News Links | March 19, 2020
System News | Opinion
LCC taking further precautions to reduce spread of COVID-19
Reducing the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and protecting vulnerable
populations is their highest priority. Lower Columbia College is taking several additional precautionary steps toward this end. Campus will be
closed to all students and visitors March 20 - April 14. All events and activities
are canceled March 20 - April 14. Spring quarter will run April 20 - June 18 (previously
scheduled for April 6 – June 18).
The Wahkiakum County Eagle, March 19, 2020
Andy Osborne revved up his career with CPTC programs
When Andy Osborn was in high school thinking of his future career, he wasn’t sure
what direction his life would take. He knew for certain he liked to work with his
hands, but he had no idea what was in store. The opportunity arose to take courses
in automotive technology part-time while finishing his high school classes. Osborn
signed up to start learning the ins and outs of the automotive industry at Clover Park Technical College for the first time in the 1980s, but little did he know that the decision would set
him on to a lifelong path working with cars and electronics.
The Suburban Times, March 18, 2020
Handling clinicals, apprenticeships and more
... At Everett Community College (EvCC) in Washington, students in classes such as aviation maintenance, advanced manufacturing,
nursing, emergency medical services (EMS) and other courses that require in-person
work can finish their training, “with strict social distancing required,” President
Daria Willis wrote in a March 16 notice. ... The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is working with the state’s nursing commission to see if there’s any leeway or flexibility
in required clinical hours, Willis said. ... Officials at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) in Washington “are going program by program to assess the options. It’s a
lesson in creativity,” said spokesperson Kelly Green. Local healthcare providers told
the college that students could finish this quarter and that they would reassess for
the next quarter. Protecting students’ health is front and center, Green noted, as
there are five positive COVID-19 cases in the county, and a group of students from
Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) visited the Evergreen nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, which had a major outbreak.
One faculty member from LWIT tested positive, and all those students are self-quarantined
at home.
Community College Daily, March 18, 2020
CBC delays start of spring quarter. Classes move online to slow coronavirus spread
Thousands of Columbia Basin College students opened their computers Tuesday morning instead of driving to campus. The
Pasco-based college joined dozens of others across the state in offering as many of
their classes online as they possibly could. The college announced during the weekend
that they canceled Monday classes and planned to start classes online Tuesday.
Tri-City Herald, March 17, 2020
Wenatchee Valley College to close campus until March 23rd
Wenatchee Valley College leadership made the decision today to close both WVC campuses to students and the
public March 18-20. At this time, the college is scheduled to reopen to students and
the general public on Monday, March 23. This decision came following news from the
Chelan-Douglas Health District on Tuesday morning that there are now two confirmed
COVID-19 cases in Chelan county. A campus closure means that the campus remains open
to employees only. Employees are being encouraged to work with their supervisors to
begin working remotely whenever possible.
560 KPQ, March 17, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Worry, hope for community colleges
... The students community colleges and other open-access institutions tend to serve
-- nontraditional, low-income and underrepresented students -- might not be going
home to broadband. They rely on public transportation, computer labs and food pantries,
May said. "We're weighing that very heavily." Many are worried that a fully online
format also will leave first-generation and underprepared students behind academically,
said Cam Preus, executive director of the Oregon Community College Association.
Inside Higher Ed, March 19, 2020
#PassFailNation
In many ways, the new coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the lives of college students,
faculty and staff members. Many institutions have moved classes online and encouraged
students to leave campus, creating a flurry of confusion, uncertainty and anxiety.
... "The Spring 2020 semester is going to go down as one of the most disruptive in
decades. In effect, I think it will come to be thought of as the asterisk semester,
and graduate schools will likely be looking at academic records from this semester
as highly unusual, to say the least," Cason said via email.
Inside Higher Ed, March 19, 2020
'Panic-gogy': Teaching online classes during the coronavirus pandemic
... Sean Michael Morris says that in this unprecedented time, "Recognizing that we're
also human, we also have to figure this out together is incredibly important. The
idea of being able to just port what you're doing in a classroom into an online environment
has its own problems. But trying to do that in the midst of a pandemic is another
problem altogether." Morris and other colleagues have a tongue-in-cheek name for what
they're doing right now: "Panic-gogy" (for panic + pedagogy).
NPR, March 19, 2020
Colleges offering dorms as hospital overflow from virus cases
A growing number of U.S. colleges are preparing to turn empty dorms into temporary
housing for patients with the coronavirus as the nation’s hospitals brace for a possible
surge of cases that could push treatment centers beyond their limits. Tufts University
announced Wednesday that it’s making hundreds of vacant dorm rooms available in coming
weeks to help relieve “unprecedented stress” on the health care system.
PBS News Hour, March 18, 2020
SAT and ACT college tests canceled because of virus fears
Spring dates for college admissions tests are being rescheduled or postponed amid
concerns about the coronavirus, while high school seniors may be allowed to take Advanced
Placement exams to earn college credit from home. The groups that give both the ACT
and SAT tests announced Monday that they’re putting off the next nationwide examinations.
The April 4 ACT test has been rescheduled for June 13 while the May 2 SAT has been
canceled.
PBS News Hour, March 16, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Should feds make students' loan payments during crisis?
Even though Senate Republicans and President Trump are reportedly considering legislation
that would send many Americans $2,000 as part of a new coronavirus stimulus package,
advocacy groups say those struggling with student loans need more significant help
weathering the economic fallout of the crisis.
Inside Higher Ed, March 19, 2020
What would Biden and Sanders do without asking congress?
In the coming weeks or days, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is expected to
set off a firestorm of controversy by issuing a new rule to change how the nation’s
colleges and universities deal with allegations of sexual assault and harassment on
campuses. Most controversially, DeVos is expected to require that the accused be able
to cross-examine their accusers in a live hearing, a move opponents say would discourage
victims from coming forward.
Inside Higher Ed, March 17, 2020
Federal efforts pertaining to COVID-19
Congress and the Trump administration are working on legislation and guidance related
to federal student aid and other issues affecting colleges and students as a result
of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Education Department (ED) soon will release
more guidance on federal student aid as the number of colleges closing campuses and
making programming adjustments increases.
Community College Daily, March 17, 2020
