University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Updates: Kemp extends emergency powers to mid-May to combat coronavirus
By Greg Bluestein
Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday he would extend Georgia’s public health emergency through May 13, granting him more time to use extraordinary powers to suspend laws and impose other restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The governor announced the decision in tandem with House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who both said they would not request a special legislative session tentatively scheduled for next week.
accessWDUN
Kemp: Parks, beaches to stay open, but social distancing enforced
By Mitch Clarke Director of News and Content
Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday he won’t shut down state parks and beaches over the coronavirus pandemic despite requests from some local officials, but he said social distancing requirements would be more stringently enforced. …“We’re not opening the parks and beaches for parties and family reunions,” Kemp told WDUN. “It’s for exercise. … People need an outlet, particularly in you have young children at home, if your gym has been closed, which all of them in the state are. People need to exercise, and they need somewhere to go to do that in a safe way.” Kemp said officers in the parks will enforce social distancing and will stop allowed people to enter the parks when parking lots get full.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: 9,892 coronavirus cases confirmed in Georgia as deaths climb to 362
By Chelsea Prince
Known coronavirus cases in Georgia are nearing 10,000 as nearly every county in the state has verified infections, according to the latest data released Wednesday. The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed 9,892 cases as of noon, up more than 700 cases from the night before. The state has also reported 14 more deaths related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus, bringing the toll to 362.Since the outbreak began, 1,990 who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized across the state.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: 19 new coronavirus deaths brings Georgia’s toll near 350; cases top 9K
By Chelsea Prince and Zachary Hansen 4/7/2020
UPDATE [7 p.m.]: The Georgia Department of Public Health recorded 19 new coronavirus deaths since noon, bringing the state’s toll to 348. The DPH also announced 338 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the state, which brings the number of cases in Georgia to 9,156. Of those, 1,899 patients are hospitalized, which is about 20.7% of all cases.Virus-related deaths have sharply risen this week, jumping from 208 Saturday evening to nearly 350 only three days later.
The Augusta Chronicle
COVID-19 testing at MCG expands rapidly thanks to donations, new equipment
By Tom Corwin
Testing for COVID-19 at the GEM Lab at MCG is ramping up quickly thanks to new and borrowed equipment and donations from researchers at Augusta University and Georgia Tech. Inside a room at the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory at Medical College of Georgia, Director Ravindra Kolhe looks down proudly on what he calls his “PCR farm.” The three PCR analyzer that can look for genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19 are borrowed from other researchers at MCG at Augusta University and Georgia Tech. Along with brand-new and expensive machines courtesy of Gov. Brian Kemp’ Coronavirus Taskforce and the state of Georgia, the lab’s capacity to run tests jumped exponentially, Kolhe said. “The amount of tests we have done in one week we are now doing in a day,” he said.
The Gazette
University of Iowa-led vaccine research shows promise for coronavirus
University of Iowa researchers – in partnership with colleagues at the University of Georgia – have developed a vaccine that fully protects mice against a lethal dose of MERS, a close cousin on the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The development, although still in its early stages as it’s only been tested on mice, holds promise for a potential translation into a COVID-19 vaccine, according to UI Health Care officials. The research is among a smattering UIHC scientists are pursuing in the global race to find a vaccine, cure, or treatment for COVID-19 – ravaging the planet, infecting upwards of 1.4 million around the world and killing more than 80,000 to date. On Monday, UIHC announced it has received approval to participate in an international trial for a promising drug to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms and help hospitalized patients recover faster. Last week, UIHC executives announced they’re close to receiving federal approval to use donated plasma from recovered patients to help those still fighting in the hospital. Leading the team in the MERS-vaccine research is UI pediatrics professor Paul McCray and Biao He, with the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Augusta Chronicle
Augusta hospitals converting units to handle surge of COVID-19 patients
By Tom Corwin
As the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital beds began increasing, Augusta hospitals put plans into action to begin isolating and caring for those patients in entire units converted to negative pressure, preparing for a surge that might come soon. “We’re basically preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” said Dr. Ioana Chrica, medical director for infectious diseases, infection prevention and microbial stewardship at University Hospital. University calls it cohorting, taking those who have tested positive for COVID-19 and those who are strongly suspected but awaiting test results and putting them in the same isolated, negative pressure unit. The hospital had a limited number of negative pressure rooms that were soon outstripped by the need, Chirca said.
The Brunswick News
College donates supplies to health care workers
By Lauren Mcdonald
Health care workers across the globe are calling out daily for more supplies as the coronavirus crisis continues to grow and create shortages. College of Coastal Georgia’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences recently pulled from its own stock of supplies to aid health care workers. The college donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to help in the fight against COVID-19. The donation included 350 loop masks, 150 face-shield surgical masks and a ventilator. The equipment and supplies were originally meant for use by nursing students in a simulated hospital setting. The donation was a collaboration between the nursing department and college campus police.
Union Recorder
Georgia College provides medical supplies statewide to combat COVID-19
Georgia College has helped in the fight against COVID-19 by redirecting thousands of medical supplies — including two ventilators, face shields, gloves and other items of critical need. They’ll be distributed around the state by the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Georgia Emergency Homeland Security Agency (GEMA). “We had a request come from our system office to assess the supplies we have and start conducting inventory,” said Police Chief Brett Stanelle, director of Public Safety at Georgia College. “We started in our Emergency Management team and we branched out into other units around campus to see what aid we could provide.” University departments and offices pulled together supplies for redistribution. Contributors were the Georgia College Department of Biology; Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy; School of Nursing; School of Health and Human Performance; Student Health Services; and Facilities Operations.
Albany Herald
University of Georgia creates, delivers medical face shields to health care professionals
From Staff Reports
The University of Georgia has delivered a first batch of medical face shields produced on campus to local medical professionals facing a shortage of protective equipment because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The university plans to deliver 200 face shields each to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital by the end of the day Friday. The shields, which help protect health care providers from droplets, aerosols and other contaminants while treating patients, are being produced through a collaboration between the UGA College of Engineering, UGA Libraries, and the Instrument Design and Fabrication Shop, a unit of UGA’s Office of Research. “We’re pleased to be able to help the community in this time of crisis,” said Donald Leo, dean of the College of Engineering. “Our staff and students have really taken the urgency of the situation to heart, and they’ve stepped forward to support our community and its medical professionals.” The face shields produced by the College of Engineering and the Instrument Design and Fabrication Shop include four simple parts the hospitals can assemble quickly: a clear plastic shield, a plastic head gear, an adjustable strap made from non-latex rubber, and a neoprene strip as a forehead cushion. UGA can produce approximately 130 face shields a day until it runs out of materials. University Health Center has already received 10 face shields and expects to receive 15 more, said UHC Executive Director Dr. Garth Russo.
WGAU
UGA, Athens Tech send supplies to coronavirus front lines
By: Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia has delivered a first batch of medical face shields produced on campus to Athens medical professionals who are facing a shortage of protective equipment because of the COVID 19 pandemic. UGA plans to deliver 200 face shields each to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital by the end of the day Friday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Doctors get personal on social media during COVID-19 crisis
By Helena Oliviero
Dr. Josh Mugele, an emergency room doctor in northeast Georgia, recently re-examined his will. He wrote down bank account numbers. And made a list of all his passwords. It’s information his wife will need — “In case I die,” he says. The decision to get his affairs in order is just one of the personal moments Mugele shares on Twitter. The 46-year-old, who joined the staff of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville only last October, also writes daily reflections on life during a pandemic.
During these extraordinary times, Mugele and many other medical professionals have taken to social media to vent, talk about their anxiety, share heartbreak and to seek advice from colleagues. For them, the social media posts are an outlet, sometimes a call to action. But, for the community at large, they also are windows into the lives and thoughts of those dealing daily with the virus in an up close and personal way.
…University of Georgia professor Glen Nowak says doctors, nurses and other medical workers are in unique position to influence, whether that’s encouraging the public to practice social distancing or imploring governments to act.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Libraries continue to offer resources during pandemic
By Rosalind Bentley
From loaning laptops to hosting virtual storytimes, closed libraries reach out.
By the time spring break ended for Nykira Ross early last month, she knew she couldn’t return to campus for the remainder of her sophomore year at Albany State University. The novel coronavirus was spreading through the southwest Georgia town at an alarming rate. Classes on campus were suspended beginning March 13, first for two weeks, then for the semester. Like most colleges and universities, Albany State turned to online learning. For Ross, that presented a problem. She didn’t have a laptop and couldn’t afford one. On campus, she went to computer labs to study and finish assignments. Now, not only was the computer lab and university library ostensibly closed, all public libraries across the state were being shuttered. Back home in Atlanta, she wasn’t sure what to do. …Then a black women’s professional organization, The Links, of which Ross is a student mentee, contacted her to see if she needed help because so many schools were shutting down. Ross said a laptop. And that’s how Ross found out that the doors to Georgia’s public libraries may indeed be physically closed, but they are finding virtual ways to stay open. From prerecorded storytimes to boosting Wi-Fi capacity, to virtual book clubs, the state’s 408 libraries are trying to serve patrons despite social distancing and emergency stay-at-home ordinances.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU security expert: Key to Zoom security is in the settings
By Thomas Hartwell
Office, school and business closures due to the coronavirus have led to explosive growth in video-conferencing platforms like Zoom, and one local professor says improved meeting security is all in the settings. In a recent blog post, Zoom founder Eric Yuan reported his company had reached more than 200 million daily users last month, up from 10 million in December. But that rapid increase in use has birthed a new form of online harassment called “Zoombombing,” when intruders enter a Zoom conference, use offensive language, hate speech or even show pornography, according to a warning from the FBI. Andy Green, lecturer of information security and assurance at Kennesaw State University, says while Zoom and other video conferencing services are useful tools in an era of social distancing, they must be used with care.
The George-Anne
Deadline to withdraw without academic penalty extended to Friday
By Blakeley Bartee
The deadline to withdraw from courses without academic penalty at Georgia Southern University has been extended to April 10, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Carl Reiber announced yesterday in an email. The provost also said students who feel they need more time to complete their course requirements can ask their instructors if an incomplete or in-progress grade is an option. Here are other announcements from Provost Reiber on resources, refunds and changes due to COVID-19:
Union Recorder
Helping Hands Hardship campaign extends hand to GC students
Georgia College has set up a way for students to get support amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus global pandemic. The Helping Hands Hardship Campaign fund was originally set up in 2013 by members of the Student Government Association (SGA). Its original intent was to help students in need of financial support. However, when presented with having to move students off campus as well as an online workforce, leaders at GC knew they needed a way to assist students. …When the GC leaders came together, Monica Delisa, GC vice president for University Advancement, mentioned that a fund similar to what Brooks was thinking of already existed — the Helping Hands Hardship Campaign. Shifting gears from its usual purpose, the campaign is now focused on getting donations for the students affected by COVID-19.
WSB
UGA Med Student Starts Statewide Fundraiser For Frontline Workers
By: Jennifer Griffies
A group of medical students is doing its part to help those working on the frontlines to make sure they get a hot meal. Anita Qualls, executive director of Feedthefrontlinesga tells WSB a group of friends got together and came up with the idea. “I was sitting at home because of the state-at-home order in Georgia, just feeling frustrated as a future medical student that I wasn’t able to do very much. I talked to my friend, who is also a medical student in New York, and they’ve been rolling out a very similar program,” said Qualls. Qualls says she and several others began coordinating and contacting restaurants near hospitals to donate and deliver those meals to workers on the frontlines in the hospitals. “Since Thursday morning, things moved really quickly. My friends have been amazing in getting this off the ground. We raised over $10,000 in four days and now we have coordinators in metro Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Albany, Augusta, and Savannah. We are also working out a date right now for donations in ICU for Grady, the V-A, Emory main hospital, and Emory Midtown,” said Qualls.
Athens CEO
UGA: Insights on Transitioning to Online Instruction
Krista Richmond
On March 30, the University of Georgia will transition to online instruction for the remainder of the spring semester. The change is part of the university’s effort to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To be sure, that shift will be an adjustment for both faculty and students. “Many of the concerns and distractions instructors have now are shared by their students. Empathy, communication, asynchronicity, a focus on the necessary and reassessing assessments will facilitate the transition for everyone impacted by these midsemester changes,” said Megan Mittelstadt, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Those are some of the things Mittelstadt and Stephen Balfour, director of the Office of Online Learning, say that instructors should keep in mind during the rapid transition to online instruction in the coming weeks.
WGAU
UGA outlines plans with campus sidelined by COVID
By: Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia updates its plans for University staffers, some of whom continue to work on campus, while others are working from home. Campus classes are closed for the rest of UGA’s spring semester, as students are now taking classes on-line.
WPDE
Data shows SC’s COVID-19 peak just over 2 weeks away
by Donovan Harris
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — The U.S. Surgeon General said this could be the worst week during the coronavirus pandemic. “This is going to be the saddest week of most Americans’ lives. This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment–our 9/11 moment,” said U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams. These are uncertain times for many across the nation and the world. This comes after reports of equipment and hospital bed shortages in some areas. …The data also show there are a projected 442 total deaths associated with COVID-19 by Aug. 4. An expert in health policy and management with the University of Georgia says geography plays a large role in this. “We certainly have areas that are hot spots, but healthcare is doing fairly well,” said Institute for Disaster Management Director Curt Harris. Dr. Harmon with Tidelands Health said they have plans to reallocate resources. He said he believes South Carolina’s “peak” in cases will be within the next two to three weeks. Experts say to continue to social distance and practice good hygiene because those efforts have been working.
Growing Georgia
Remote Instruction Will Continue for ABAC During the Summer Term
Instruction will continue to be delivered remotely at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the other 25 institutions in the University System of Georgia during the remainder of the spring semester and the summer term, with only limited exceptions. USG institutions, including ABAC, are tentatively planning to return to normal on-campus operations for the fall semester should guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health allow it. At this time, fall semester classes are scheduled to begin on Aug. 12 at ABAC.
Savannah Tribune
Savannah State University Continues Online Instruction for May and Summer Semesters
Savannah State University (SSU) and all University System of Georgia (USG) institutions will continue to deliver instruction remotely during May and summer semesters, with only limited exceptions. While half of SSU’s summer courses are typically offered online, we are transitioning to offer all of our courses online to current and prospective Savannah State University students. “Our dedicated faculty have worked quickly to transition their courses to this format,” said Reginald Leseane, Ph.D., interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “Not only that, but they have embraced providing the best online experience for our students to keep them engaged in their studies.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Class numbers dwindle as college students struggle with online learning
By Maureen Downey
Coronavirus pandemic is testing much more than their study skills
Three weeks ago, I invited Rick Diguette, a writer and part-time English instructor at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College, to write a guest column on why he was so confident he and his colleagues were up to the task of moving instruction online in the wake of campus closures. A lot has changed in that time. There were 99 confirmed cases of the coronavirus when Diguette’s piece appeared. Tonight, there are 9,156 cases and 350 deaths. And the state is much more aggressive in its efforts to limit movement and contact. The University System of Georgia migrated 40,000 classes online, and, if student accounts are accurate, with varying degrees of success. Many parents of Georgia college students are sharing their children’s experiences in Facebook groups, and there are many mentions of tears.
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Tech-Savannah offers free online OSHA training courses
Georgia Tech-Savannah has opened the online registration for their free occupational safety and health training (OSHA) courses. Due to current events, these will all be held online and not take place in the classroom. Registration ends on May 1, for these online courses aimed to help employees and companies save money, reduce accidents, earn job promotions, and lower worker’s compensation premiums.
Connect Savannah
A local economy in serious flux
Georgia Southern’s Economic Monitor examines Savannah metro outlook
By Rachael Flora
There’s a lot of buzz about the economy right now, and rightfully so. In the past two weeks, millions Americans have filed for unemployment. Savannah hotels, usually filled to the brim this time of year, are at about 6% capacity. On top of that, the Georgia Southern Economic Monitor’s fourth quarter report was released last week, reporting a strong finish to 2019 but predicting a big slowdown in the first half of 2020. What does it all mean? Should you be worried? What next steps should you personally take? Dr. Michael Toma is here to help.
WSAV
Reidsville’s Jack Hill, Georgia’s longest-serving state senator, dies at 75
Sen. Jack Hill, considered Georgia’s longest-serving state senator, has died. He was 75. Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan shared the news Monday, saying “Jack Hill was a true statesman, a man of overwhelming integrity, and a servant leader.” …He graduated from Reidsville High School and Georgia Southern University and is a retired grocer. …“He left an indelible mark on this institution, Southeast Georgia, and the state,” stated Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. “I was among a great many who relied on his friendship and wise counsel. We send condolences and prayers to his wife, Ruth Ann, his family and his loved ones.”
Savannah Morning News
Georgia president: AD McGarity’s contract status on hold until on ‘other side’ of pandemic
By Marc Weiszer
University of Georgia president Jere Morehead and athletic director Greg McGarity both said in mid-February they expected to hammer out a path forward in the ensuing weeks that would determine if McGarity would stay on when his contract ended at the end of June. Morehead essentially left the decision then to McGarity, who is finishing up his 10th year overseeing Bulldog athletics. The timeline to make that decision was interrupted by the novel coronavirus epidemic that has upended all aspects of daily life including the sports world. Morehead on Tuesday, April 7, indicated a determination on if McGarity returns for the 2020-21 academic year could now be months away.
The Gainesville Times
New Johnson High football coach found his calling through Georgia Southern course
William Harrell signed up for elective to strengthen video game skills. Quickly, he discovered a passion for teaching the game to kids
Bill Murphy
William Harrell still laughs about how he ended up in the coaching profession. It was never the plan. A young student at Georgia Southern in 2003, he signed up for an elective course called Coaching Football, in hopes of gaining an edge in playing Madden video games. He was completely thrown for a loop when the teacher broke the news that students would actually be out in the community working with kids, coaching the game. “I showed up in the class and everyone else already knew the deal,” Harrell said with a chuckle. “I thought all I would have to do is show up to the class for lectures.” Despite major reservations about his decision, Harrell went along with the program and took up a role working with 11-and 12-year olds in the Bulloch County Recreation Department. Even though he went to Georgia Southern planning to major in industrial management, those experiences on the field with the young players made it clear that coaching was now the calling for his life. On Friday, the 35-year-old Harrell, who is from Atlanta, was named the new coach at Johnson.
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Emory University Names Gregory L. Fenves New President
Emory University on Tuesday announced that its board appointed Gregory L. Fenves the institution’s new president. Fenves, who is currently president of the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), will begin his new position at Emory on August 1. He will succeed Claire E. Sterk, who announced her retirement last November after serving as Emory’s president since 2016. Both Emory and Fenves acknowledged that the new appointment is being announced during a global health emergency, as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S. and across the world. “Greg and I agree that, out of respect for all of those who are working hard to combat the virus and care for their families, we only want to make a brief introduction today, “ said Bob Goddard, chair of Emory’s Board of Trustees and of the Presidential Selection Committee. “When the clouds lift and we are all able to return to our normal routines, we will plan a more complete welcome for Greg and his family.”
Inside Higher Ed
Dorm Evictions for the Public Good
Colleges are clearing out student dorms to make room for patients and health-care workers as the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms hospitals. The process has not gone smoothly for students.
By Greta Anderson
When students who’d evacuated their dorm rooms at Virginia Commonwealth University discovered personal belongings they’d left behind were being packed and removed from their rooms to accommodate non-COVID-19 hospital patients, it was through a video on social media. The video posted on Facebook by a moving company employee on March 25 showed movers going into the rooms and preparing to clear them. The response from surprised students was immediate. “I want an answer as to why y’all are literally stealing my stuff right now,” one student tweeted at the university. After being told to leave campus and retrieve belongings by March 22 in the wake of the coronavirus public health crisis, the students were angered to learn that strangers would be going through and packing up their stuff. …As colleges are being asked to provide residence hall space for patients, health-care workers, or first responders, students who live in campus residence halls are being told belongings will be boxed, moved and stored at private off-campus facilities. Affected students say notifications about these processes has been inadequate, and plans do not account for the needs of students who live far from their campus or in other states or those unable to afford the cost of having their belongings shipped to them.
PBS
Pass/fail grades may help students during the COVID-19 crisis, but could cost them later
By Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report
Almost as soon as students fled their universities and colleges ahead of the coronavirus lockdowns, petitions started flying back. In the midst of such disruption — with hastily prepared classes delivered remotely, and without professors’ office hours, libraries or advisors — students were demanding the option to pass or fail their courses this semester, instead of getting letter grades. Many universities and colleges agreed. It could become a lesson in being careful about what you wish for.
Fox5
Coronavirus outbreak’s impact on testing for college
By Elizabeth Rawlins
Students and educators around the country continue to adjust to virtual and online learning during the coronavirus pandemic. As public-school districts and colleges were forced to adjust their 2020 academic calendar, some college students believe this year is now a wash. However, some education experts are optimistic. “We’ve got to have faith in the system,” says Verdallia Turner, President of the Georgia Federation of Teachers. Turner tells FOX 5, even though students of all ages are having to adjust to virtual learning during the coronavirus pandemic, she does not believe there will be long-term educational impacts. “A lot of what children retain, they retain from outside experiences,” said Turner. But some college students are not as confident.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Democratic Senators Urge Companies to Provide Relief For Private Student Borrowers
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 13 other Democratic Senators on Tuesday urged student loan companies to relax repayments for private student borrowers left out of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. The stimulus package allows the suspension of federal student loan repayments for six months, until the end of September. The Democratic Senators urged student loan companies to allow private borrowers to similarly pause payments without penalty. They also said the companies should stop involuntary loan collection efforts for a period of time like the Department of Education has.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Campuses Might Still Be Closed in the Fall. How Should Universities Prepare?
by Sara Weissman
After varying amounts of struggle, universities across the country moved online for the spring semester in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But now the question is, what’s next? While some hope campuses will re-open come fall, no one knows for certain. In the meantime, university leaders are girding themselves for the possibility they’ll have to offer another semester online and asking themselves how to best prepare for more long-term remote learning. Many are thinking outside the box – and outside the (virtual) classroom – about what resources students will need if online classes continue next year. Over spring break, most campuses didn’t have the time to build the highest quality online programs as they scurried to open their virtual doors, but fall may hold new possibilities. Clare McCann, deputy director for federal higher education policy at the think tank New America, stressed the importance of not only intentional “instructional design” but online student support now that schools have a “small (albeit very small) extra amount of time to prepare,” she wrote in an email.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Beth McMurtrie
Even in the best of times, life for students enrolled at Hinds Community College, in Raymond, Miss., is not easy. Many are surviving on Pell Grants and low-wage jobs at Walmart and Sonic to gain an education. But the college offers them the prospect of a leg up. If they can graduate from one of its many career and technical programs, they might land better-paying jobs at the local tire plant or at the Nissan factory in Canton. If they earn an associate degree, they can transfer to a four-year college, like Jackson State University. But to do that, they have to keep studying. And that’s where Julie Clark comes in. The director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Hinds, the largest community college in the state, she has been working 18 hours a day, seven days a week, to move 800 faculty members, 9,000 students, and 3,700 course sections online.
Inside Higher Ed
Graduate students face many of the same challenges as faculty members during COVID-19 but have received fewer assurances. Top on their wish list are extended funding and time-to-degree extensions.
By Colleen Flaherty
Tenure-clock stoppages came fast and furious last month to faculty members worried about how COVID-19 will throw off their career timelines. Graduate students have similar concerns about how their research has been upended and how that will impact progress toward their degrees. Yet accommodations to their program timelines and funding packages are almost nil. Graduate students need help “figuring out where they stand,” said Bradley Sommer, president of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students and a Ph.D. candidate in history at Carnegie Mellon University. “A lot of students right now just need basic information on what to expect.” Students who were overseas when the public health crisis escalated, doing research or attending conferences, are in some cases stuck there, Sommer said. Stateside, many students in the natural sciences and engineering don’t have access to their labs. Their counterparts in the humanities and social sciences, meanwhile, lack access to libraries, archives and research sites. And students who collect data in K-12 schools have no idea when widespread school shutdowns will end.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Sarah Brown
Armed with food and drinks, bingo cards and daubers, about 100 Hanover College students pack the student-activities center on the second Tuesday of every month. At the tight-knit, 1,100-student college in southeastern Indiana, bingo is so popular that latecomers have to sit on the floor. Students chat intermittently and sing along to music as the numbers are called, playing for small prizes like Amazon gift cards. When Hanover moved classes online for the rest of the semester amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Theresa Hitchcock, associate director of student life, wanted to find a way to replicate the bingo experience. She polled students to gauge their interest. When dozens said yes, she mailed them each a pack of 10 bingo cards. Then, on the last Tuesday of March, 75 students and a handful of faculty and staff members packed the gallery view on Zoom for five bingo rounds.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Beckie Supiano
For professors, moving to remote teaching in the face of a global pandemic has ruptured the semester. While the shift has raised new questions, like which online tools are best for a particular course, it’s also reignited old debates, about the best way to grade; about what grades even are. It’s exacerbated most challenges students face in their lives beyond the classroom — and made it harder to ignore how those challenges can inhibit academic performance. As they try to sort through the practical and philosophical matters of stitching their courses back together, professors might be looking for a place to talk. They might even be looking for community. That’s what Sean Michael Morris and Jesse Stommel figured when they decided to start holding “open, online office hours” for instructors weekly, on Fridays.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Report: Congress Needs to do a Lot More to Ensure Educational Equity During the Pandemic
by Sarah Wood
To help small businesses, higher education institutions and individuals recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Congress recently passed a $2 trillion stimulus package. After analyzing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Center for American Progress (CAP) released a brief to highlight what has been done to aid the education sector so far and laid out policy recommendations needed in a fourth stimulus package. The brief said the current funds allocated would “only make a dent” in addressing long-term funding issues.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Officials and Advocates Seek to Halt Title IX Rule Changes Amid COVID-19 Disruptions
by Pearl Stewart
Three Senators joined 18 state attorneys general and a leading academic association to urge the Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget to suspend changes to Title IX rules on dating violence, domestic abuse and stalking. Citing the closures of schools and colleges around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent disruptions of revenue and resources, the attorneys general led by Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro stated in a March 27 letter that “in the midst of a national health emergency, the burden placed on schools would be untenable and ultimately counterproductive to student safety. … With everything our schools and students are facing right now, we strongly urge you not to impose further substantial regulatory burdens.”
Inside Higher Ed
Whether they’re producing 3-D-printed face shields, mixing do-it-yourself hand sanitizer, providing free babysitting services or organizing collection drives for safety gear, members of the higher ed community are supporting front-line workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
By Elizabeth Redden
How can we help? That simple question has spurred a flurry of activity among students, faculty, staff and university administrators who have looked for ways to assist health-care workers in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s repurposing university-owned equipment to decontaminate N95 masks, mixing hand sanitizer in chemistry labs for use by hospitals, collecting supplies of personal protective equipment — of which there is a critical national shortage — or babysitting health-care workers’ children, professionals in higher education and the students they serve have found all kinds of ways to help.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How to Steer Your Campus Through a Recession
Conventional wisdom urges cost-cutting and scaling back ambitions. Here’s why you might want to fight that impulse.
By Paul N. Friga
There is no doubt that Covid-19 will drastically alter higher education, but how will academic leaders respond? At the moment, they are just beginning to develop strategies for different financial models and for on-campus and online programs. Amid such a panic, leaders tend to move toward the mean in terms of their strategic response. Following other institutions’ leads appears to be a safe choice in the short term, but one that, I would argue, comes with risk and opportunity costs. The pandemic offers an opportunity to break from the norm and elevate your university to new levels faster in the wake of this crisis.
The pandemic offers an opportunity to break from the norm and elevate your university to new levels faster in the wake of this crisis. That doesn’t mean that typical strategies might not work on your campus, just that you will need to consider your unique mission, positioning, financials, and culture in determining your own path forward. Past recessions offer guidance. According to McKinsey & Company and the Harvard Business Review, the most common approach in a recession has been to conserve cash, cut expenses, and put major initiatives on hold.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How (Not) to Evaluate Teaching During a Pandemic
By Jody Greene
In the initial days of academe’s shift to remote teaching (formerly known as “spring break”), one of the many concerns weighing heavily on the minds of faculty members was how their teaching would be assessed this term. It made my heart, and head, ache to think that instructors — especially at adjunct and tenure-track ranks — worried about that at all in the midst of global catastrophe. And yet they are worried. As someone with a foot in both the faculty world, as a professor of literature, and in low-level administration, as an associate vice provost, I have heard the concern firsthand from colleagues. How will their teaching this spring be judged and ranked in the months and years to come by tenure-and-promotion and hiring (or rehiring) committees? Will they be punished for the many things that have gone wrong, pedagogically, in what has been an unimaginably difficult and unstable year? In the chaos of the past month, few institutions have issued clear and compassionate statements about faculty evaluation. At least in part, that’s because communications from the top have largely focused on urgent matters of policy and public health. We’ve already seen some heated debates on whether to use this crisis to evaluate the effectiveness of online teaching (in summary: now-is-a-good-time versus it-absolutely-is-not). So I hesitate to even waste words on whether, and how, to assess anyone’s job performance during a pandemic.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Amid Pandemic, Santa Clara U Offers Test-Optional Undergraduate Admissions for Two Years
Santa Clara University is offering two-year test-optional admissions for first-year and transfer students seeking enrollment beginning in the winter 2021 and fall 2021 terms, the institution said in a statement, adding that it’s relaxing requirements keeping in mind the difficulties students are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic. That means scores on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT won’t be required for students applying for admission to Santa Clara for the next two years. Those applicants that want to submit these scores can, but those that choose not to won’t be penalized or disadvantaged.
Inside Higher Ed
Academic work is harder than ever, but professor pay was static year over year and probably won’t be improving any time soon, according to the AAUP’s annual salary report. Usual suspects offer biggest salaries.
By Colleen Flaherty
Faculty members may be working harder than ever, but their pay has “barely budged” in four years, according to the American Association of University Professors’ annual Faculty Compensation Survey. Average salaries for full-time professors increased by 2.8 percent this year over last, but consumer prices grew 2.3 percent over the same period, the AAUP notes in a preliminary report on the data: “Following the Great Recession of the late 2000s, nominal salary growth remained below consumer price growth until 2015-16 and has remained flat ever since.” …Next year will be no better, it’s all but certain: already colleges and universities have announced hiring freezes and, in some cases, pay cuts to address the financial impact of the COVID-19 disruption. But the AAUP’s data, collected before that disruption, will serve as important benchmarks when institutions look at faculty pay in reassessing their budgets.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
When Covid-19 Makes Campus Visits Impossible, How Are Colleges Hiring?
By Julia Piper
…Conducting a handful of interviews over the phone is not unusual in most job searches. But now, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdowns, colleges have to figure out how to conduct the entire hiring process without seeing candidates face to face. In some cases, institutions conclude that the stakes are too high to proceed. Certain leadership positions set the tone for the campus, rely heavily on interpersonal relationships, and command top-tier salaries. Presidential searches on the University of Nevada’s campuses in Las Vegas and Reno, for example, have been delayed.
Bloomberg
Strapped U.S. Colleges Won’t All Outlast the Coronavirus
Smaller schools have lived on the edge for years. This challenge might be too great to overcome.
By Brian Chappatta
The finances of small U.S. colleges have big problems. I wrote this same opening sentence in November 2015 after Emmanuel College, a Christian school in Franklin Springs, Georgia, with fewer than 1,000 students, failed to pay investors holding $25 million of its bonds. The default came just months after Sweet Briar College’s abrupt decision to close reverberated across the municipal market, where many higher-education institutions borrow. It seemed to be the start of a reckoning for America’s more than 4,000 colleges. That moment of truth never truly materialized. Emmanuel is still in business, and a ferocious “Save Sweet Briar” campaign among alumnae, students and faculty kept the school from closing. Inside Higher Ed has a running list of private nonprofit colleges that have closed since 2016, with the tally running at about five a year. The publication was on the verge of publishing a report in November about how soon certain private colleges could run out of money and close, but the college-advising company compiling the data received such intense pushback that it scuttled the public release. The outcry among higher education leaders hardly comes as a surprise. To this day, when searching “Sweet Briar College” on Google, the question “Is Sweet Briar College closing?” is the first to pop up. Any sign that an institution will cease to exist risks dooming small schools already facing unfavorable demographic trends. Now add to that perilous financial situation the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, colleges are closing classrooms and dormitories, switching to online learning, banning campus tours for admitted students and canceling all sporting events. That included the wildly popular March Madness — the Division I men’s basketball championship would have been on Monday night. My Bloomberg Opinion colleague Stephen Mihm recently concluded that this crisis will fundamentally reshape the landscape of higher education.
Inside Higher Ed
Anxious Wait for Stimulus Money
College leaders worry about delays and technical problems with the distribution of stimulus money, but a Senate GOP aide says they should stop whining.
By Kery Murakami
When Congress set aside about $14 billion specifically for higher education in the stimulus bill it passed two weeks ago, lawmakers had the well-intentioned goal of most of the money going to colleges and universities that serve larger shares of lower-income students. But lawmakers also didn’t want to penalize large institutions that don’t enroll as many lower-income students. The way Congress decided to deal with the issue, however, has complicated how billions of dollars of aid will get to colleges, lobbyists representing colleges and universities worry, and it could delay the money as campus leaders are anxiously dealing with a financial hit from the coronavirus epidemic. “We are deeply worried the institutions’ money won’t go out, in the best-case scenario, for a month, and in the worst-case scenario for several months,” Terry Hartle, the American Council on Education’s senior vice president for government and public affairs, said during a webinar last week for members of the Education Writers Association. A Republican Senate committee aide, however, said colleges should stop “whining.”
Other News:
accessWDUN
CDC weighs loosening guidelines for some exposed to virus
By The Associated Press
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its guidelines for self-isolation to make it easier for those who have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus to return to work if they are asymptomatic. The public health agency, in conjunction with the White House coronavirus task force, is considering an announcement as soon as Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday.
SaportaReport
Federal transit relief: $371 million to metro Atlanta, $448 million total statewide
David Pendered
Metro Atlanta transit agencies are to receive $371 million from the federal coronavirus aid package. It’s part of a total package of $448 million in federal transit assistance headed to Georgia to help offset the economic losses related to response to the cornoavirus, according to the legislation. Federal funding totaling $448 million is to help MARTA and other Georgia transit agencies weather the economic losses related to the coronavirus. Credit: Kelly Jordan The money is included in the $25 billion aid package signed into law by President Trump on March 27. Details of funding for local transit entities were made available through documents released April 2 by the Federal Transit Administration.
The Gainesville Times
State receives donation of malaria drug Trump has supported as COVID-19 treatment
Megan Reed
Some 200,000 doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate are coming to the Georgia Department of Public Health for potential use in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The drug is currently used to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Some studies have suggested it could help prevent the novel coronavirus from entering cells and possibly help patients clear the virus sooner. It has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19, although President Donald Trump has expressed his support for it as a possible treatment option. The medicine was donated by Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc., a U.S.-based generic pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Marietta Daily Journal
Debate over use of malaria drug for COVID-19 is resonating in Georgia
By Andy Miller Georgia Health News
For several days now, an anti-malarial drug has been touted by President Trump and others as a promising treatment for COVID-19. The FDA, which has approved hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as a treatment for malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, issued an emergency order recently allowing physicians to administer them to COVID-19 patients. But infectious disease experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci say there’s only anecdotal information, and no scientific proof, that these drugs work on COVID-19. “There have been cases that show there may be an effect and there are others to show there’s no effect,’’ Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CBS on Sunday. “So, I think in terms of science, I don’t think we could definitively say it works.” In Georgia, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, has contributed her views to the debate. In a March 22 letter to physicians, Toomey emphasized the absence of scientific evidence on using the malaria drugs for COVID-19.
accessWDUN
Congress, White House reach high for next virus bill
By The Associated Press
Congressional leaders are jolting ahead with another coronavirus rescue package as President Donald Trump indicated that Americans will need more aid during the stark pandemic and economic shutdown. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said another $1 trillion is needed, beyond the just-passed $2.2 trillion effort. She wants another round of direct payments to Americans and more money for companies to keep making payroll. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said in recent days that health care should top the list, signaling his intent to get to work on a new bill. “We’re going to take good care of our people,” Trump said Monday at his daily White House briefing. “It was not their fault.” It’s a rare sign of emerging consensus as Washington responds to the public health emergency and severe economic fallout that is ransacking communities nationwide, a crisis on par with a war effort or the Great Depression.
Forsyth County News
This South Forsyth lab can now perform up to 2,000 COVID-19 tests per day
Kelly Whitmire
A south Forsyth company has developed a test for the novel coronavirus that officials say can have results within 24 hours. Bako Diagnostics, a clinical laboratory located at 6240 Shiloh Road, announced on Monday, April 6, that the company had developed a “real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test” that can identify COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, from patient specimens collected using nasal and throat swabs. “Our development team has been working diligently to make COVID-19 testing more widely available and with 24 hour turnaround time for results,” said CEO Ted Hull.
Albany Herald
China lifts 76-day lockdown on Wuhan as city reemerges from coronavirus crisis
By Nectar Gan, CNN
China has ended its lockdown of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, as the city reemerges from a deadly outbreak that is now raging across the globe. But even as Wuhan reopens its borders after 76 days, some restrictions within the city will remain in place, and officials warn that the threat of further infections remains far from over. The metropolis of 11 million, where the coronavirus was first detected in December, had been sealed off from the outside world since January 23 in an unprecedented effort to contain the outbreak. On Wednesday, healthy residents and visitors will finally be allowed to leave Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, with trains and flights resumed and highway entrances reopened.