz, she served for five years as an assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office, where she specialized in domestic violence prosecution. Tuerkheimer was elected to the American Law Institute in 2015, an esteemed group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars dedicated to the development of the law.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, begins with a brief recap of where presidential candidates stand after last week's Indiana contests. He'll also touch on a tax overhaul hearing scheduled by the House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee this week. In the low-income housing tax credit section, he discusses how much will be available for the inaugural allocation of the National Housing Trust Fund. Then, he discusses the Federal Housing Finance Agency's adjustment of multifamily lending caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. After that, he shares one report's findings about the potential benefits of clustering low-income housing tax credit properties in low-income areas. In new markets tax credit news, he talks about a Dear Colleague letter that urges House Ways and Means Committee leadership to make the NMTC a legislative priority. Then, he discusses a bill designed to attract more investments in economically distressed communities. In the historic tax credit section, he shares how listeners can submit nominations for the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In state historic tax credit news, he talks about a proposal in Mississippi to double the state historic tax credit's program cap and has breaking news on the state historic tax credit in Alabama. And he closes out with renewable energy tax credit news, where he talks about new IRS guidance on safe harbors and the production tax credit. Finally, he'll discuss a milestone recently achieved by the renewable energy industry.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, begins with a brief recap of where presidential candidates stand after last week's Indiana contests. He'll also touch on a tax overhaul hearing scheduled by the House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee this week. In the low-income housing tax credit section, he discusses how much will be available for the inaugural allocation of the National Housing Trust Fund. Then, he discusses the Federal Housing Finance Agency's adjustment of multifamily lending caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. After that, he shares one report's findings about the potential benefits of clustering low-income housing tax credit properties in low-income areas. In new markets tax credit news, he talks about a Dear Colleague letter that urges House Ways and Means Committee leadership to make the NMTC a legislative priority. Then, he discusses a bill designed to attract more investments in economically distressed communities. In the historic tax credit section, he shares how listeners can submit nominations for the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In state historic tax credit news, he talks about a proposal in Mississippi to double the state historic tax credit's program cap and has breaking news on the state historic tax credit in Alabama. And he closes out with renewable energy tax credit news, where he talks about new IRS guidance on safe harbors and the production tax credit. Finally, he'll discuss a milestone recently achieved by the renewable energy industry.

R. Shep Melnick joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how "Dear Colleague" letters are changing how Title XI is interpreted in school districts.

Top podcast host and American great Chelsea Peretti is joined by comedian Moshe Kasher in studio, taking calls from: young lovers Kendrick and Pam in ATL, an aggressive open mic comedian who both insults and aggrandizes them, a DC tour guide, a militant p

Top podcast host and American great Chelsea Peretti is joined by comedian Moshe Kasher in studio, taking calls from: young lovers Kendrick and Pam in ATL, an aggressive open mic comedian who both insults and aggrandizes them, a DC tour guide, a militant p Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The French and Swiss reformer John Calvin said that a proper understanding of the Book of Romans opened a door to the treasure into all of Scripture. In other words, if you understand Romans properly, you get it. You get what Scripture has to offer. Another scholar said that these two verses, verses 16-17, are the thesis statement of the entire Book of Romans. So therefore, if those two ideas are true, then we're looking at two of the most significant verses you can find in all of Scripture, Romans 1:16-17. Paul says, "I'm not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the gentile. For in the Gospel, righteousness from God is revealed. A righteousness that is by faith from first to last. Just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith." That is a summary of everything that Paul wants to say in the Book of Romans. I. The Powerful Weapon of Shame, More Powerful Gospel of God And Paul begins by talking about the issue of shame. In verse 16 he says, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel." Have you ever felt ashamed of the Gospel before? Have you ever been in a situation where you're witnessing or you wanted to express to somebody, a relative, a friend, who you really were in Christ and you felt something kind of grabbing hold of you and you couldn't tell them, couldn't speak the way you wanted to? Well, I think it's good for us as Christians to try to understand what's going on at that moment, but what is this shame that we feel? Recently the Southern Baptist Convention has put out a number of prayer guides. I don't know if you've heard anything about that. They've become very much the topic of conversation. There was a prayer guide for Muslims, prayer guide for Hindus, prayer guide for Jews as well. Recently, the representative Jim McDermott, who is a congressman from the 7th district of the state of Washington got hold of the prayer guide in regard to the Hindus and he was outraged by it and he took a piece of congressional stationary and wrote an open letter to all the other representatives, congressmen, in regard to this prayer guide. And this is what he said. In an October 28th "Dear Colleague" letter, sent to all 434 of his fellow House members, McDermott charged that the Southern Baptists had an "Aggressive intolerant approach. An intolerant view that has inflamed Hindu communities worldwide." And he called on the Southern Baptists to, "End your conversion campaign directed to members of the Hindu faith." He went on to write, "We cannot understand how men and women raised and educated in the world's bastion of religious freedom and tolerance can characterize another religion as spiritually dark and false. The lack of respect that this statement shows for the basic rights of an individual to believe in whatever faith they choose, is perhaps the most disturbing." Well, I suppose that depends on your perspective. To me, what's disturbing is that an elected representative of our government would attack conversion efforts in the name of Christ. He doesn't know history very well. He doesn't know for example that the framers of the constitution were influenced in a major way by Baptists to put in religious freedom, not just tolerance but religious freedom. But yet those Baptists were active in preaching the Gospel and seeking to reach out to people through Jesus Christ. But you see what's going on in our culture today. What's going on is that tolerance has become the major ethic of our day. And if you show any intolerance at all, you have committed the sin there is to commit, and it takes a great deal of courage to stand for Christ these days in that circumstance. Now I don't know what the future holds. I don't know when the Lord will return. But if you take this attitude, this elected official taking a piece of paper and writing on it that we should not seek to convert people to faith in Jesus Christ, where will we be in 50 years? Not one of us is afraid that government officials are going to break down the doors right now and come in and stop us from worshipping. But how do we know what'll happen in the next generation or the one that follows? It's fascinating. But either way, understand that in church history, Christians have been called on to stand firm and to show courage despite prevailing attitudes in their culture. We have to some degree been lulled into a false sense of security, a feeling that we should kind of get along with the world around us, and that's just because of the unique place of America in the flow of world history. For the most part, Christians have taken their very lives in their hands when they stood firm for Christ. And there is a temptation in all of this to be ashamed, isn't there? To be ashamed of the Gospel like there's something wrong with it. Now these prayer guides put out by the International Mission Board are just informational guides on how you can pray for people of the Hindu faith, Muslim faith and how they can come to personal faith in Christ. Now what you think about that probably depends on what you think is the basic status of a human being apart from Christ. If they're basically okay, if people are basically alright and if religion just comes and helps us in our lives, then maybe there might be a reason to be inflamed or angry about one group that seemed to have the truth when there really is no truth available. Maybe that would be true, but if you believe what Romans says, that apart from God, apart from Christ, we're under wrath and under judgment and that only Jesus Christ and His death on the cross can atone for our sins, then everything changes. And further more, if Jesus is Lord and commands us to go and preach the Gospel, everything changes as well. So I think we as Christians need to come face to face with this history of shame and try to understand what it is and how much of a powerful weapon it is in the hands of Satan to stop us from doing our duty, to stop us from preaching the Gospel. Now when you think of being ashamed, of feeling shame, what pops in your mind? Suppose for example you took out a friend to lunch and you said, "Listen, I want you to get anything you want. This one's on me. I want you to enjoy yourself, have whatever you want." It's a nice restaurant, expensive restaurant, and so he said, "I don't feel right about this." You say, "Go ahead, listen, I just want to... It's my way of saying thank you." Just to help him out, you order the most expensive thing on the menu yourself, etcetera. Time comes to pay and you can't find your wallet anywhere. What do you think you'll feel at that moment? Shame. And also a bit of anxiety about how many dishes you're going to have to wash to get out of that restaurant that day. Shame. Well how about this, suppose... Picture a 12-year old boy who's the best basketball player in his class and he's used to boasting about it. And suppose a new kid comes in from out of state and he starts talking and begins boasting over this other new guy. And so the other guy says, "Well, I like to play basketball. Why don't we get together and play?" And so the braggart sends word around, everybody shows up and this new kid in a very humble way, wipes up the court with him. How do you think that that 12-year old is going to feel? He's going to feel a sense of shame. Or how about this, suppose you're the lead in a play. And the time comes for you to step out, it's your first real play and the flood lights are on and you open your mouth and nothing comes out, nothing. Your mind is blank. And you know that you should be saying something because everyone's looking at you kind of funny. And they know you should be saying something too. What are you going to feel at that moment? I'd feel a sense of shame. Or how about if a family member gets arrested for a crime and the family name is dragged through the mud. And you are shown on TV standing near this person, maybe a father or mother, child, son or daughter, feel a sense of shame. Now what's the common denominator in all those four cases? I think it's the audience, isn't it? It's someone watching. And not only that, but they're assessing, they're weighing you. And from childhood, even from infancy, you have a sense of that audience, don't you? A sense of people around you who are assessing your behavior, assessing what you're saying. And when we start to feel shame when certain things come on us, we decide we don't like that feeling, we hate the feeling of shame. And so we begin to work in a kind of a coping mechanism way. And what is it? It's to never put ourselves in a position to be ashamed. We're never going to say something that isn't pleasing. We're never going to fail to satisfy. We're always going to please the audience. Well in many cases, that's just being socially adept. There's nothing wrong with that. Except when it comes to this issue of the Gospel. And so we need to understand how it is that Satan uses this sense of shame to hold us back. I think as we read the Scriptures, the greatest occasion for shame is not the preaching of the Gospel, this power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, it's not that at all. It's Judgment Day. When everything we've ever said and done, when the secrets of the heart will be exposed and revealed before a just and holy God. Now imagine that as an audience. Imagine the Holy of Holies, the holiest place, and all of God's holy angels standing there, and Jesus Christ in His righteousness, opening the books. Imagine that. Now it says in Romans 6:21, that all of our sin now is cause for shame even now. It says in Romans 6:21, "What benefit did you reap at that time from those things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death." Now that we've been trained by the Gospel, we understand sin properly and it makes us feel ashamed. It's the very same thing that Adam and Eve felt when they were caught in their sin and wanted to hide from God, a sense of shame connected with sin. But how about this one, in Mark 8:38, Jesus spoke in this way, "If anyone is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His Father's glory with all His holy angels." In other words, if you're ashamed of Me, I'll be ashamed of you. Very plain, Jesus speaking very plainly. We are not to be ashamed of Him in this corrupt world, we're not to be ashamed of Him and His words, for He is holy and He is righteous. And he has brought, a Gospel message of salvation to the world. I think there's an exhortation in 1 John 2:28, which I know the college and career class had the chance to look at earlier. 1 John 2:28 says, "And now dear children, continue in Him so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed of His appearing." Confident and unashamed. So we're supposed to walk with Jesus step by step, so that we will not feel ashamed when Jesus returns. But the best part of all is the fact that the Gospel, this power of salvation, removes all of our shame. Isn't that marvelous? Romans 9:33 says, "See I lay a stone in Zion that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. But he who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." Isn't that beautiful? Trust in Jesus Christ means you'll never be put to shame. And that includes on Judgment Day, when the Lord returns. Jesus Christ is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to those who do not believe. But for us He is precious, isn't He? He is that which removes all of our shame. And the most, perhaps, shocking aspect of this whole thing is in Hebrews 2:11, that Jesus Christ, it says here, "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." Isn't that amazing that Jesus isn't ashamed to call you by name? Say "I know him. I know her. They're adopted into My family, not ashamed of them." Isn't that marvelous? Now, He would have every reason to be ashamed of us in Holy Heaven, but He's not because of the atoning sacrifice which He gave. But in this present world, that Jesus, in all of His perfection and power and all of His love, is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Now last week, I talked about Paul's obligation, remember? Paul had a sense of indebtedness. He felt himself indebted, not to God. Not to God in that verse. Remember that if we try to work out our debt, we are actually paying off our salvation on mortgage, we can't do that. We can't earn our salvation either beforehand or afterwards, either way. But he felt an obligation or debt to gentiles of all different kinds, both the wise and the foolish, the cultured and the un-cultured, and the debt of obligation was the Gospel message. He wanted to give them the Gospel so that they might be saved. But the fascinating thing is, as he goes in here and describes in verse 16, that he's not ashamed. He knows very well that not everyone to whom he owes the Gospel, is going to be very appreciative when he discharges his debt. They're actually going to heap shame and abuse on him. They're going to seek to shame him. Shaming behavior is part of a sinful response to the Gospel and it's something that you have to be ready for. Now Paul knew very well. He said, "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks." Not everyone's going to respond well. Not everybody is going to be enjoying this Gospel message. Some of them will even persecute him openly. They'll take that shaming behavior and try to pour it on him in terms of persecution. In Acts 16:22 and following, it says “The crowd joined the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.” The shame to be stripped and beaten in front of everybody. “After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Were Paul and Silas ashamed? Oh, they were shamed, but they were not ashamed, because that very night, they were singing praise and worship songs to God in that Philippian jail. They didn't have any sense of shame inside their hearts. There were external shames being heaped on them, but it didn't take root inside them. They were not ashamed. Paul says, "I'm not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for salvation." But understand that shaming behavior is intrinsic to the rejection of the Gospel. When you take this Gospel message out there, try to share it with your friends, with your relatives, with non-Christians all around you, they're going to try to heap abuse on you. They're going to try to shame you. It's their defense mechanism. Why? Because the Gospel message makes them feel guilty. The conviction comes and they need to shift the blame, they need to move it to someone else and they heap it on you. They bring that shame and they bring it down to you. In the cultural revolution in China in the 1960s, Christians were made to wear dunce caps and wear these humiliating signs and they were paraded through the streets. And the crowds were whipped into frenzy because there were communists, young communists, in the crowds and basically observing everybody who wouldn't heap abuse and shame on the Christians. And if you were included with them, you were pushed out and you had a dunce cap pretty soon. So just out of fear, they would heap abuse. Can you imagine what it would feel like to walk through the streets with that kind of shame being heaped on you? But Paul says, even if that happens to you, you don't need to be ashamed. You don't need to feel the shame within. They will heap the abuse on you, but you don't have to feel the shame. I remember when I was just... On a biographical note. When I was a unbeliever, my junior year at MIT, there was a guy who was trying to lead me to faith in Christ, and his name was Steve, and Steve was a faithful witness. Invited me to a number of Campus Crusade for Christ activities, a number of things. And as he did, I grew more and more... I didn't like him, I guess more and more as time went on. And finally the time came when he would come to sit near me at a meal and I would get up and move my plate to another place, and I'd come back and get my silverware and move that and I'd get my glass and move it. It took three trips. I wanted it to take five or six. I was trying to shame him. I wanted him to feel badly. Why? Because of my own guilt before God. Steve bore it so patiently. Ultimately he led me to Christ. It's just intrinsic to non-Christians to take that feeling they have and to heap abuse and shame on those who seek to lead them to Christ. But how do we triumph over it? Well, we triumph over it by understanding what it is we're about. Understanding the Gospel. I'm not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Preaching the Gospel creates shaming opportunities, but it does not create shame on the part of the one who brings it, because the Gospel gives freedom from shame. The Gospel gives freedom from our own shame and guilt, but it also helps us to understand what that person is going through. It helps us to understand where they're at spiritually and how much they need the Gospel message. The best example of all is Jesus Christ. In Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2, he says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven." It's very interesting. Jesus received the shaming behavior, didn't He? They sought to heap shame on Him. Think of all the things He went through. He went through a mockery of a trial in which His own people disowned Him, said, "We will not have this man rule over us." And they chose Barabbas instead of Him. They wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They put a cheap robe on Him and the Romans played their usual game of setting up, as they believe, a dunce to be an emperor and they would mock worship Him. They were mocking Him. They were trying to shame Him. They beat Him. Ultimately He was, just like the Chinese Christians many centuries later, led through the streets and mocked and shamed and ultimately crucified. A sense of shame being poured on Him, but was He ashamed? No, He was not. It says in this verse that, "Jesus for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of God." So He looked beyond the cross, He looked beyond all the shame to what He was achieving, what He was accomplishing. The joy set before Him. And you know the joy? It was His joy in your joy. That's what it was. It was His joy in your salvation. His joy in the look that will be on your face when you're welcomed into Heaven, forgiven of all your sins. It was worth it to Him. And so therefore it says that He despised the shame. Now the word 'despise' is interesting. You can take it this way. He hated the shame. You can say, "I despise this, or I despise that. I despise this certain kind of food," means you hate it. You have a strong negative aversion to it. Well, it's possible that that's what it means there in Hebrews. That Jesus, to some degree, was looking at shame as a messenger from Satan, looking at shame as an instrument of the devil to keep Him from fulfilling His mission on the cross. But I think actually it's... We take the word despise a little bit differently there. To despise could also mean to think little of. To look at and say, "I just think very little, I think lightly of you. I think lightly of this issue." To despise means to think in a light way, to assess it away and say, "It's light, it's not even worth considering." Not even worth weighing compared to what's going on here. I think that's what Jesus did, He looked at the shame and He thought little of it for the joy that was set before Him, He was willing to bear under it. That's the secret to overcoming shame. You are going to bring the Gospel to people who will try to shame you. You don't need to be ashamed, it's a glorious Gospel. It's the power of God for salvation. You understand why they're heaping shame on you, you may have done the very same thing. You may have done the same thing when somebody tried to lead you to Christ, you understand it. You look beyond it for the joy set before you that you might see someone come to faith in Christ. And it gives you the courage to continue preaching the Gospel. Back in the '60s, Alistair Begg, preacher in Cleveland area, said that the shaming behavior ran like this, in the '60s it was something like this. "I can't believe you think this is really true. I can't believe you think this is true." And so back then, Christians spent a lot of time on what we call apologetics. You know, learning ways to defend the Bible, the resurrection, all the evidence, Josh McDowell was big in this. And that's all still true and valid. But we're not saying that anymore, that's not the shaming behavior of the '90s. Now it's, "I can't believe you think there is truth. I can't believe you are so arrogant to think you have the truth." That you are some kind of intolerant bigot if you really claim that you have the truth. That's the shaming behavior of the '90s now into the year 2000. We have to understand that. The world around us is going to try to do that, we have to get past it in that same way that Jesus did. II. How is the Gospel the Power of God for Salvation? Well now we have to understand in what way is the Gospel the power of God for salvation. It says, "I'm not ashamed of the Gospel because it's the power of God for salvation." Well, first we have to ask, what is the salvation that Paul has in mind here? Many of us, even Evangelicals, tend to think of salvation as equal to justification. The moment that we are converted, the moment we become Christians, we're born again, that is salvation. So we have a kind of static view of salvation. In other words, once saved, always saved. We go up to somebody and say, "Are you saved, brother?" this kind of thing. And instead we neglect the fact that there's a dynamic aspect to salvation. Justification is once for all time. There's a moment that we give our lives to Jesus and all of our sins, the guilt for all of our sins, the record of all of our sins, is thrown into the deepest ocean, gone forever. If you're a Christian today, all of the guilt of your sins is taken away forever. Praise God! But that's not all there is to salvation. There's more to salvation, there's something after it. Sanctification, walking with Jesus, growing in holiness. And so it says in Philippians 2:12 that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us. What is He working in us? To finish salvation, it's not done yet. If you're alive now on earth, it's not done yet. And as a matter of fact, for every human being that ever lived, it's not done yet because you don't have your resurrection body yet. Salvation takes you from dead in transgressions and sins, through justification, through growth and holiness and sanctification on into perfection, in Heaven, with a resurrection body. That's salvation. I quoted a verse earlier, which I love, "Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." Doesn't that show you that there's still yet some salvation to come? And that salvation will be fully revealed to you on Judgment Day when you see Him face to face. Well, does all this take power? In what sense does it take power? Well we use the word power as a creative force. We think of God saying, "Let there be light!" And there was light. That takes power, doesn't it? Did God show His power when He created the universe? Oh yes He did, you can't even imagine. We've only begun to unlock the power even just of the atom, for example. There's tremendous power in creation, but there's also power in redemption, in the salvation that God has given us. Power. Power, we use that word as something which affects a change which transforms a situation. And that's exactly what salvation is. Now what was our situation? Well, this brings us back to the prayer guides. If we're basically okay, if we're basically good, then it doesn't really take much power. But if Ephesians, for example, 2:1 is true, that we are dead in our transgressions and sins in which we used to live as we followed the ways of the world, and the ruler of the kingdom of the air. If that's who we were, dead in transgressions and sins while we lived, living dead spiritually, then you can see the power it takes for salvation. The best picture of salvation, I think, that I've ever found in the Bible is the resurrection of Lazarus in John Chapter 11. The resurrection of a dead man, dead four days, no hope, without hope. He's dead. And yet Jesus comes and now he's alive. That's power. And I'm telling you, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, all those Mesopotamian cultures, through the Romans and the Greeks, all the cultures that have ever been in history have no power over death and the grave, do they? They have been shown singularly powerless before the grave but one man has shown power over the grave and that's Jesus Christ. And so in Ephesians 1 and 2, there's a picture of power, just as Jesus was raised from the dead and now went through the heavens and sits at the right hand of God. So also you, united with Christ, raised from the dead spiritually, moving through life inexorably, unstoppably, you are going to be moved on through sanctification, into glorification, and that takes power. And according to Romans 1:16 the power comes from the Gospel message. As you hear the Gospel message even as a believer, as you hear the Gospel message you are moved along in your salvation and you continue. If you're dead in your transgressions and sins, just like Spurgeon, you hear and you believe and you're saved, that's power. It says in 1 Corinthians 15 this is what you have to look forward to. If you're a believer in Christ, listen to these verses, this is your future. 1 Corinthians 15:42-43, "So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, the body that is raised is incorruptible." Isn't that great. It is sown in dishonor, no matter what we try to do at a graveside service there's a sense of dishonor. There's mud there and sometimes it rains and there's grief, there's a sense of emptiness and dishonor. But it's sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in what? Power. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ that's the power of the Gospel. It's going to get you up out of the grave. Now that's a powerful message. How can we be ashamed of that message, we're going to people who are dead in their transgressions and sins and we're offering them eternal life in the name of Jesus Christ. Power. Well, there's a second way to understand power and that is authority. For example a magistrate has the power to do this, a senator has the power to do that, a king or dictator has all power in his land, etcetera. All right, well how is salvation or the Gospel a declaration of God's authority and power? Well, He is the judge is He not? He is the one who's going to sit on Judgment Day. And He's the only one who matters. If He says that you're righteous, you're righteous. And if He says that you're holy, you're holy. And if He declares you to be a child of God, you're a child of God. He has the authority to do that. And Jesus uses the word power in this way in Mark's Gospel, he says "The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." That's authority. He has the right to say, "Your sins are forgiven." And that's the Gospel message. So we go out with a authoritative message. "You believe this message, I have the authority given to me by Jesus Christ to declare that your sins, all of them, are forgiven." That's a powerful message, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. Well, who is it a power for? It's a power for salvation to those who believe, and actually the Greek should be translated better, it's the power of God for the salvation of everyone who is believing. Is believing. It's a better translation. In other words ongoing faith is the condition for the salvation. Faith comes by the hearing of the Gospel message. As I stand and speak the Gospel message to you, faith is strengthened. Faith comes from hearing the Gospel. And as you hear this Gospel message and the faith comes, it comes as a gift from God, doesn't it? Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are you saved through faith and the faith is not of yourselves it, namely the faith, is a gift of God. Not by works so that no one can boast." So the faith comes and it comes through hearing the message. So you Christians, you keep listening to the Gospel message and what happens, your faith gets stronger. You say, "Wow, I want to fight sin, I want to get out there and fight, I'm ready to go. Let me go." That's why I wanted you to come today. I couldn't cancel this. You've got a week full of temptation ahead of you, do you understand what temptations are going to face you this week? Are you ready? Are you ready? This message gets you ready. You need to fight and stand firm and say no to sin. And as you listen to the Gospel message you get ready, you are prepared, faith is strengthened. That's why Paul says in verse 15, "That's why I'm eager to preach the Gospel to you who are at Rome." Eager to do it. Even if it is a blizzard, a North Carolina blizzard, I'm eager to preach. I'm eager that you might have the faith to stand firm and to grow in your salvation. A faith that starts but doesn't finish is vain, it's a vain faith. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, "Now brothers I want to remind you of the Gospel I preached to you, which you have received and on which you have taken your stand, by this Gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, otherwise you have believed in vain." A faith that starts but doesn't finish isn't from God. It's not that Ephesians 2:8-9 faith that is the gift of God. That faith finishes 'cause it's from God. The faith that starts and doesn't finish is not from God. It's a vain faith. We need to keep believing, and what keeps us believing is a hearing of the Gospel. III. The Priority of the Jews: What It Means, What It Doesn’t Mean And who is it for? It's for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and then for the Greek or the Gentiles, for everyone it's not just for Jews, it's for us too. Amen? You're not Jews and yet here you are hearing about this Gospel message, it's for you. It's for everyone who believes. Barbarians, Scythians, slave or free, doesn't matter. Male or female that doesn't... No category is excluded, but there's people... There will be people represented from every tribe and language and people and nation, believing the same Gospel message. It's for everyone who believes, everyone. Now what does Paul mean by, "First for the Jew, then for the Gentile"? What is this priority of the Jews. Well there's a different sense in which the Jews are first, first of all they were the chosen people of God, you've heard of that before. Deuteronomy 14:2, "You are a people holy to the Lord. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession." Deuteronomy 7:7, "I did not choose you because you were the most numerous people on earth." Well we could add, "Nor the most godly, or the most attractive, or any of that. But I chose you because I loved you. Sovereign love, I just set my love on you, that's why I chose you." And then it says, and I love this in Amos 3:2, "You only have I chosen of all the families on the earth." They're His chosen people. One of those Prayer Guides was for the Jews, have you heard about that one? Yeah. Maybe you have. Recently the president of Southern Seminary, Albert Mohler was on Larry King Live. Last week I think it was. And he had to answer certain charges that he was preaching the Gospel to the Jews. Yes he was. He was guilty as charged. So is the Apostle Paul. To the Jew first and also the Gentile. "I preach the Gospel to Jews," says Paul, they need it. And this is what Dr. Mohler said and he was facing some incredible antagonism, even hatred, shame shall I say, heaped, with millions of observers. "Are you saying that, Dr. Mohler, that if everybody doesn't believe exactly what you believe, they're going to burn in hell forever and ever?" And how would you as a Christian answer that one? Knowing... "Yes sir, that's what I believe." What he said was... And he's just able to communicate so well. He said, "First of all, we did not make up this Gospel. We have come to believe it. It was given to us and we believed it and we're preaching it in obedience." That's a good answer. But the fact of the matter is that shaming behavior comes even in relation to preaching to the Jews. But what Dr. Mohler said is we are not saying that the Jews are more needful of the Gospel than any other group, just not less needful either. You see, they need the Gospel just like we do, we all need it. To the Jew first and then to the Gentile. And the Jews are also guardians of the Old Testament Scripture. In Romans 3:1 it says "What advantage then is there in being a Jew or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God." What are the very words of God in Romans 3:1? The Old Testament. They were given the prophets, they were given Moses, they were given Jeremiah and Isaiah. They were entrusted and they took care of them, didn't they? They copied letter by letter. They guarded the scriptures, they just didn't understand them, they weren't ready for the Messiah that came but they were entrusted with the scriptures. And it also is true that the Gospel came first to them chronologically because they had the message of the prophets, they received this message first, chronologically. And Jesus himself said in John 4:22, "Salvation is from the Jews." He's speaking to the Samaritan woman, remember. He said salvation is from the Jews. In other words, the Messiah for the world, the Savior for the world is Jewish, He's Jewish. Jesus Christ was a descendant of David, descendant of Abraham. He kept the law in Galatians 4. He was Jewish and so salvation is from the Jews. First from the Jews and therefore the Gentiles, you Gentiles are seen to be grafted into a Jewish olive tree. We'll get to that in Romans 11. You grafted in, grafted in as a wild olive shoot into a Jewish olive tree. You are saved by a Jewish faith. The fulfillment of the Jewish faith. To the Jews first. And then strategically the Jews... I mean the apostle Paul began in Jerusalem, started in a Jewish land and moved out, and everywhere that Paul went as an apostle in every community, where did he go first? He went first to the synagogue, right? To the Jew first and when they rejected, he says in Acts 13, "It was necessary for us to speak the Word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life we now turn to the Gentiles." But their strategy was always go to Jews first, to the Jews first. And then finally, there's a priority of the Jews on Judgment Day for both blessings and curses. They get it first, whatever they're going to get. This is very interesting. In Romans chapter two verse nine and 10 it says, "There'll be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. But glory, honor and peace for everyone who does right." First for the Jew, then for the Gentile." Priority on Judgment Day, either way, whether for blessings or curses they get it first. "To him who has been given much, much is expected," says God. They get it first, either way. In what way do the Jews not have priority? First of all, there is no priority in merit before God. Romans 3:9, "What shall we conclude then, are we any better we Jews, are we any better? Not at all. We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin." That's what Romans 3:23 says. Romans 3:22 says, "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." There is no difference between what and what? Between Jew and Gentile. We're all under sin. Secondly there's no priority in how they were saved. Is God the God of Jews only? Romans 3:29 and 30, "Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too. Since there's only one God who will justify the Jews, the circumcised by faith and the non-Jews through that same faith." We get saved the same way. We get saved the same way, Romans 10:12-13,"For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for everyone, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." So there's no difference in terms of how they're saved, no difference in sinfulness, no difference in how they get out of their sinfulness, same way. And finally no difference in terms of covenant blessings now. There's been a dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, it's removed. There were distinctions before, they're gone now. And so it says in Ephesians 3:6,"This mystery is that through the Gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and shares together in the promise in Christ Jesus." There's no difference in the blessings either, we all get the same, isn't that great? So we've explained, to the Jew first and also the Gentile, in what sense are they first and what sense are they not first. IV. Summary and Application So far as we've looked at Romans 1:16, we've seen, number one, that we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel. The Gospel produces shaming behavior in those who will not believe its message. Be ready for it, understand what's going on and realize that on the other side of it, there's joy, on the other side of it, is salvation. Despise the shame, think nothing of it. Pay the price and see people saved as we preach the Gospel. The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of believers, the Gospel alone has power to present you holy before God on Judgment Day. Salvation is not just conversion, but it's a whole journey that takes you from the spiritual grave to the spiritual heights of reigning with Christ. It has power to change you, the Gospel has power to transform you and the Gospel has authority to declare you righteous on Judgment Day. And therefore believers are to continue believing its message, they're to feed on the message daily, they're to take it in, they're to come to church, hear the message preached and be strengthened by it so that they can continue growing in their salvation. And we've also come to understand what the Jew first means, priority of the Jews, they're a chosen people of God, guardians of Scripture. Chronologically they were first. Salvation is from the Jews, announced first to the world by Jewish apostles and then ultimately Jews will be first on Judgment Day for receiving both blessings and curses. We've also seen what it does not mean. It does not mean that they are first in righteousness before God for all have sinned. It doesn't make a difference in terms of how they are saved, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And it has no difference in terms of covenant blessings, for we all get the same blessings in Christ. Now how do we apply this to ourselves? At first is to ask yourself a question, "Are you now or have you ever been ashamed of the Gospel? Have you ever been ashamed of the Gospel?" Immerse yourself in this message, understand what a glorious message this is. And by faith, with a vision past this moment, past this uncomfortable interaction with a boss or coworker or relative, past and see Judgment Day and see the glory that waits anyone who believes the message that gets you past the shame. Are you feeding on the Gospel daily? Are you feeling your strength, through faith growing, so you can put sin to death. Ultimately have you come to faith in Christ yourself? Have you given your life to Him? He died on the cross. As I said at the beginning, "Look to Him and be saved all you ends of the earth." Put your trust in Him and realize that the Jews and the Hindus and the Muslims, no one group, has any less need for a salvation through the same Gospel message than anyone else. Stand firm for that. Understand there is no other name under heaven given to man by which must be saved. Let's close in prayer.