u/isaacpbrock

Given that we were one of the biggest institutions targeted and that the explicit intent was (most probably) to disrupt finals, shouldn't finals be canceled?

I don't think it's fair that ~50,000 students who rely on canvas to study now have to shrug their shoulders and pray that their professors emailed them the necessary study materials. Many students don't even have access to their textbooks anymore. The institution is essentially relying on the good will of professors to handle this

I get that IU wants to remain resolute, but IU shouldn't be surprised if there's a lapse or reduction in grades this semester either.

Students shouldn't have to jump through ransomware hoops to do well on their finals. Nor should their professors or institutions blame them when the institution's lack of cybersecurity meaningfully impacts their ability to study

The single greatest unifier in Europe was religion. Conflicts between Catholic powers were usually constrained by shared legitimacy structures, dynastic claims, and diplomatic norms, which meant wars were more often about leverage and succession rather than outright political annihilation. Wars of succession in particular could become extremely destabilizing because they escalated disputes over legitimacy rather than simple territorial gain.

The Reformation broke that shared framework and reintroduced a much sharper confessional “us vs them” state logic. In that sense, the Reformation didn’t just add religious tension, it removed a key constraint on how far wars between European states could escalate.

Religious authority functioned as a real political constraint on rulers, often limiting or delegitimizing certain forms of expansion or aggression in ways that are not well represented in EU5, if at all.

In some ways, the clergy had more institutional influence over 1300s Europe than 800s Europe (EU5 vs. CK3), despite Paradox mechanics implying the opposite

Personally, I think personal unions and interactions with the clergy need to become the focus moving forward. Although Asia is an even worse mess at the moment, but that's a topic for another day