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The U.S. Department of Education unveiled several regulatory proposals Tuesday around accreditation, distance education and state authorization ahead of policy negotiations next week. The proposals are in part intended to ensure that accreditors and state authorizing agencies are adequately monitoring the colleges under their purview, the Education Department said in an announcement. They’re also meant to make it easier for students to access federal financial aid.

A Jewish student’s nose is broken in a melee sparked by attempts to burn an Israeli flag. Messages declaring “Glory to our Martyrs” and “Divestment From Zionist Genocide Now” are projected onto the façade of a campus building. Jewish students huddle inside a campus library while protesters shouting “Free Palestine” bang on the glass walls. With each new headline and video snippet that goes viral, the pressure on colleges to respond forcefully and quickly to incidents of antisemitism is building. So too is the pressure to resist calls from politicians, donors, and alumni to crack down on protesters in ways that stifle protected speech.

In the wake of this month’s hearing on campus antisemitism, Republicans in Congress want elite colleges and universities to pay—one way or another. Over the past week, they’ve proposed bills to end federal student loans to the wealthiest private colleges, to levy new taxes and to restrict institutions’ diversity, equity and inclusion policies. And the list will likely grow in the new year. The growing hostility in Congress toward higher education, particularly elite institutions, represents a shift that could mean more legislation designed to change colleges and universities’ operations and governance, increase federal oversight and accountability, and impose budget cuts, experts said.

Like many campus leaders, Ben Sasse has spoken publicly about the University of Florida’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, highlighting how it is supporting students and seeking to protect free speech.
Unlike most campus leaders, Sasse has also taken swipes at other college presidents. That frankness marks a shift for Sasse, a former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska. 

Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee say the Biden administration’s decision to push back the release on new regulations aimed in part at combating antisemitism on campuses is “appalling.” 
The rules were initially expected in December 2022 but were delayed to this month. Now, the Biden administration is saying they won’t be released until next December, according to its updated regulatory agenda.