A university administrator is out of a job over DEI remarks caught on camera
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Caitlyn Yaede.
As tensions between President Donald Trump’s administration and higher education come to a peak over practices at Harvard University, a bill meant to enact Trump’s agenda would bring higher taxes to two North Carolina institutions.
But first, we have another higher education story that broke Thursday.
UNC CHARLOTTE ADMINISTRATOR ‘NO LONGER EMPLOYED’ AFTER VIRAL VIDEO
An administrator at UNC Charlotte is out of a job after going viral in a video for saying diversity, equity and inclusion is happening at the university.
The announcement came on Thursday afternoon from the school’s deputy chief communications officer, Christy Jackson.
The video was seemingly taken with a hidden camera and shows Janique Sanders describing evading the UNC System ban on DEI programs. Sanders served as an assistant director in the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement.
The video was originally posted by a nonprofit called Accuracy in Media and drew attention from GOP leaders like Sen. Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall.
The Charlotte Observer’s Rebecca Noel has the story.
‘WOKE’ TAX COULD COME TO DUKE, DAVIDSON
A provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — the $3 trillion budget plan passed by the House last week — would put new taxes on what Republican lawmakers are calling “woke, elite” universities.
Duke University and Davidson College could see taxes on their endowments increase from 1.4% to 7%, Danielle Battaglia reports.
The measure comes out of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which said in a statement that it aims to hold universities accountable, “ensuring they can no longer abuse generous benefits provided through the tax code.”
How much a university is taxed would depend on the size of the endowment, enrollment and other factors.
The bill excludes foreign students from total enrollment figures.
Rep. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat whose district includes Duke University, said she wants to see the tax removed from the final version of the bill.
“The Republicans’ inclusion of a tiered rate system in their reconciliation package will not only raise taxes on universities across the country but is another blatant attempt to push international students out of our schools,” she said in a statement to McClatchy.
This is the latest in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on higher education, and comes as the administration is at odds with Harvard University over so-called “woke” policies and the admission of foreign students. The Trump administration moved to revoke federal contracts for Harvard totaling $100 million earlier this week.
On Thursday, a federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to bar foreign students from enrolling at Harvard — for now.
REALITY CHECK: How will COVID-19 vaccine access change after RFK Jr. recommendation?
Earlier this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared on X that the COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women.
This announcement comes with an order to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its recommended immunization schedule.
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reached out to major insurers in the state — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare — to learn more about how North Carolinians’ coverage will be impacted.
For state employees under the North Carolina State Health Plan, access to the vaccine will not change at all. “The State Health Plan will continue to cover the COVID-19 vaccine for Plan members at 100%, which means no cost-share for members,” Loretta Boniti with the State Health Plan said in an email to The News & Observer.
LEE COUNTY LAWYER IN THE RUNNING FOR NC-13
Paul Barringer announced his candidacy to represent North Carolina’s 13th district in Congress last week. Barringer, a lawyer and Lee County native, is running as a Democrat to take the seat of Republican Brad Knott.
The district was redrawn to favor Republicans ahead of the 2024 election and includes Caswell, Person, Granville, Franklin, Wake, Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
Since 2020, half of the suicides committed behind bars in North Carolina have happened in solitary confinement. With the number of suicides in the state’s prison system reaching record levels last year, The Charlotte Observer’s Gavin Off investigated the harsh realities of those facing mental health crises who are subjected to solitary confinement — “a prison within a prison.”
An online system used by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to administer tests glitched, impacting the exams of more than 200,000 students across the state. T. Keung Hui and Rebecca Noel have the story.
A member of Chapel Hill’s town council is raising questions after it was revealed she splits her residency between Chapel Hill and Carrboro. North Carolina state law requires elected officials to live where they serve. Tammy Grubb explains.
Today’s newsletter was by Caitlyn Yaede. Check your inbox Sunday for more #ncpol.
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