Academic Parity Newsletter September & October 2026
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Greetings allies and members.
This issue of our newsletter includes a selection of the latest research, media and activities related to the issue of academic bullying and harassment. The media is abuzz right now with stories addressing the chronic nature of abuse, discrimination and bullying in higher education and the role that institutional mechanisms play in their perpetuation. We hope this attention to the central role of institutions helps bring the meaningful changes we need to put a stop to the abuse in the spirit of strengthening our democracies and scientific output..
As always, stay tuned for more information on our latest activities and thank you for your interest in and support for Academic Parity. Thank you to those of you who have kindly sent relevant research and materials our way!
The class gap in career progression: Evidence from US academia (Econometrica, July 2026). This paper by Anna Stansbury and Kyra Rodriguez examines the impact of class on career progression in US academia finding that first-generation college graduates are 10% less likely to be tenured at an R1, are tenured at institutions ranked 11% lower, earn 3% less, and report 5% lower job satisfaction, than their former PhD classmates (from the same institution and field) with a parent with a non-PhD graduate degree.
Academic freedom and the role of the academic: Solidarity and the politics of knowledge (Feminist Legal Studies, August 2026). This piece by The Feminist Collective addresses the role of the university in times of crisis during which crack downs on free speech have become more numerous asserting that the role of the university cannot be understood as neutral or detached in such times.
Argumentation flaws in institutional mishandling of an allegation of research misconduct (Argumentation, August 2026). This article by Sylvain Tollis et al examines how a Finnish university and the national authority on research integrity handled a research misconduct allegation. Using argumentation analysis, they identified instances in which institutional conclusions appear insufficiently supported by the available evidence, revealing patterns of fallacious reasoning, defective argumentation, and tensions between procedural obligations, institutional interests, and standards of objective inquiry. The findings raise broader questions regarding the thoroughness and impartiality of misconduct investigations.
A Rutger’s dean is arrested over ‘upskirt’ videos on his personal device (The New York Times, August 2026). In this article, Adeel Hassan reports on the recent arrest of a Rutgers University Dean after “upskirt” videos were found on one of his devices and also addresses the evolving laws on “upskirting” — the practice of taking unauthorized photos or videos under a woman’s skirt and their effects on deterrence.
The working class face a “class ceiling” in elite professions (The New York Times, September 2026). This article by Naom Schreiber discusses the results of the study cited above about the impact of class on career progression expanding the conversation to other elite fields.
Trump attacks academia–and grad students ask if it’s worth saving (Inside Higher Ed, September 2026). In this piece, Lauren Chambers addresses contemporary conversations taking place in high education among grad students about the contradictions and problematic patterns that characterize academic work and have lef them wondering: Can a generation of scientists continue to devote their lives to institutions that no longer seem willing to invest in them?
Whistleblowing in universities is ‘extraordinarily risky’: Stronger protections are needed (Nature, October 2026). In this piece, Cambridge University Professor Wyn Evans discusses his five year journey from internally reporting misconduct to eventually filing a case with an external employment tribunal. Though the tribunal concluded in his favor, he argues that broader protections are needed for whistleblowers, especially those from vulnerable populations who don’t have the resources or support he had to endure his five year ordeal.
Banished (The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2026). In this piece, Katherine Mangan describes the recent controversy around Michigan State University’s decision to investigate and place an assistant professor of chemistry on administrative leave. Critics of MSU’s actions cite both the lack of transparency around the charges against the faculty member and note that the abrupt decision to investigate her comes in stark contrast to her recent and overwhelmingly positive recommendations for promotion. The article draws attention to issues surrounding MSU’s internal procedures and questions whether this case may be evidence of an “overzealous crackdown on an early-career scholar”.
What it feels like at Cornell right now (The Cut, October 2026). Cornell Professor of Philosophy Kate Manne reflects upon what the recently publicized case of Jane Doe reveals both the reality and widespread acceptance of violence against women on American campuses, and the fact that violence against women is often punished far less severely than other, less egregious, infractions. Manne asserts that we urgently need massive institutional change on university campuses to put a stop to the indifference and disproportionality demonstrated in this case.
The hunt for Jason Arday (How to Survive the Broliogarchy, October 2026). This piece is a reprint of an article by Stephanie Lamy published in the French publication, Mediapart, in which Lamy details the three-year long “hunt” for Jason Arday that led to his death. Lamy applies her expertise in online propaganda to reframe the story as a calculated and coordinated effort by individuals with ties to the right wing ‘race realist’ network to target and harass Jason Arday.
Dozens of men failed to stop an alleged gang rape at Cornell-here’s the misperception that keeps bystanders from intervening and how to short-circut it (The Conversation, October 2026). In this piece, Professor of Psychology Catherine A. Sanderson situates the Cornell Jane Doe case in the broader phenomenon of inaction in the face of problematic behavior asserting that the reality is that pretty much everyone has been in situations where they’ve seen potentially problematic behavior and failed to speak up because we misperceive that we are the only one who thinks the behavior is problematic. In order to reverse this trend, she argues that we need to better understand the very normal psychological factors that lead people to misperceive what others are actually thinking and feeling and learn specific strategies for intervening.
We turn your attention to the recent TED Talk by Amy Cuddy, “How bullying spreads–and how social bravery stops it” in which she talks about her own experience of bullying and the lack of social bravery demonstrated by her colleagues and friends at the time. Her talk is also the topic of her forthcoming book, Bullied.
Voices from the Community section is a space where members of our community share their stories and experiences of academic bullying. Please let us know if you have an experience you would like to share by contacting our newsletter editor at avogelaar@paritymovement.org. Contributions are anonymized but not fact-checked and should be 300 words or less.
“I am in the concluding stages of a lawsuit that I brought against my former institution, a private university in Europe, for wrongful termination. I recently learned that the institution would like to put me through a medical evaluation based on their assertion that ‘The term [bullying, harassment, mobbing] is too often invoked in situations involving conflict or job dissatisfaction’ and as such ‘one must consider factors that establish a natural and adequate causal link—a process that includes accounting for any predisposing factors. Consequently, an employer is not held liable for a worker’s pre-existing psychological issues or extreme personal sensitivity’. In my recent deposition, I was repeatedly asked whether I had ever sought psychological care or been on psychiatric medication. Personally, I could care less whether I am put through a medical evalaution–there is no there there. Aside from seeing a therapist after the events of my bullying, I have never before or after sought psychiatric help, nor do I have a record of having ‘extreme personal sensitivity’ with any other employer. But in principle, I find this morally abhorrent because it means that a person who has, for whatever reason, over the course of their lifetime had the need for and courage to seek professional psychiatric care or therapy cannot file a bullying complaint because this would be framed as a ‘pre-existing condition’. I cannot imagine anything more cruel, backwards and cliché–how many times do we have to listen to abusers say, ‘oh she’s just crazy’. This also supports the well known fact that predators tend to select targets who are less likely to be believed. Might this include people they know have ‘pre-existing psychological issues or extreme personal sensitivity’?”
Until the next issue, wishing you well,
Dr. Alison E. Vogelaar
Newsletter editor