While I agree with non-smoking dorms, I am troubled by the fact that the New York state legislature is forcing all private colleges to obey their orders. Can the state legislature ban smoking in all privately-owned apartment buildings? I hope not, even though I detest smoking with a passion. The state legislature has no business forcing its agenda on private colleges, even if that agenda is a noble one.

The University of Michigan has adopted new standards for its university press, designed to end its distribution agreements with Pluto Press and other controversial publishers.

I have not read Joel Kovel's book, and I do not care what it says. This was a cowardly act of repression by the University of Michigan. Acting as a book distributor is much like a university renting out its space to outside groups for lectures, as opposed to hosting its own lectures (which is the analogue of publishing its own books). No one should demand that outside groups meet the same academic standards as the university. It's a business relationship that benefits the university press while at the same time it benefits the public by allowing greater access to ideas. No one intelligent imagines that the University of Michigan Press is publishing these books. What's next? Will controversial books be purged from the university bookstore, or the university library?

There can be no doubt: the only reason for this new policy is to ban Pluto Press and any other controversial books from being associated with the University of Michigan. That's not a proud decision for any university.

By a nearly unanimous vote, the AAUP approved its restructuring plan this afternoon. With one dissenter (who unsuccessfully tried to amend the resolution to require all of the Council and elected leadership to resign), the AAUP voted to approve the plan to divide the current charity into three parts: a professional association (which would continue the AAUP name and existing structure), a collective bargaining unit, and a charitable foundation. With any luck, this will get the IRS off the AAUP's back and remove any last excuses for its inaction.

The IRS will have to approve the plan, which may further delay its implementation. But the passage of restructuring makes the future of the AAUP, as did the news that 3,000 members were added, putting total membership at 47,000, the highest it has been in several decades.

Unfortunately, the AAUP members also rejected (by voting 94-37 to send back to committee) a resolution mildly criticizing Israel for its policy of banning Palestinian students in Gaza from leaving to pursue higher education. Many speakers objected to singling out Israel. Oddly, these same people raised no objection to singling out Iran for criticism in violating academic freedom, a resolution that passed unanimously. It was a sign of how powerful the fear of controversy regarding Israel is, that it extends even to the membership of the AAUP.