States — Not Universities — Should Decide When Campuses Reopen
Universities will gain financially from reopening, but it’s the surrounding community that will bear the costs of an outbreak on campus.
The Surest Step Toward Normalcy
The fundamental issue isn't whether colleges should reopen in August, writes Lamar Alexander, but how institutions can do it safely.
Home by Thanksgiving: An emerging strategy to reopen college campuses in the fall
Under the gone-by-Thanksgiving model, students return to campus in August and stay there with few or no breaks. Then they go home for the holiday, finish final exams there, if necessary, and wait until it’s safe to come back for the spring term.
How Colleges Can Keep the Coronavirus Off Campus
Schools must build cultures of physical distancing to protect campuses.
“This Is Not the College Experience That They Signed Up For.” How Are Colleges Going to Reopen?
A top administrator at the University of Connecticut has some thoughts.
What Will College Be Like in the Fall?
Administrators, professors, a union representative and students consider the new realities of life on campus in the midst of a pandemic.
Student Behavior Is the Key to Reopening Colleges
The majority of colleges plan to reopen in the fall, but colleges are asking students to forgo concerts, parties and more.
The Case for Reopening College Campuses
Attempts to portray those of us who favor reopening as insensitive, uncaring, or mercenary are uncivil and unjust. We, too, are concerned about students and others on campus, not just in the short term but also over the long haul. We believe the health—nay, the very survival—of our campuses is vital to the long-term health and well-being of all concerned.
Lawyers Lay Out Legal Issues Colleges Face This Fall
A litany of legal issues looms for colleges considering reopening in the fall, from safety to online accessibility to federal stimulus funding. Here's what higher education lawyers say should be on college leaders' radars
Should Colleges Have Liability Protection?
Colleges ask to be protected from coronavirus lawsuits if they acted responsibly. What should they be doing to protect students, faculty and staff members?
Empty Dorm Rooms Spawn Dozens of Suits That Will Be Tough to Win
It’s early in the litigation for these cases, but students who attend public schools will likely be met with a defense that the institutions are immune from suit as state actors, attorneys and legal scholars say. And while private schools can’t plead sovereign immunity, the plaintiffs in those cases, like their public school counterparts, may face difficulty in obtaining tuition reimbursement. But students, both public and private, may have a better shot at recovering for room and board.
Harvard Law School announces online classes for the fall
Surprising, but perhaps this will encourage other schools to follow suit. Of course, HLS is very large, and perhaps that was a factor.
Stanford to alter academic calendar, offer mix of online and in-person instruction next year
Stanford became the latest major university to announce its plans for returning students and faculty to campus, saying Wednesday that it plans to start its fall term earlier, incorporate the summer quarter into the regular academic calendar and allow only half of undergraduates back to campus each quarter as it attempts to resume in-person instruction while maintaining safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
TWO-METRE DISTANCE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ONE AT CURBING COVID-19 SPREAD - STUDY (Lexis; login required)
[A]ccording to the analysis published in The Lancet, modelling suggests for every extra metre further away up to three metres, the risk of infection or transmission may halve. In the UK people are advised to keep a distance of two metres from others, but there have been calls to reduce this to 1.5 metres - like in Germany, in order to help the hospitality sector reopen. Places such as theatres and entertainment venues could be hit hard by the two-metre rule, which would severely restrict the number of patrons allowed inside.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends people maintain a distance of at least one metre between each other. The researchers looked at data from nine studies across Sars, Mers and Covid-19, including 7,782 participants.
Professor Holger Schunemann from McMaster University in Canada, who co-led the research, said: ``Our findings are the first to synthesise all direct information on Covid-19, Sars, and Mers, and provide the currently best available evidence on the optimum use of these common and simple interventions to help 'flatten the curve' and inform pandemic response efforts in the community. “Governments and the public health community can use our results to give clear advice for community settings and healthcare workers on these protective measures to reduce infection risk.”
According to the researchers, keeping at least one metre from other people as well as wearing face coverings and eye protection, in and outside of healthcare settings, could be the best way to reduce the chance of viral infection or transmission of Covid-19. Thirteen studies focusing on eye protection found that face shields, goggles, and glasses were associated with lower risk of infection, compared with no eye covering.
See Derek K Chu et al., Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis, The Lancet, Available online 1 June 2020; In Press, Corrected Proof
Advanced, Proactive Measures: How Vietnam Kept Its Coronavirus Death Toll at Zero
Schools and universities, which had been scheduled to reopen in February after the Lunar New Year holiday, were ordered to remain closed, and only reopened in May. Thwaites, the infectious disease expert in Ho Chi Minh City, said the speed of Vietnam's response was the main reason behind its success. "Their actions in late January and early February were very much in advance of many other countries. And that was enormously helpful ... for them to be able to retain control," he said. …
The study also found that of the country's first 270 Covid-19 patients, 43 percent were asymptomatic cases -- which it said highlighted the value of strict contact-tracing and quarantine. If authorities had not proactively sought out people with infection risks, the virus could have quietly spread in communities days before being detected.
Can Graduate Education Be The On-Ramp For Universities To Reopen And Reimagine?
Graduate students represent a different cohort of learners from the undergraduate population. They are older, more mature, more self-directed, and less inclined to seek out large social gatherings. Their academic programs also are different. Class sizes are typically smaller and there is often more small-group and one-on-one interaction between the graduate student and her/his advisor. Many graduate students are involved in research, independently or as part of a (typically) small group. Often they work independently and typically they live off-campus. In short, graduate students (1) use the campus and its facilities differently, and (2) engage in learning and discovery differently from undergraduate students.
This suggests an opportunity for universities to phase in their campus operations with this lower risk population, focusing virtual classes (online teaching and learning) on the undergraduate population for the fall semester, and allowing graduate and professional students to be the first to return to campus for instruction and research.
Democrats Call for Safeguards If Campuses Reopen
Divisions emerge between Senate Republicans and Democrats over government involvement in reopening college campuses and granting liability protection.
Regents endorse university's fall reopening plan
University of Minnesota leaders have mapped out a plan to reopen classrooms, dormitories and other common spaces this fall amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Board of Regents endorsed the plan Thursday and is expected to vote on it in July. The reopening plan includes some physical distancing, COVID-19 monitoring, testing and isolation.
College presidents outline how campuses plan to reopen
Plans include on-campus coronavirus testing, Plexiglas barriers between professors and students, restructuring residence halls
Alexander: The Question for Administrators of 6,000 Colleges and Universities is Not Whether to Reopen in August, but How to Reopen Safely
Says colleges, not Washington D.C., can best decide when to reopen, how much to test, when to wear masks
Masks required and fewer parties (allegedly): What college will look like this fall
As more colleges and universities announce how and when they will resume operations — following the abrupt shutdowns of March — most are making clear that students will share in the duty of protecting classmates, faculty and staff from a contagious disease that has killed more than 100,000 Americans.
Grocery stores and universities should reopen first, new research suggests
New research suggests grocery stores, banks, dentists, universities and big box stores like Walmart should reopen earlier and face fewer restrictions as communities open up after pandemic lockdowns.
Fall Comes Into View
College administrators continue to lay plans for the fall. Hybrid models, longer days and shortened semesters are among the popular planning options.
The Case for Cohorts
Higher education already has a proven educational approach we need to consider to help colleges reopen more safely in the fall
Why Colleges’ Plans for Fall Are Like ‘Nailing Jell-O to the Wall’
Many colleges are planning to return to campus, but some of the costs remain unknown, according to a Chronicle survey.
Coronavirus patients most infectious when they first show symptoms: WHO
Studies show people with the coronavirus are most infectious just at the point when they first begin to feel unwell, World Health Organization (WHO) experts said on Tuesday.
Guiding Universities on the Path to Reopening
A Q&A with the authors of the COVID-19 Planning Guide and Self-Assessment for Higher Education
Managing the Higher Ed Obstacle Course
As colleges consider how to reopen, Mitchell B. Reiss recommends that they prioritize bringing back to campuses one major source of revenue: graduate students.
A new report on how campus buildings can reopen safely
Leo A Daly white paper suggests dividing students into smaller “cohorts,” and assigning bathroom spaces.
Expecting Students to Play It Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy
Safety plans border on delusional and could lead to outbreaks of Covid-19 among students, faculty and staff.
Higher Education and Work Amid Crisis
The pandemic has accelerated and worsened equity gaps in higher education and its connection to work, according to new data, which may also show paths to improving this connection.
UCLA to reopen with mainly online classes because of the coronavirus, officials say
The vast majority of classes at UCLA this fall will be virtual, with only a small percentage offered on campus, the university announced Monday.
Australia: Austrade regional market update on the impact of COVID-19 (as at 16 June 2020)
The Chronicle of Higher Education are tracking more than 950 (+150) colleges’ plans for reopening in the fall, with:
Harvard Planning To Reopen Campus, Keep Most Classes Online
Harvard University is planning to reopen its campus to some degree even as it plans most courses will remain online.
A Never Before Seen On-Campus Experience: How Colleges Plan To Reopen For Fall Semester
Colleges and universities across the country are wrestling with how to reopen in the fall. It’s a question that’s complicated by falling revenues and concerns about coronavirus infections in densely packed campuses. Some schools have said they will go totally virtual, while many other universities plan to adopt a mixed model of online and in-person classes. Others will ask students to come to campus in shifts.
How Universities Are Cleaning, Crowdfunding And Buying A Mile’s Worth Of Plexiglas To Reopen Campuses
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels recently told a U.S. Senate committee hearing what his institution was doing to ensure a safe campus reopening for Purdue’s 45,000 students this fall. Along with cutting classroom capacity in half, setting aside 500 beds to handle quarantined students and removing 1,000 beds from dormitories to de-densify residences, Purdue has bought one mile's worth of Plexiglas, pieces of which will be used to shield faculty from students during lectures.
Colleges Spend Millions to Prepare to Reopen Amid Coronavirus
Schools solicit donations as they order masks, hand sanitizer and thermometers, upgrade heating systems
In person, online classes or a mix: Colleges' fall 2020 coronavirus reopening plans, detailed
…According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which is tracking more than 860 institutions’ plans, two-thirds of colleges are planning to welcome back students in person, while only 7% are planning to hold classes only online. Many other colleges have yet to make a decision.
The Great Reopening Debate
Professors, administrators, students, and staff on the most consequential question facing the sector (PDF included)
Three questions every university must ask as they plan to reopen
Every institution planning for in-person education must ask the following three questions to enhance the likelihood of success…
Trump Holds Event in Arizona Despite Record COVID-19 Cases; U.S. Cases Surge; Coronavirus Infecting Younger Population; Judge Orders President Jair Bolsonaro to Wear a Face Mask; Rayshard Brooks Laid to Rest; Djokovic Tests Positive for COVID-19; Trump Visits Arizona Amid Surging Virus Cases, Deaths; Debunking Trump's False Claims on Mail-in Voting; Beijing Reports 7 New Coronavirus Cases Tuesday; University Hopes Testing Will Allow Safe Fall Return. Aired 12-1a ET
UC San Diego student Eleanor Gruden didn't prepare for this test, but it might have the greatest impact on her education next term. She's taking part in the pilot phase of the University of California at San Diego's Return to Learn program. The eventual goal? To test the university's population for COVID-19 on a consistent basis for eight months, beginning in September, potentially paving a path to return to some in-person education in the fall.
DR. ROBERT SCHOOLEY, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, UC SAN DIEGO: We want to be able to come back in the safest way possible. And one of the key features of that is to be able to monitor for the presence of the virus.
ELAM: By following clearly-posted directions, Gruden is collecting her own sample.
SCHOOLEY: We're planning on having all around campus a bunch of collection boxes, each of which would contain a stack of individually- wrapped swabs with medium. Each swab would have associated with it a QR code.
We'll have loaded on the CSD app a bar code reader that will attach the identity of the person using the swab. They will pop the bar code, pull the swab out of the sleeve, swab their mouth, stick the swab back into a plastic sleeve, and then drop it into a box.
Rush to reopen schools worries a majority of voters
A combined 54 percent of Americans said they are somewhat uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with reopening K-12 schools this fall… Forty-one percent of Americans said then it was a bad idea for K-12 schools, while 44 percent felt it was a bad idea to open day care centers. Thirty-eight percent said it was a bad idea for college students to return to campus.
INSIGHT: Universities Should Stay Closed to Protect Workers of Color
Requiring university workers to return to campus disproportionately exposes the very communities that university presidents have already acknowledged are at unequal risk of coronavirus infection. Five professors from around the country say the benefits of higher education on a reopened campus should not be delivered at the expense of the health of the university’s workers, and disproportionately, workers of color.
Haves and Have-Nots on COVID-19 Protection
While some colleges make extensive plans to guard against a spread of the coronavirus when they reopen, others can't afford to do as much and are worried about running out of basic supplies
Campus Plans for Fall Evolve
College announcements fall along a continuum from mostly online to mostly in person. Some unusual elements: scheduled showers and a primarily freshman campus.
Low-Income Students Are Disproportionately Hurt by the Pandemic. Here’s a Glimpse of the Toll.
The study, by researchers at Arizona State University, found that undergraduate students at their university have suffered noticeably — and unequally — as a result of the pandemic. Among the findings: Low-income students at the university were 55 percent more likely to delay graduation than their more affluent peers, and 41 percent more likely to change their major.
Colleges say campuses can reopen safely. Students and faculty aren’t convinced.
As colleges across the United States slowly unveil campus reopening plans, I keep thinking of something Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at New York University and co-host of the Pivot podcast, told New York magazine in May: “At universities, we’re having constant meetings, and we’ve all adopted this narrative of ‘This is unprecedented, and we’re in this together,’ which is Latin for ‘We’re not lowering our prices, bitches.’”
"There is no evidence of herd immunity for coronaviruses," expert says
"I call this virus the 'get it and then your body forgets it.' This is not a standard virus that you're going to get herd immunity. There is no evidence of herd immunity for coronaviruses. It does not exist," Haseltine told Alisyn Camerota during an appearance on CNN’s New Day.
Is ‘dynamic distancing’ an ideal COVID-19 re-opening strategy?
However, “dynamic distancing” is another option being presented. The House of Commons health committee heard from experts about it on Tuesday. The practice is already being adopted by the likes of South Korea and Taiwan, and means that as restrictions are lifted, communities must be ready to re-impose physical distancing and socially restrictive measures periodically if there are surges in disease activity.
'Dynamic' physical distancing could help balance COVID-19 fight, economy: study
Dialing physical distancing measures up and down could be a way of sustaining the long-term fight against COVID-19 while not crushing the economy, a new study from Ontario researchers suggests. The scientists from the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph used mathematical modelling to predict the course of the disease in Ontario.
The paper was submitted in late March to the Canadian Medical Association Journal and published as a pre-print that has not yet been peer-reviewed. Amy Greer, one of the study’s authors, said this is another method to buy society time until a vaccine is available, which is likely more than a year away.
Coronavirus Government Response Tracker (U of Oxford)
Governments are taking a wide range of measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This tool aims to track and compare policy responses around the world, rigorously and consistently.
Study ties blood type to COVID-19 risk: O may help, A may hurt
A genetic analysis of COVID-19 patients suggests that blood type might influence whether someone develops severe disease. Scientists who compared the genes of thousands of patients in Europe found that those who had Type A blood were more likely to have severe disease while those with Type O were less likely.
Wednesday's report in the New England Journal of Medicine does not prove a blood type connection, but it does confirm a previous report from China of such a link. Other experts say more study is needed in different groups of patients to see if the findings hold up.
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: World News in Brief: June 26
Japan's COVID-19 contact-tracing app has been downloaded more than 4 million times since its launch a week ago as the government seeks to head off a second wave of infections now that businesses and schools have reopened. Health ministry official Yasuyuki Sahara said while there was no target number for downloads, "we want to make as many people as possible to use this app". Apps such as this may be able to halt an epidemic if usage reaches 60% of the population, according to an Oxford University study.