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W. Carson Byrd

@wcbyrdphd.bsky.social
4.6K followers 1.4K following 996 posts

Sociologist of higher ed inequalities & racism @ Michigan Probably staring at data instead of writing, but at least there’s a stack of books & articles beside me. More info: wcarsonbyrd.com

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Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 8h
Counterpoint: It would be great if people read some of the things that have been written about AI surveillance of workers! press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hilke... www.cambridge.org/core/books/q... www.ucpress.edu/books/uberla... jacobin.com/2026/09/amaz...
press.princeton.edu
Data Driven
A behind-the-scenes look at how digital surveillance is affecting the trucking way of life
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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
For every story like the Cornell gang rape, there are thousands more that couldn’t make it into the light. I wrote about a few dozen of them at one university in On the Wrong Side. The university’s treatment of survivors is eerily similar to what Jane Doe at Cornell experienced.
bookshop.org
On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence
"Bedera dispels deeply ingrained campus rape myths and puts the innate violence of the campus sexual assault reporting process into focus."--Jezebel"The book's grim conclusions are tempered with a hop...
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 11h
Nice overview of research by the Urban Institute & AIR about the burdens of ACTS reporting for institutions. ‘Ultimately, many institutions surveyed said they were concerned about how the ACTS data would be used—& whether their difficulties compiling it would lead to erroneous conclusions.’
insidehighered.com
Institutions Outline Challenges Collecting ACTS Data
About two-thirds of institutions needed at least the 200 hours that the Education Department anticipated they would require to compile ACTS data. Difficulty remedying errors and unclear definitions ma...
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 20h
‘Leaning into an admission system that benefits opportunity hoarding for the affluent & closing doors of opportunity to talented students no matter where they’re from is not the way to excellence.’ Great read about admissions tests & misidentification by @dumilm.bsky.social & @oiyanpoon.bsky.social
wordsbydumi.substack.com
Test Scores and Money Are Not Accurate Measures of Soccer Talent or College Readiness
What the US can learn from the rest of the world on talent identification and development
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Dan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 22h
"what we need to demand from universities far and wide is clear: Cease to be a place where sexual assault is often subject to less punishment than protesting and plagiarism." Cornell philosophy prof @katemanne.bsky.social in The Cut:
thecut.com
What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now
As a professor at the Ivy League school, Kate Manne has known many, many victims. There’s a palpable feeling on campus, she writes, that this is big.
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Dan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In case it's useful to anyone, I put together a collection of links about a horrific 2024 sexual assault at Cornell and recent uproar about Cornell's response to that event. scatter.wordpress.com/2026/09/29/s...
scatter.wordpress.com
sexual assault at cornell
As most readers here likely know, Cornell has been in the spotlight this week as new details came out about a sexual assault that took place at a fraternity in 2024. This post contains a collection…
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 21h
Lots of grant proposals going to agencies. Is this going to be enforced now in reviews & initial screenings? So many bad scenarios come to mind with this attempt at rebranding of research & technology…
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Panel Study of Income Dynamics @umpsid.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging @micda-umisr.bsky.social (MiCDA) is excited to announce that we are accepting applications for a stipend program for early-career researchers working in the MiCDA enclave. Applications are due November 1 and May 1 of each year. (1/2)
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Katrina Velle @katrinavelle.bsky.social · 23h
Heads up to other October NIH deadliners-- if you didn't do this already it appears you do not have to.
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ICPSR @icpsr.bsky.social · 22h
Creative Workforce in Focus: Explore arts and cultural employment with the 2024 & 2025 CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement. Study artists, cultural workers, and the creative economy: myumi.ch/8JqdR #artresearch Institute for Social Research (ISR) - University of Michigan #nadacArts
New data release: “Creative Workforce in Focus—Annual Social and Economic Supplement Current Population Survey, 2024–2025,” with
camera illustration and National Endowment for the Arts and National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture logos.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Congratulations to the 2026 MacArthur Fellows! @macfound.org www.macfound.org/programs/awa...
macfound.org
MacArthur Fellows - MacArthur Foundation
The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, we work to ...
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Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
At some point I will stop pitching our book, but we argue that these considerations, not neoliberal austerity, are the backdrop to political control. hep.gse.harvard.edu/979889557111...
hep.gse.harvard.edu
The Postliberal University
An urgent exploration of the political and social conditions that shape contemporary higher education governanceIn the 2010s, many state governments began to...
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YY Ahn @yyahn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
UVA School of Data Science has two open rank faculty positions open this year. Join us! - NLP: apply.interfolio.com/191213 - Data and Society: apply.interfolio.com/191214
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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Shoutout to the 🐐GOAT🐐, respect greatness www.macfound.org/videos/2026-...
macfound.org
Ellora Derenoncourt - 2026 MacArthur Fellow
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UM Population Studies Center @um-psc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
How are shifting demographics shifting the nation? Join @brookings.edu for an event Wednesday marking the release of the 3rd ed. of of William Frey’s book, “Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics Are Remaking America.” Register to attend (hybrid): www.brookings.edu/events/futur...
brookings.edu
The future of American diversity: A new look at how shifting demographics are shaping the nation | Brookings
Join Brookings for a discussion on America’s changing demographics and growing diversity, featuring new research on how shifts in race, age, and population are shaping the nation’s economy, politics, ...
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
‘[Ed Dept] has formally rescinded the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientation & gender identity. Schools now must go back to [2020 Trump Title IX code] which the department says will protect women’s sports.’
thehill.com
Education Department formally rescinds Title IX protections for LGBTQ students
The Education Department announced Monday it has formally rescinded the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientati…
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Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
17 states looked at quadrant 4 and said: i'll take that one. by 26-27, half of US K12 schoolkids will be eligible in a universal voucher state
NY times cost/effectiveness plot of ed reforms
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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The main reason you haven’t heard about campus sexual violence in a few years is because Trump and SCOTUS have made it much, much harder for survivors to come forward. You might vaguely remember that Title IX was a big battleground in his first term. And that we lost.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026
New @nytimes.com piece ranks 30 education interventions on both effectiveness & costs. For me, the key takeaway is NOT about what academics (including myself) rated as most effective or least costly. It is about the decision making process districts use. 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts
Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?
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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Shot: "We asked 37 top academics and researchers who study education to rate a range of ideas for both effectiveness and cost, on a scale of 1 to 7." Chaser: "The panel included: Dominique Baker..." LOL y'all I read so many papers to complete this survey on k12 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts
Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?
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Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 27/09/2026
This is quite an anecdote about how our current Secretary of Education got the job. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Linda McMahon was in her living room late one night, shortly after Trump won his second election, when her phone rang. Trump wanted to know if the woman who had led the Small Business Administration in his first term — and had been CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment before that — wanted to be his secretary of Education.

“Mr. President,” McMahon recalled telling him, “you know that I have not been in the world of education.”

“Well, you did graduate from college, didn’t you?” he responded, according to McMahon’s recollection.

Trump wasn’t looking for someone with education credentials. What he wanted instead was another business leader that would deliver a “return on investment” in the Department of Education. He also said her goal would be to put herself “out of a job” with the eventual downsizing of the department, she recalled.

“That’s not necessarily how I would expect to be courted,” she chuckled before accepting his request. McMahon would be the only one of two members from Trump’s first Cabinet — along with budget director Russ Vought — to be invited back for the second.
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Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality @stone-lis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Apply now! Applications are open for our postdoctoral scholars program. These 2-year positions start in August 2027 and are based at the GC CUNY Stone Center. One is focused on wealth inequality, the other more broadly on economic inequality. Deadline is Nov. 2.
stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu
Applications Are Open for Two Postdoctoral Positions at the GC CUNY Stone Center - Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality
The Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality is seeking applicants for a ninth cohort of postdoctoral scholars. These full-time, two-year positions will begin in August 2026.
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Kelly Lytle Hernandez has a new book out called "Racist By Design: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control." wwnorton.com/books/978132... - I'm looking forward to reading it when I have chance in a couple of months.
wwnorton.com
Racist by Design
A revolutionary new history that exposes the "whites-only" roots of the American immigration regime., Racist by Design, Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control, Kelly Lytle Hernández, 9781324117094
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Dan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"If Rubin were actually sincere about not having sufficient evidence to make sweeping claims about the discipline, then she would not make such sweeping claims about the discipline. Yet she does. Over and over again." @juliango.bsky.social on the U Chicago responses to the Rubin report on sociology.
scatter.wordpress.com
guest post: scholarly malpractice and the vanderbilt-washington university report on sociology
The following is a guest post by Julian Go. By now readers of scatterplot will be aware of the Sociology portion of the Vanderbilt-Washington University Report (VWUR) by Ashley Rubin. Part of the “…
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Eve Brensike Primus @primuseve.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Attn: @umichlaw.bsky.social and @mdefenders.bsky.social is hiring a Clinical Assistant Professor of Law/Associate Director for the new MDefenders Center for Public Defense. Job posting here: careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2.... Come work w/me to train the next generation of public defenders!
careers.umich.edu
Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Associate Director MDefenders Center for Public Defense | U-M Careers
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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Science peeps: Looks like SciENcv updated the digital certificate used to sign Biosketch and Current & Pending documents without notification. The old certificate expires Saturday, September 26, 2026. SciENcv docs before that date may fail validation in eRA Commons delaying or blocking submission.
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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Send this to every university President in the country.
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Kentucky State’s Aminata Seck has reportedly experienced seizures while in ICE custody, in addition to dealing with an ACL injury, for which she received only ibuprofen, and was not hospitalized until September 21, after the story first broke. She has been moved to four different ICE facilities
theguardian.com
ICE has abducted a college athlete. What are the NCAA and universities going to do about it?
Aminata Seck’s detention shows the bargain facing international college athletes: universities eagerly recruit them, but support can disappear when their immigration status becomes precarious.
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Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Had bookmarked this and just now listened. Fantastic episode. The enslavement of Native Americans was based on *where* they were. They were on land that settler Americans wanted. It was qualitatively distinct from the enslavement of African Americans and those differences need to be understood.
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Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
theguardian.com
Trump administration guts data collection on US education as math and reading scores plummet
National Center for Education Statistics, which collects critical data to guide policy on learning, was decimated after Doge canceled crucial contracts
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Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
You don’t gut the country's capacity to measure what's happening in its schools because you care about improving them. Guardian article below.
graph of number of employees at NCES
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anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
O.M.B. announcing a set of pocket rescissions (including funding at HHS) this evening www.statnews.com/2026/09/25/t...
statnews.com
Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress
President Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, and most of the cuts are focused on HHS programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors.
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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A lot of universities will be facing big deficits and looking to cure what ails them. I just want them to be thoughtful about it.
Screenshot of article which reads: At the same time, new job-focused majors may not be sustainable — and can even backfire. Dominique Baker, an associate professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware, pointed to the rise in computer-science degrees in the 2010s. At the time, they seemed like the best way to secure a high-paying salary after graduation, she said. But with the rise of generative artificial intelligence, computer-science jobs are increasingly hard to find, and enrollment in such programs is falling significantly.
“When you tie the viability, the financial viability in particular, of an institution really tightly to jobs creation on that scale,” especially as a four-year institution, she said, “you have to be really careful, because you can find that in 10 years that program that you poured all your money into — worthless.”
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Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I don’t know the answer to the specific question “does CUNY want research?” but I think the policy consensus among Dems and Dem-coded groups is that most of higher ed should do less research (which is read as status of vanity) and focus more on teaching and student success, ROI, etc.
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It’s almost like accelerating racial inequalities & segregation in education is a goal of the administration.
apnews.com
Trump administration moves to limit fixes for systemic racism in schools
The Trump administration has shifted the approach to civil rights enforcement in American schools. Previously, both Republican and Democratic administrations addressed systemic racism, recognizing tha...
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Eric Kelderman @erickelderman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
holy cow - NACIQI votes to suspend Accred Commission of Am Psych Assoc. for one year! Recommendation will go to senior dept official - who has final say - but could mean that recognition would be removed immediately after his decision -
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Beautiful early fall day on the @umichlaw.bsky.social quad
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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I saw this going around the other day and saved it to my meme library. this is pretty much it
A screenshot of a post from a user on another platform with the handle @f3mmedr4gon who says "how reading your own writing feels like" above an image of a big yellow blob of nothing in particular with the text "at least its not ai"
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Pema Levy @pemalevy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
In destroying the Voting Rights Act and gutting the 14th and 15th amendments, the Roberts court is recycling legal arguments once advanced by Confederates and white supremacists to destroy Reconstruction. From me and @ariberman.bsky.social
motherjones.com
Jim Crow was on the ash heap of history. Then came the Roberts court.
The disaster the justices have unleashed has its roots in one of the darkest periods of our past.
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What. A. Day. NIH grant-making was paused for several hours today. Not sure who gave the order. But in light of the Friday night Bhattacharya-Vought feud & threatened EO to implement #ScienceDeathPanels, my money is on Russell Vought. I learned of the pause from a colleague around 11:30. 🧵
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Brian Holzman @brianholzman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
It appears the IES Restricted Use Data License program is continuing. But the annual cost is now $3500--nearly 9X costlier than the $400 I paid before. I've been operating under the assumption the whole program would end, and have adjusted my research around that. This just solidifies my decision.
We are writing to ask whether you wish to continue your use of your IES Restricted Use Data License.

 

IF YES, the virtual workspace materials associated with your Restricted Use Data License will be made available to you in the coming weeks once the enclave has been established and payment has been received. This fee is $2000 for six months’ access to the enclave or $3500 for a year of access to the enclave. Note, no payments are due at this time and will only become due once your workspace is restored in the new enclave.

 

IF NO, your virtual workspaces will be wiped and IES will close your RUD License. Please note that following termination of the License, no materials may be recovered, nor shall any further Disclosure Risk Review occur for this License.

 

To continue your use in the new virtual data enclave, you MUST RESPOND BY OCTOBER 15, 2026. At that time, IES will wipe existing virtual workspaces and terminate Restricted Use Data Licenses not confirmed for continuing use.

 

Thank you,

IES Data Security
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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The vast majority denied SNAP are denied for procedural reasons. Even 4 in 10 of those with NO INCOME in the previous year are denied, with 80% of those denied for *procedural reasons*, or, effectively, missing paperwork. And The One Big Beautiful Bill is making this so much worse.
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Nic 🍉 @nml-dc.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
My friend @dumilm.bsky.social has a relevant book too! inequalityinthepromisedland.com
inequalityinthepromisedland.com
This book takes you inside idyllic schools and looks at why students are still receiving a "separate and unequal" education.
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
‘A federal judge vacated the U.S. Department of Education’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion directive on Thursday. Issued in February 2025, the Trump administration directive was used to justify the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal teacher training grants.’
k12dive.com
Judge vacates anti-DEI directive that led to teacher training grant cuts
A federal judge ruled the Education Department directive and its cancellation of hundreds of millions in funds for teacher training programs was unlawful.
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Important piece by Nichole Margarita Garcia about the faulty federal government’s approach to race & admissions data.
insidehighered.com
What New Data on Race and Admissions Will Miss (opinion)
How the numbers are interpreted—and by whom, and for what end—will matter a great deal.
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Chantal Hailey @chantalahailey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Nikole Hannah Jones article has invoked a lot conversation on race, school choice for Black families. I’ve been researching how black folks choose schools for 17 years, I have a lot of nuanced thoughts. Long thread. 1/
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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
It's the last day to comment on the Department of Education's proposed accreditation changes (until 11:59). This is a continuation of the administration's attempts to exert political control over univerities. Please take a minute to comment. The @alliancehighered.bsky.social has templates here:
allianceforhighered.org
Public Comment Regarding the Education Department's Proposed Rules for Accreditation
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New from Lauren Supplee at Can We Still Govern? The US government had gradually become better at producing and using evidence. This evidence-based infrastructure is largely invisible, important, and one more thing gutted by Trump. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-system...
donmoynihan.substack.com
The System for Using Evidence to Improve Federal Programs Has Been Gutted
Here’s How We Fix It
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Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
When you spend enough time in academia you will notice class based distinctions on career outcomes that have more to do with culture than with talent or work. You’ll also notice the improbably high share of faculty members who had at least one parent who is/was a faculty member. 
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W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
A hummingbird perched above its feeder in the cold fall rain this morning.
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