A
dual Saudi-American citizen has been detained in Saudi Arabia for over a
year after the country's crackdown on corruption and his status has
raised new criticism of President Trump's reluctance to punish the
kingdom over issues that do not directly affect American citizens.
The White House has been barraged with criticism over its stance towards Saudi Arabia in the wake of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post writer whose death in Turkey was allegedly ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The
murder of the writer prompted outrage across the world, with some
countries such as Germany ending its arms deal with Saudi Arabia. A U.S.
official told The Associated Press that intelligence officials have
concluded that bin Salman ordered the killing.
Trump fired back
against the criticism that the U.S. isn’t doing enough, saying Khashoggi
wasn’t an American citizen and it happened on Turkish soil. “Well, it's
not our country. It's in Turkey. And it's not a citizen, as I
understand it,” he said last month. TRUMP UNSURE WHETHER SAUDI CROWN PRINCE KNEW OF KHASHOGGI MURDER: ‘MAYBE HE DID AND MAYBE HE DIDN’T!’
Walid Fitaihi, a Harvard-trained doctor, television host and
motivational speaker was arrested last year together with 17 other
people in what bin Salman touted as a crackdown on corruption.
But as he made the comments, an American doctor was
spending his days in prison as part of bin Salman’s purge of
businessmen, princes, clerics, scholars and activists in a bid to
consolidate power, the New York Times reported.
Walid
Fitaihi, a Harvard-trained doctor, television host and motivational
speaker was arrested last year together with 17 others in what bin
Salman touted as a crackdown on corruption. The detained individuals
reportedly underwent harsh treatment and abuse, with at least one person
dying due to abuse in detention.
Unlike some other detainees, who
managed to free themselves after pledging loyalty to the new Saudi
leadership or paying money, Fitaihi was transferred to prison for
incarceration despite not being formally charged with any crime.
Fitaihi
obtained his American citizenship more than a decade ago when studying
and practicing medicine in the U.S. He once was registered to vote in
U.S. elections and moved back to Saudi Arabia sometime in 2006. Upon his
return to Saudi Arabia, he founded a private hospital.
After the
September 11, 2001 terror attack in the U.S., Fitaihi was quoted by the
Denver Post condemning the attacks. “There are Muslims who died,
Christians who died, Jews who died — it’s a crime against humanity,” he
said. “It’s a test for us as a nation.”
In 2004, Fitaihi came
under fire for revelations that he made anti-Semitic comments in Arabic
newspapers, including calling Jews “perpetrators of the worst of evils”
and to have said they control “the power of the media,” according to the
Times. CIA DETERMINES KHASHOGGI’S DEATH WAS ORDERED BY SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN: REPORT
The
Trump administration has long sought to free imprisoned Americans
across the world, taking harsh measures against hostile countries in an
attempt to force their release.
Earlier this year, three Americans
were freed from North Korea who were accused of hostile acts against
the communist state. The President also campaigned to bring back
American college student Otto Warmbier, who suffered brain damage and
died after being held captive in North Korea for 15 months after an
ill-fated trip to the country in 2015. More recently, Trump imposed
trade sanctions on Turkey, forcing the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson.
But
it appears the Trump administration hasn’t made attempts to free
Fitaihi, except for “routinely request[ing] consular access to all
American citizens that have been detained in Saudi Arabia,” according to
the Times.
Khashoggi, the slain writer, once spoken out against about his friend’s arrest.
“What
has happened to us?” Khashoggi tweeted. “How can someone like Dr. Walid
Fitaihi be arrested and what are the justifications for it?”
“Everyone is in a state of confusion and helplessness, there is no one you can go to,” he added. “God help us.”
In
a remarkably inappropriate and blatantly political statement Wednesday,
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts chastised President Trump for the
president’s quite accurate criticism of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals and its rogue district and appellate court judges.
The
spectacle of the ostensibly nonpolitical chief justice engaged in a
dispute with the president of the United States is insulting to the
Supreme Court and to our system of justice.
Shame on the chief
justice. What he did is unforgivable, especially after the corrosive
Senate confirmation battle over now-Supreme Court Justice Brett
Kavanaugh, who was the subject of bitter and baseless partisan attacks
and character assassination by Senate Democrats.
With everyone
looking for ways to remove the high court from the political thicket,
Roberts strode arrogantly right into it. Sad day.
Roberts
responded Wednesday to comments President Trump made to reporters a day
earlier, after a district court judge appointed by President Obama
issued an order to stop Trump’s new emergency restrictions on asylum
claims by immigrants from taking effect.
U.S. District Judge Jon
S. Tigar in San Francisco issued the nationwide injunction blocking the
president’s restrictions. The restrictions would have made it harder for
many of the thousands of Central American migrants now heading toward
the U.S. border in caravans to apply for asylum in America.
“This
was an Obama judge, and I'll tell you what, it's not going to happen
like this anymore," the president said of Tigar. "Everybody that wants
to sue the U.S. – almost – they file their case in the 9th Circuit, and
it means an automatic loss. No matter what you do, no matter how good
your case is. And the 9th Circuit is really something we have to take a
look at, because it's not fair."
“We do not have Obama judges or
Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts shot back
Wednesday, as if he were facing Trump in a presidential candidate
debate. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges
doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before
them."
The spectacle of the ostensibly nonpolitical
chief justice engaged in a dispute with the president of the United
States is insulting to the Supreme Court and to our system of justice.
But
President Trump’s criticism of liberal judges in the 9th Circuit who
were nominated by President Obama was accurate. These judges previously
issued an order blocking the president’s Travel Ban Executive Order that
was designed to protect our country from terrorists crossing our
borders. As President Trump correctly noted, the Supreme Court later
overturned the ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Roberts’ comments seemed particularly strange because he had never injected himself into a political debate before.
In
fact, Roberts sat quietly through President Obama’s 2010 State of the
Union Address when Obama sharply attacked Supreme Court justices sitting
in the audience for their ruling in the Citizens United case, which
allowed unlimited political campaign contributions by unions and
corporations.
President Obama falsely claimed in this speech that
the Citizens United ruling allowed massive political contributions by
foreign corporations. It did no such thing.
As the justices sat in
the House chamber listening to his speech, President Obama embarrassed
the court directly and fiercely. Not a peep from Roberts. Only Justice
Samuel Alito quietly mouthed to himself “no, no” as Obama railed against
foreign campaign contributions.
Roberts has said nothing about Obama’s remarks in the eight years since.
So why did Roberts attack President Trump on Wednesday? Well, Trump is not a Democrat.
Many
believe that Roberts caved to political criticism by President Obama
and his Democratic cohorts in a case where Roberts was the decisive vote
in a ruling that found ObamaCare was constitutional – a historic
victory for Democrats.
Roberts clearly accepted the claim by
Democrats in that case that the Supreme Court could not overturn
ObamaCare or the high court would forever harm the republic and subvert
the legislative process and the will of the people.
It is widely
believed that Roberts changed his vote at the last minute to stop the
Supreme Court from overturning ObamaCare in that landmark case because
of pressure from outside forces directed against him.
Indeed, the
wording of various dissents in the ObamaCare case – especially Justice
Antonin Scalia’s – made it clear that Roberts’ decision to find that
ObamaCare was constitutional was political and nothing more – not a
decision based on the Constitution or on the law.
The ObamaCare
ruling was a legacy opinion for Roberts because he couldn’t take another
wave of criticism like what he received from the liberal media, Obama
and the Democrats after his ruling in the Citizens United case. Roberts
caved in an obvious nod to the attacks on him. It was palpable and most
unfortunate.
Roberts’ ObamaCare opinion had a quality of “oh by
the way” and artificiality to it that was apparent to Supreme Court
observers.
So Roberts’ pro-Democratic bias that we saw Wednesday
is nothing new. It is, in fact, a repetition and a return to normal for
him.
The chief justice was institutionally the wrong person to
make his point in criticizing President Trump. If the point was to be
made at all, it should have been made by the usual suspects: the
American Bar Association, any well-known and respected lawyer, or a
prominent media commentator or newspaper editorial page.
The
candidates for attacking President Trump are numerous and inoffensive.
Perhaps Roberts could have chosen his favorite Democrat on the House
Judiciary Committee. At any rate, he chose none of these options. One
wonders why.
Why would Roberts insert himself, at this time, in
this situation, to attack President Trump? He is a very smart man. This
was not an accident or a coincidence.
Megyn Kelly is close to finalizing a $30 million exit from NBC, sources confirm to Page Six.
The
embattled anchor, who celebrated her 48th birthday Sunday, was dumped
from her 9 a.m. slot on “Today” last month after questioning why it was
racist to wear blackface for Halloween.
And as she prepares to sign her exit deal, the mom of three is already planning her return to TV, Page Six has learned.
Sources
say NBC owner Comcast will pay Kelly around $30 million. She signed a
$69 million deal when she joined the network after leaving Fox News in
2017.
A source familiar with the negotiations said nothing will
happen until next week at the earliest, admitting: “It’s taking slightly
longer than expected, the paperwork is going back and forth.”
Another
confirmed: “Everyone wants this to be over — both Megyn and NBC — and
Comcast has the money to pay off Megyn. We thought this would be a done
deal a few weeks ago.”
One senior TV source added: “NBC decided
rather than fight and face a lawsuit from her, they — and more
importantly, Comcast with all its money — decided to draw a line under
the entire debacle and pay Megyn the full amount owed in her contract to
go away.
“But this is far from the end of her TV career — in the
Trump era, there are few broadcasters like her. Megyn would likely take a
short break from TV and return to cable news ahead of the 2020
election.”
When Kelly — whose 9 a.m. hour had failed to win over
viewers — made her comments, the backlash was immediate, with “Today”
mainstay Al Roker lashing out at his colleague on air.
He said: “The fact is, while she apologized to the staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country.
“This
is a history going back to the 1830s — minstrel shows to demean and
denigrate a race wasn’t right. I’m old enough to know, have lived
through ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy,’ where you had white people in blackface playing
two black characters, just magnifying the worst stereotypes about black
people — and that’s what the problem is. That’s what the issue is.”
Reps for Kelly and NBC declined to comment.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Sarah Palin on Tuesday,
after Palin appeared to mock the newly elected U.S. representative from
New York on Twitter.
(AP/Getty Images)
Newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin are trading barbs on Twitter.
“Now
that’s *TWO* fallen GOP Vice Pres candidates going after a freshman
Congresswoman that’s not even sworn in yet,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
“Isn’t it a little early to be bringing out the big guns? Especially
when they look like the FWD:RE:FWD:WATCH THIS grandpa emails from the
‘08 election they lost.”
The spat began after Palin, running mate to Republican presidential candidate John McCain in 2008, tweeted on Monday: “YIKES: Ocasio-Cortez Fumbles Basic Civics TWICE In 1 Statement.”
Palin’s
tweet came alongside an article from governorpalin.org, which included a
screenshot of a Twitter post from Ryan Saavedra, a reporter at The
Daily Wire. The reporter on Sunday evening shared a video of
Ocasio-Cortez making a mistake when talking about the government.
“If
we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers
of Congress — uh, rather, all three chambers of government: the
presidency, the Senate, and the House in 2020, we can’t start working in
2020,”’ Ocasio-Cortez is heard saying on the video.
Ocasio-Cortez fired back, turning the conversation to health care.
“Maybe
instead of Republicans drooling over every minute of footage of me in
slow-mo, waiting to chop up word slips that I correct in real-tomd
(sic), they actually step up enough to make the argument they want to
make: that they don’t believe people deserve a right to healthcare,” she
tweeted. OCASIO-CORTEZ SAYS PEOPLE KEEP MISTAKING HER FOR A CAPITOL HILL INTERN
She later tweeted a correction of the spelling of “real-time.”
In a follow-up to her retort aimed at Palin, Ocasio-Cortez revealed on Twitter
Tuesday that the other vice presidential candidate she had been
referring to was “Lieberman,” seemingly referring to 2000 Democratic
vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman.
She later tweeted:
“For those who need their jokes explained to them: surprise! This tweet
thread is humorous! The emoji in the original tweet signals that humor
is indicated in the statement. :) (You know, because Lieberman killed
the public option for healthcare and endorses Republicans).”
Ocasio-Cortez,
the 29-year-old Democratic socialist from New York, defeated her
Republican challenger earlier this month in the midterm elections,
becoming the youngest female elected to Congress.
Attorney Michael Avenatti, right, poses with Mareli Miniutti for a photo at a party in New York.
(AP)
The actress who was
granted a temporary restraining order against attorney Michael Avenatti
claimed that he "dragged" her on the floor and put her into a public
hallway dressed only in a T-shirt and underwear, a report said, citing
court documents.
In a sworn declaration, Mareli Miniutti, 24, said
she and Avenatti, 47, dated from October 2017 to Nov. 13, the night
Avenatti allegedly hit her in the face with pillows and followed her
into a guest bedroom where she went to sleep alone, the New York Times reported.
Miniutti said they had an argument about money in his Los Angeles apartment.
“He
dragged me on the floor of the apartment towards and out of the door
into the public hallway,” she wrote in the declaration. “I was wearing
only my underwear and a T-shirt at the time, and suffered scratches to
the bare skin on my side and leg.”
Avenatti pulled Miniutti back
into the apartment and blocked the door, the declaration reportedly
said. She eventually left and said she spoke with building security. A
friend picked her up and she called the police, the report said. The
court filing includes photos that appears to show bruising and
scratches, the paper reported.
Miniutti did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.
Avenatti was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence the next day and a judge granted Miniutti’s request for a temporary restraining order this week.
Avenatti
denied the claims in a series of tweets Monday. He said he has never
abused a woman and has called for the release of video footage from the
building’s security cameras.
“I am a target,” he said. “And I will be exonerated.”
In
a separate episode, Miniutti also claimed Avenatti had been drinking
and pushed her out of a different apartment into a hallway, threw shoes
at her and struck her in the leg.
She reportedly said the
high-profile lawyer “has a history of being very verbally abusive and
financially controlling towards me,” and that he “made promises to ‘take
care of me’ financially and sometimes fails to follow through.”
A
fierce critic of President Donald Trump, Avenatti has advocated on
behalf of women’s rights and represented adult-film star Stormy Daniels,
in a legal dispute against Trump.
“I continue to be afraid of” Avenatti, she wrote, according to the paper, "and do not want him to contact me."
Outgoing House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.,
sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly demanding
information on Ivanka Trump’s reported use of personal email.
The letter, obtained by the Hill, follows the Washington Post
report claiming that Trump sent hundreds of emails about White House
business to contact “White House aides, Cabinet officials and her
assistant," an apparent violation of the Presidential Record Act. The
report does not indicate if the emails contained any classified or
sensitive government information.
Gowdy said in the letter that
Trump’s use of personal email may “implicate the Presidential Records
Act and other security and recordkeeping requirements,” and set a Dec. 5
deadline to respond to the request for more information.
“In
light of the importance and necessity of preserving the public record
and doing so in a manner that is reflective of relevant statutory and
regulatory requirements, the Committee must assess whether the White
House took adequate steps to archive Ms. Trump’s emails and prevent a
recurrence,” Gowdy wrote in the letter.
The Republican’s letter
may give a heads up to the incoming Democratic majority in the House
that is gearing up to investigate both the daughter of the president and
his close advisor Jared Kushner. HOUSE DEMS TO PROBE IVANKA TRUMP, JARED KUSHNER AND USE OF PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Committee
Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is expected to become the
chairman of the committee in January, said Tuesday he also wants more
information about Trump’s use of personal email.
“We launched a
bipartisan investigation last year into White House officials’ use of
private email accounts for official business, but the White House never
gave us the information we requested,” Cummings said in a statement to
Fox News.
“We need those documents to ensure that Ivanka Trump,
Jared Kushner, and other officials are complying with federal records
laws and there is a complete record of the activities of this
Administration,” he added. IVANKA TRUMP’S LAWYER SLAMS ‘MISINFORMATION BEING PEDDLED’ AFTER REPORT THAT SHE USED PRIVATE EMAIL FOR GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Trump’s
lawyer criticized the media for peddling “misinformation” and pointed
out the difference between Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s use of personal
email.
“To address misinformation being peddled about Ms. Trump’s
personal email, she did not create a private server in her house or
office, there was never classified information transmitted, the account
was never transferred or housed at Trump Organization, no emails were
ever deleted, and the emails have been retained in the official account
in conformity with records preservation laws and rules,” said Peter
Mirijanian, the spokesperson for Trump's ethics lawyer Abbe Lowell, in a
statement to Fox News.
“When concerns were raised in the press 14
months ago, Ms. Trump reviewed and verified her email use with White
House Counsel and explained the issue to congressional leaders,” he
added.
President Trump echoed the lawyer on Tuesday as well,
saying that “Ivanka did some emails” but they “weren't classified like
Hillary Clinton, they weren't deleted like Hillary Clinton.”
He added that Ivanka “wasn't' doing anything to hide her emails. They're all in presidential records.”
It's the easiest layup in Democratic politics.
All
a politician needs to do to generate some good press is hint,
insinuate, ruminate — or simply not deny — a desire to run for
president.
Now some of these people will launch campaigns, others
are simply flirting, and still others don't have the faintest
possibility of being taken seriously. But it doesn't matter: they all
get some ink
The late Russell Baker used to write about the Great
Mentioner, how up-and-coming pols would mysteriously be designated by
the press as presidential timber. But that no longer matters. In the
social media age, they get to mention themselves — and reporters
invariably follow.
Maybe the Democrats — figuring hey, Donald
Trump did it — will wind up with a field so massive that it will make
the GOP's 17 contenders last time look like an elite club.
One
reason for the recent wave of stories is that potential candidates feel
liberated to show a little leg after the midterms. Before Nov. 6, they
engaged in a sanctioned form of lying, saying the idea of a White House
bid never crossed their minds, even as journalists and voters alike knew
that was basically bull.
Take newly reelected Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who bucked a red tide in his state:
"After
insisting for years that a run for president was far off his radar —
Mr. Brown has begun wondering aloud if he should have the world’s most
important job after all."
And here’s the pitch, in The New York Times:
"Rumpled
and unvarnished — with a fondness for sweatshirts, less so for ties —
Mr. Brown would in some ways seem uniquely positioned in a party hoping
to win back the Midwestern states that flipped to Mr. Trump. Throughout
his political career, he has championed populist platitudes like the
'dignity of work' that have resonated with working-class voters in all
corners of Ohio while also supporting liberal social causes like women's
reproductive rights and L.G.B.T.Q. rights."
The same goes for New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who the Times
says has undergone "a notable shift ... Less than three weeks ago, in
the lone debate of her re-election campaign, Ms. Gillibrand pledged to
serve her full Senate term."
Right after the election, Gillibrand
told Stephen Colbert that "the hatred and the division" she said was
caused by Trump "has called me to fight as hard as I possibly can to
restore the moral compass of this country."
And Elizabeth Warren, after years of denials, said weeks ago she was taking a "hard look" at a presidential run.
What's
more, you don't even have to win your race to have your hat thrown into
the proverbial ring. Ted Cruz beat Beto O'Rourke by 3 points, but it's
the Texas Democrat who's getting the media love. That includes
yesterday's Politico piece with this blind-quote headline: "He's Barack
Obama, But White."
O’Rourke is “scrambling” the Democratic field,
having raised $70 million in the Lone Star State, “his
closer-than-expected performance in the largest red state on the map was
credited with lifting at least two Democrats to victory over House
Republican incumbents.” A Politico/Morning Consult poll had him third among Democratic voters, behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. A Boston Globe column was titled "Beto O’Rourke Lost the Election, But He’s Getting the Most Presidential Buzz."
Thanks
to the media, of course. O’Rourke says he hasn't made any decisions. I
know, Abe Lincoln won the White House after losing a Senate race, but
that was a long time ago.
The list goes on. The Washington Examiner says "Kamala Harris will have a digital army behind her if she runs for 2020."
Julian Castro is also being "mentioned." In fact, says the AP,
"Castro has spent much of his political career being discussed as a
potential presidential candidate since he was elected San Antonio mayor
at age 34 ... Julian Castro would be a prominent Latino candidate in the
2020 field."
Mike Bloomberg has been toying with a presidential
bid since stepping down as New York mayor, but never quite seems to do
it, despite the pundits pining for him. In fact, the
Republican-turned-independent recently re-registered as a Democrat.
One person in touch with Bloomberg thinks he’ll make the run, but his
"centrist" policies are likely to clash with the Democrats’ left wing.
Oh, and he’ll be 78 on Election Day. This Times op-ed in favor of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper sort of captures the anyone-can-try ethos:
"Governor
Hickenlooper, an optimistic, pro-business, pragmatic centrist, might
seem, at first, like a long shot for the Democratic nomination. But
then, in considering a post-Trump era, it is hard to imagine anything."
Nor
do you need to be a politician. Politico informs us that "Marianne
Williamson — pal of Oprah, spirituality guru and fixture of Hollywood's
New Age community" — has been visiting Iowa. If nothing else, this
should help her rack up more best-selling books on spirituality.
And
I haven't even mentioned those touted in a Washington Post write-up:
Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Deval Patrick, John Delaney (don't ask), and
Hillary Clinton herself (she's making noises.)
And no
handicapping list would be complete without Michael Avenatti, whose
nascent bid suffered a tiny setback with his arrest on domestic violence
allegations, which if true means he wouldn't even get Stormy Daniels'
vote.
Look, you never know who might catch fire. Barack Obama
wasn't exactly a leading contender in 2004, and few geniuses saw Trump
as president the day he came down the golden escalator.
But one
thing is undeniably true: These wannabes and many others know that the
press cares far more about any public figure who harbors presidential
ambitions. That's why it suddenly seems like every unindicted Democrat
is pondering a 2020 campaign.
Journalism professors at Leeds Trinity University have been
told not to use "don't" or "frightening" capitals, according to reports.
(Leeds Trinity University via Facebook)
Journalism
professors at Leeds Trinity University in the UK have been instructed
not to use certain words — in case they frighten sensitive students.
According
to UK media reports, the use of capital letters has been banned as well
as the “overuse” of the words “do” and “don’t”.
In an internal staff memo obtained by the Express, staff are told students’ “anxiety” can lead to academic failure.
“Despite
our best attempts to explain assessment tasks, any lack of clarity can
generate anxiety and even discourage students from attempting the
assessment at all,” it reads.
“Generally, avoid using capital letters for emphasis and the overuse of ‘do’, and, especially, ‘DON’T’.
It
also urged staff to be “explicit about any inexplicitness” in
assignment requirements and to be aware that “misconceptions or
misunderstandings quickly spread” among students.
“This can lead
to further confusion and students may even then decide that the
assessment is too difficult and not attempt it,” the statement reads.
The
story quickly spread across the UK media as well as on social media,
with many members of the public slamming it as extreme “political
correctness” pandering to the “snowflake generation.”
It follows
similar news in September, when The University of Manchester’s student
union made global headlines after voting to ban clapping and cheering at
certain events in order to avoid triggering those with anxiety or
sensory issues.
Instead, students were urged to use “jazz hands”.
“It
was argued that the loud noise of traditional clapping and whooping
pose an issue to students with anxiety or sensory issues. BSL clapping —
or, jazz hands — would be a more inclusive form of expression,” student
newspaper the Mancunion reported.
In a bizarre twist, Leeds
Trinity University released a statement claiming it had not banned
capital letters — but confirmed “it is best practice not to write in all
capital letters.”
But many social media users pointed out there
was little difference between “banning” words and capital letters and
asking staff not to use them.
In a statement, vice-chancellor
Margaret House said the university was committed to supporting students
to be “the very best they can be”.
“We’re proud to offer a
personal and inclusive university experience that gives every student
the support to realise their potential,” she said.
“We follow
national best practice teaching guidelines and the memo cited in the
press is guidance from a course leader to academic staff, sharing best
practice from the latest teaching research to inform their teaching.
“For
every assignment, academic staff have an ‘unpacking’ session with
students so the students are clear on what is expected. The majority of
universities do this. It is also about good communication and consistent
style. For example, it is best practice not to write in all capital
letters regardless of the sector.
“We are absolutely committed to
enhancing and enriching the student learning experience at Leeds
Trinity, where staff and students are a name not a number.”
The public university is located near Leeds in England’s West Yorkshire.
It
has a student population of more than 3625 and offers foundation,
undergraduate, and postgraduate degrees in a range of humanities and
social sciences.