The best of intellectual conservative thought.

Email not displaying correctly?

View it in your browser

[link removed]

.



​​​Note from the Editor: The Intercollegiate Review will be moving to Substack later this Spring.

Substack offers a more convenient and accessible experience to you as the reader and will allow us to reach a wider audience.

We are grateful for your support of the Intercollegiate Review and are committed to keeping your subscription completely free as we move to Substack.

[link removed]

CATEGORY: INTERNATIONAL (4 MIN)

Reality check

[link removed]

Pundits have exploded over the meeting last week between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump, which ended in a testy verbal exchange between the two leaders. The incident brought to a head the heated foreign policy debate over America’s position in the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump has criticized the past administration’s aid to Ukraine as excessive and dangerous, while his opponents see it as a necessity.

For his column in The New York Times, ISI alum Ross Douthat delivers his view of Trump’s position on Ukraine and on foreign policy in general. He believes Trump and Vice President JD Vance are finally blowing up “pretenses” about the way the globe operates and putting the U.S. on a more realistic footing.

Douthat describes these pretenses in turn. He argues that America can no longer serve as the world’s policeman, as we have become “overstretched” and in need of recalibration. He says our allies in Europe aren’t capable partners—they’re mismanaged nations with poor demographics and economics. And he adds that Ukraine has no realistic chance of winning the war with Russia unless the U.S. actually enters the conflict.

Although there is value in Trump’s acknowledgement of these realities, according to Douthat, realism often requires diplomacy—a talent which he thinks Trump lacks. So he urges Trump’s appointees to manage image while their boss engages in dispelling misconceptions.

What do you think? Read Douthat’s column here, with our NYT guest link, to learn more.​

Read Now

[link removed]

Weekly Poll

Should the US continue supporting Ukraine with financial aid?

[A] Yes

[B] Yes, but it should be lessened

[C] No

[D] Unsure

[link removed]

RESULTS: 2/20/2025

Should the US be more or less involved in European affairs?

[A] More - 21.8%

[B] Less - 52.6%

[C] No change - 20.5%

[C] Unsure - 5.1%

[link removed]

CATEGORY: CULTURE (4 MIN)

Man and morals

[link removed]

The new Trump presidency, combined with Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, has created a unique coalition of people along new ideological and cultural lines. Although many of those individuals contributed to Trump’s victory as a Republican, those supporters are hardly all the GOP type. Much of what defines people’s allegiances now comes from the voices they trust, especially on social media.

Jonathon Van Maren, writing in First Things, criticizes some conservatives for their support of Andrew and Tristan Tate, the influencer brothers who have especially had an impact on some young men. The Tates have charges pending against them for human trafficking, rape, and other potential crimes in multiple countries. Van Maren notes that the Tates just arrived in Florida last month as their legal saga continues.

Van Maren is concerned about the Tates’ connections with certain individuals close to President Trump; he specifically lists Donald Trump Jr., Elon Musk and Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba. He points out that Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have defended the Tates. And Van Maren believes this phenomenon can corrupt the morality of conservatives.

Van Maren treats support for the Tates as a “litmus test.” Those who support them merely because leftists also hate them, Van Maren argues, are simply hurting themselves. He urges people to recognize the Tates’ “self-confessed contempt for girls and women” and pornographic endeavors as marks of men unworthy of support.

Read Van Maren’s piece here. ​​​​​​

Read Now

[link removed]

[link removed]

CATEGORY: VIDEO

Machiavelli and the Crisis of Virtue in Politics and Society

[link removed]

At our Annual Honors Conference, Auron MacIntyre, Andrew Willard Jones, and Fr. John Strickland joined a thought-provoking panel on "Machiavelli and the Modern Rupture Between Virtue, Politics, and Society." They explored how Machiavelli’s ideas have shaped modern political thought and the tension between virtue and power in contemporary society. Don’t miss this deep dive into history, philosophy, and the challenges of our time!

Watch Now

[link removed]

Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.

BREAKING: Hiring Freeze Implemented at Stanford

[link removed]

via The Stanford Review

“Earlier today, Stanford President Jon Levin and Provost Jenny Martinez sent out a university-wide email detailing a hiring freeze for all staff at Stanford, citing significant financial uncertainties stemming from federal policy changes, particularly changes in direct federal funding provided for scientific research from the NIH and NSF. The vast majority of the funding being cut is presumably directed to the School of Medicine. Levin and Martinez wrote that the freeze was a response to 'potential financial uncertainties' brought about by the Trump administration’s policy shifts regarding university funding and proposals to expand the endowment tax. While these federal policy changes have been challenged in court, the potential financial impact on Stanford remains substantial.”

Fugitive Remains At-Large Following Tuesday’s Lockdown

[link removed]

via The Jefferson Independent

“Nyeem Hill, the fugitive whose presence near Grounds caused Tuesday’s lockdown and cancellation of classes, remains on the run from authorities. Hill fled the police on Tuesday morning following an attempted traffic stop and was sighted by police in the area of Alderman Road, leading to the University of Virginia issuing shelter-in-place warnings and updates on the situation via its emergency alert system. UVA issued the first alerts on the morning of Tuesday, February 25th, around 9 a.m. The first alert read: 'Fire/Police activity in the area of Alderman Rd. Avoid the area.' Minutes later, another alert: 'All faculty, staff, and students shelter in place.' Students, faculty, and other community members took refuge across Grounds in classrooms, basements, gyms, and other buildings. Blinds were closed, and doors were locked and barricaded. Warning sirens of UVA’s emergency alert system blared through the air, accompanied by warnings broadcast by loudspeaker
to 'seek shelter immediately, indoors and away from windows.' A helicopter circled overhead.”

Richard Zamora: A Student Fighting for Transparency and Accountability in SGA

[link removed]

via The Pepperdine Beacon

"Richard Zamora is a junior who ran for president of Pepperdine’s Student Government Association (SGA) in this past election cycle. Unlike other candidates, Zamora ran as a write-in candidate due to his choice to not meet with the current student body president. Zamora stated that this rule, along with other obstacles to entry, is a deliberate aspect of an election process intended to systematically exclude students. However, this setback did not deter Zamora from focusing on his primary mission: ensuring that the funds overseen by SGA go towards benefitting the entire student body, and are managed with utmost transparency."

Challenges to the Proposed Institutional History Museum

[link removed]

via The W&L Spectator

"'How will we make sure we’re not destroying institutional history by creating an institutional history museum?' asked Allison Bell, ‘91, Professor of Anthropology. According to Washington and Lee’s Archaeological Resources Management Plan, there is an unexcavated historic house underneath the planned build site for the new Institutional History Museum. Professor Bell told The Spectator that no contact has been made with the Archaeology Department to discuss the historical importance of the site. The University recently proposed building the museum near the intersection of Washington and Jefferson streets. The land is currently occupied by the parking lot of Lee Chapel, National Historic Landmark, the Corral Lot, and the Red House. The University hopes that the museum will 'educate and inspire visitors to reflect on Washington and Lee University’s history and its place in the history of the nation.'"

An Interview with Jeremy Carl

[link removed]

via The Harvard Salient

"Jeremy Carl is a Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, where his work focuses on immigration, multiculturalism, and nationalism in America. He is the author of The Unprotected Class: How Anti-White Racism Is Tearing America Apart, and his writing has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, National Review, Politico, and the Economist.

SALIENT: What is an American identity?

CARL: We have a historic people, that's primarily, although not exclusively, derived from Europe and, more specifically, the culture of Britain. There are ideas. There is belief in the free enterprise system, belief in free speech. We could go down a certain openness, a certain adventurousness. All these things are prototypically how I would distinguish America. It's a people. It's some combination thereof. It is the best way to see us as a country.

SALIENT: What is the role of assimilation in drafting immigration policy?

CARL: You can't have a reasonable immigration policy without assimilation. And we can't have assimilation if we're having immigration at the scale we've been having it. So the question becomes: what are they assimilating to?"

CATEGORY: CULTURE (11 MIN)

For shame

[link removed]

Our modern society emphasizes loving oneself and following one’s dreams above all else. If you want something or want to be something, it’s usually a good thing (unless you’re on the wrong side of “tolerance”). And if you feel ashamed of yourself, that’s something that needs to be fixed. Those are just outdated social norms telling you something that’s not true. At least, that’s what culture says now.

For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, the late George A. Panichas discussed the importance of the concept of shame. In this piece from 2003, Panichas argued that shamelessness had been “tarnishing American culture to an ever-increasing degree since the end of World War II.” He believed that Americans had no idea how to deal with the feeling of shame or a burden on conscience.

Panichas pointed to “social scientists” and “social engineers” who have tried to bury the idea of shame because of its moral and biblical associations. But Panichas recounted the history of shame, which was an invaluable part of Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Western culture and worth preserving. He saw shame as the revelation of true moral standards and natural law within us.

“In the self-recognition of shame and in the confession of sin are found the signs of a conscious yielding to humility, which is the subduing of haughtiness,” Panichas wrote. “These ‘signs,’ however, are precisely those that have been gradually leveled in a society that has removed itself from a moral universe.”

Read Panichas’s piece here on the Modern Age website.​​​​

Read Now

[link removed]

Thought of the Day:



“Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man's own will.​​​​​​”

​​​​​​

- Thomas Aquinas​​​

Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club

It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!

For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.

Join the Club

[link removed]



Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend

Copyright © 2025, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

3901 Centerville Road

Wilmington, DE 19807

unsubscribe from all emails

[link removed]

update subscription preferences

[link removed]