The government spokesthingies say it's just a oversight. "On its own, it's not really a smoking gun," Glenn Branch of the National Center for Science Education tells New Scientist. "Inadvertant" is the explanation supplied to the New York Times. But the white space where "evolutionary biology" used to be in a list of science majors eligible for federal student assistance sure looks suspicious to me.
Here's a screen grab of the controversial list, taken from a pdf at the AC/SMART grant website.
See? Right where 26.1303 should be.
The conspiracy theory is weakened, however, by the fact that Evo Bio isn't the only missing major. Exercise Physiology has also been replaced by a white space, and New Scientist says Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology is AWOL as well, although I couldn't find its original slot. And you have to admit that it's not very likely that the Bush administration has a problem with HVAC. (Not when you consider the Texan roots.) Of course, maybe that's all part of the plan.
More likely it's all a silly mistake. But the Chronicle of Higher Education has taken note. And as the good old Volokh Conspiracy points out, "this sort of thing has happened before..."
Note that I was quoted as adding, "But in the context of actions that other people in the federal government have taken, it is suspicious."
I also floated the idea that Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology was deleted because it called attention to global warming, which elicited a giggle.