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Here are your headlines for the week:

1. RIT President William Sanders Delivers State of the University Address

On Thursday, RIT President William Sanders delivered the annual State of the University address to an audience of faculty, staff and students. It was Sanders’ second such address as he begins his second academic year as president.

Jake Streamer & Zack Tyler / Quadline

2. “Libs of TikTok” Posts Unverified Photos of Supposed Flyers at RIT

On Sept. 10, the anniversary of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok posted images on X that it claimed showed flyers “going up around” RIT’s campus. The social media post shared on X did not elaborate on when or where the flyers were posted. At least one of the images appears to be misattributed.

Jake Streamer / Quadline

3. The Rochester Business Journal reports SUNY Brockport raised a record $49.6 million in its latest fundraising campaign, blowing past its original $40 million goal and notching the largest campaign in the history of SUNY’s comprehensive universities.

Nearly two-thirds of the haul will go toward scholarships, while the rest will support academic programs, internships and study abroad opportunities, among other priorities. (Not bad for a school where three out of four students already receive some form of financial aid.)

Andrea Deckert / Rochester Business Journal

4. WXXI reports International student enrollment at RIT and the University of Rochester dropped by about 300 students each this academic year, returning both schools to pandemic-era levels.

The decline comes amid tighter federal immigration policies and looming demographic pressures on colleges. UR limited admissions to some Ph.D. programs for Fall 2026 because of changes in federal research funding. At RIT, international students make up roughly one in 10 students, so this isn’t exactly a rounding error.

Brian Sharp / WXXI News

Staff Picks

This is where my team and I will share a few things we’re reading, watching and listening to each week. These picks are in no way related to any reporting, they’re just things we like and think you might enjoy, too.

This week, I’m reading The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy by Van Jackson and Michael Brenes.

And I’m listening to The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones.

Learn more about Quadline here.

On Sept. 10, the anniversary of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok posted images on X that it claimed showed flyers “going up around” RIT’s campus. The social media post shared on X did not elaborate on when or where the flyers were posted.

A watermarked image spread showed two flyers advertising events that appear to mock Kirk’s assassination. One advertised a Charlie Kirk look-alike contest outside Kate Gleason, a dormitory building, offering a $10 prize and a trophy. The flyer stated that the event was not affiliated with RIT. A second flyer advertised a “Twerk for Kirk” competition with an entry fee and cash prizes, but did not identify RIT or list a location.

Quadline has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the images or whether either flyer was ever posted on RIT’s campus. However, details in at least one flyer raise questions about its origin. The “Twerk for Kirk” flyer lists several social media accounts, including “@619.eventz.” The 619 area code serves the San Diego region, and the Instagram account @619.eventz also identifies San Diego on its profile. The account could not be reached for comment before publication.

Fox News mentioned the post in recent coverage but did not independently verify the origin of the flyers.

Libs of TikTok has more than 4.7 million followers on X. The post had received more than 101,000 views as of Monday afternoon.

The account is operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent who became a prominent right-wing social media figure. Libs of TikTok frequently targets LGBTQ+ people and institutions, and Raichik has repeatedly promoted false claims portraying LGBTQ+ people and educators as “groomers.”

It is unclear how Raichik obtained the images. Quadline found no publicly documented connection between Raichik and RIT or the Rochester area.

In response to a request to comment from Quadline, RIT said it never found physical copies of either flyer. Instead, the university said the activity was promoted “through anonymous social media channels” but did not elaborate further.

Politically charged rumors have previously spread through RIT’s online communities. In April 2025, warnings of alleged Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity circulated across more than a dozen RIT-focused servers on the semi-anonymous social media platform Discord, including one server with more than 5,000 students and alumni. No photographic evidence of the alleged sightings emerged, and RIT later confirmed there was no evidence that federal immigration agents had been on campus.

This is a developing story and may be updated as more information becomes available.

On Thursday, RIT President William Sanders delivered the annual State of the University address to an audience of faculty, staff and students. It was Sanders’ second such address as he begins his second academic year as president. Sanders took office July 1, 2025.

RIT Provost Prabu David opened the event, speaking about the university’s commitment to student success and shifting attitudes toward artificial intelligence. David acknowledged that students and faculty views on AI “vary significantly by field of study.” He then announced a yearlong initiative to “foster shared understanding among faculty and students” and develop department- and college-level guidance rather than prescribe a “top-down institutional answer to AI in teaching and learning.”

David also noted that this was the first State of the University address held in the new RIT Performing Arts Center on RIT’s Henrietta campus. The center opened April 10.

Other speakers, in order of appearance, were Faculty Senate Chair Richard Zanibbi; Staff Council Chair David Brault; Yasmine Ibrahim, President of RIT Student Government; and Keith Jenkins, vice president and associate provost for Access, Engagement, and Success. Jenkins introduced Sanders.

Sanders spoke for about 40 minutes, highlighting a renewed focus on student success. He cited a host of statistics to demonstrate the University’s efforts to expand experiential learning, partnerships with co-op employers, developing new for-credit internships and supporting student entrepreneurs. Sanders also reported strong graduate outcomes, quoting a recent report from RIT recording 93% of graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation, an increase from 90% the year prior.

Sanders addressed RIT’s financial challenges, reporting that the university’s revenue remained “essentially flat” while expenses rose by more than $18 million because of “costs that are really out of our control,” including health care and energy costs. He cited those rising costs as a factor in the administration’s decision not to provide merit-based raises to faculty and staff this year.

Sanders also mused on the recent rebound in federal funding for research, saying, “...we had our strongest August ever last month for new research awards as federal agencies, finally, I might add, began moving more funding out the door.” The remark drew some laughter from the audience.

Sanders also highlighted a $24 million commitment from Jeff Harris and Joyce Pratt and growth in RIT’s Sentinel Society annual giving program. He separately cited a goal of creating “at least 200 new scholarship and fellowship endowments” ahead of RIT’s 200th anniversary in 2029.

Included in the $24 million commitment, among others, is an endowed directorship for a new RIT “AI Institute.” The President touched on the already-announced new Institute, describing an “AI institute that builds on successful work in multiple colleges.” Sanders did not elaborate on which, if any, college would house this new institute, how the institute would fit into the larger governance structure, or what kind of work the unit would engage in. As for leadership, Sanders remarked a national search would be announced “in the next few weeks.”

Sanders also congratulated new leaders, including Christine “Chris” Regis, who joined RIT on July 1 as senior vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding Jim Watters. Regis previously served as senior vice president for business and finance and CFO at Southern Methodist University.

Sanders concluded the address by contrasting RIT’s recent investments in major construction projects with a renewed focus on people and programs. “Another important building project is ahead of us,” Sanders said. “This time, we’re strengthening and supporting the people and programs of the university itself.”

Includes reporting by Zack Tyler.

Editor’s note: Jake Streamer is a current graduate student at the RIT College of Liberal Arts. Contributing writer Zack Tyler is an RIT alumnus.

According to Greater Rochester Enterprise, there are 71,000 college students in the Greater Rochester Area, or just under 7% of the total metro area population. This is figure is competitive with much larger metro areas such as Boston, sitting at 7.3%, and higher than other major cities, such as Austin.

And while Rochester is not traditionally considered one of the many “college towns” of upstate New York, such as Ithaca or Hamilton, our colleges and universities very much drive the city. Colleges attract large corporations, create thousands of jobs, and (with the right incentives in place) encourage graduates to stay local.

With respect to higher education, Rochester punches well above its proverbial weight class.

Conversely, universities do not receive the media coverage they likely should. There are several excellent news outlets local to Rochester, and only some assign a reporter to the Education beat.

These two reasons form the silhouette of a sizable reporting gap in our local media. And with a wave of recent disruptions in the national higher education landscape from Washington, it is more important than ever to follow higher education institutions.

What is Quadline?

Quadline is a digital newsletter covering the higher education community of Rochester, New York. We produce two main products: a weekly newsletter delivering to you the top stories you need for your week; and original reporting from both myself and a team contributors.

Who writes for Quadline?

Quadline is presently a loose network of contributors. Contributing writers are currently students or alumni of RIT, UR, SUNY Geneseo, Nazareth University, as well as other colleges and universities. Supporting Quadline directly supports this network of early career journalists and their work.

Who am I?

I’m Jake. I’m the founder and Executive Editor of Quadline. I’m also the newsletters “host” of sorts. My mission is to bring you the highest quality information on the most relevant subjects to you, as soon as it is available.

I am also a graduate student at RIT studying Public Policy. My research interests include artificial intelligence, great power politics, and global order.

In addition to leading Quadline, I work for the Associated Press as a fact-checker. I also seasonally contract with AP Elections, covering U.S. elections. I previously worked for WXXI News, where I covered New York State and Education news.

Why support Quadline?

Quadline is among the few independent outlets in Rochester, New York. Higher Education as an industry, especially private institutions, are particularly captured . On private campuses, including RIT and UR, there is no guarantee for First Amendment freedom of the press.

Quadline and its contributors adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics and its four main tenets: Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, and Be Accountable and Transparent.

The best way to support Quadline is with a weekly donation pledge. We ask $1 to deliver you your news every week. The next best way is by reading. Either works for us.

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