News Links | March 24, 2020
System News | Opinion
Two Wenatchee Valley College employees test positive for COVID-19
Wenatchee Valley College was notified Monday that two employees have tested positive for COVID-19. Neither
employee has been on campus since March 12, but any areas they may have come into
contact with will be sanitized, according to a Monday press release from the college.
The Wenatchee World, March 23, 2020
Creative Retirement Institute is going online — temporarily
The Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by
going online, at least in part. CRI, an organization affiliated with Edmonds Community College and located on the Edmonds CC campus, is a member-driven, self-supporting organization
whose mission is to provide affordable, quality, lifelong learning opportunities for
adults in a supportive environment.
My Edmonds News, March 22, 2020
Grays Harbor College ready to register students for spring quarter
While all Grays Harbor College campus sites remain closed to public access through at least April 24, college President
Dr. Jim Minkler said online classes and student services continue and staff is ready
to take registrations for the spring quarter. “GHC is not closed,” Minkler explained.
“We have moved most classes and student services to online to help curtail the COVID-19
virus in our community.”
The Daily World, March 20, 2020
Wenatchee Valley College to extend closure until March 30th
Wenatchee Valley College has extended the closure of both campuses to students and the public until Monday,
March 30. The closure was originally expected to last until March 20. A campus closure
means WVC is closed to both students and members of the public. The college remains
open to employees only. Employees are being encouraged to work with their supervisors
to work remotely whenever possible. Those who are remaining on campus are being asked
to practice social distancing. The residence hall will remain open to residents.
560 KPQ, March 20, 2020
Music classes face unique challenge as they transition to online learning
Colleges across Washington State now plan on offering their courses online instead
of in-person during the coronavirus outbreak. Online classes can pretty straightforward
in classes such as math or English, where such courses are commonly offered. But music
classes can be challenging. Julie Swienty says she needs the public's help. "We all
know what music can do for us," she says. Swienty is a piano instructor at Green River College in Auburn.
KOMO, March 20, 2020
Grays Harbor College suspends in-person classes, services
In response to Gov. Inslee’s directive, Grays Harbor College classes and services are offered only via remote access starting March 20. All campus
sites in Aberdeen, Raymond and Ilwaco are closed for public access at least through
April 24. At this time, there are no known cases of COVID-19 on campus. "The college
is taking proactive and thoughtful action to safely conduct operations and ensure
students continue learning and receive needed support services," according to a press
release. "Certain hands-on machine-dependent and health-related programs will continue
to meet in person using social distancing for safety."
Chinook Observer, March 20, 2020
Businesses come together to support the hungry
When a community gathers together in support of a good cause, the outcome can be downright
impressive. That’s certainly the case when it comes to Empty Bowls, one of Enumclaw’s
annual efforts to help feed the hungry. ... First, Empty Bowls involves, well, bowls.
Each paying guest takes home a hand-crafted creation and perhaps 350 of this year’s
bowls were made by students at Green River College (with donated clay).
The Courier-Herald, March 20, 2020
LCC makes plans to provide some laptops for online learning
Meeting virtually Wednesday, the Lower Columbia College trustees allocated $100,000 to respond to the COVID-19 breakout. College President
Chris Bailey sought the funds to help pay for efforts such as purchasing laptops for
staff or students to work remotely. Kendra Sprague, Vice President of the Foundation,
also said the school has applied for a grant through the Community Foundation of Southwest
Washington to purchase wifi hotspots and laptops for students to participate in online
courses.
The Daily News, March 19, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Higher ed group cheers SCOTUS ruling in copyright case
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled 9 to 0 that Congress does not have the authority
to repeal states’ sovereign immunity from copyright infringement suits in the Copyright
Remedy Clarification Act of 1990. States’ immunity extends to “instruments of the
state,” including public colleges, which are often reservoirs of information and spearheading
digital preservation efforts.
Inside Higher Ed, March 24, 2020
'On my own'
Community college transfer programs face challenges both at their home institutions
and at the institutions to which students want to transfer. Add STEM to the equation
and the challenges grow. Xueli Wang, a professor of higher education at the University
of Wisconsin at Madison, explores those challenges and the way students meet them
in On My Own: The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer Pathways
(Harvard Education Press). The book follows 1,670 community college students for four
years as they transfer to four-year institutions.
Inside Higher Ed, March 24, 2020
Special report: Coping with coronavirus
Everyone is under stress trying to cope with the novel coronavirus pandemic, but students
are especially vulnerable: They’ve lost access to their friends, their campus communities,
and the structure and rhythm of the academic year. Our latest collection includes
articles on how to make online teaching more sensitive to student concerns, spot potential
mental-health issues, and pivot and adapt quickly and efficiently. [Free download]
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 24, 2020
Staying ADA compliant during the pandemic
Community colleges are facing myriad issues as they transition to virtual learning
during the coronavirus pandemic. Among them is how to ensure they stay compliant with
federal regulations designed to ensure the needs of students with disabilities are
met. But that is particularly difficult in the quick turnaround for colleges shifting
their in-person classes to a virtual or hybrid environment.
Community College Daily, March 23, 2020
Education Dept. makes changes to standardized tests, student loans over coronavirus
...The department also announced that people with federal student loans will automatically
have their interest rates set to 0% for at least the next 60 days. Borrowers will
also have the option to suspend payments entirely for at least two months without
accruing interest, but they must request these terms — officially called forbearance
— by reaching out to their loan servicers either online or on the phone.
NPR, March 20, 2020
What's next: How long will colleges have flexibility to offer online classes due to coronavirus?
Colleges have been moving classes online in droves to help prevent the spread of the
novel coronavirus. At first, school officials said they'd reassess the need to continue
remote instruction after a few weeks. Federal agencies and accreditors afforded them
some flexibility to do that, loosening rules that would typicall guide how colleges
use distance learning. But those couple of weeks could become months, experts say,
as the coronavirus situation in the U.S. intensifies.
Education Dive, March 20, 2020
International and study abroad students see major disruptions
... The American Council on Education and six other major higher education associations
wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Chad Wolf on Monday raising some of those questions. Among them: whether there is
a possibility to extend the status of students whose visa statuses are set to expire
but whose home countries are under health-related travel advisories, making them unable
to go home.
Inside Higher Ed, March 20, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Democrats press student debt cancellation
As negotiations over a mammoth economic stimulus package continued in the Senate Monday
night, House Democrats unveiled their own $2.5 trillion proposal, which largely mirrors,
and in some ways goes beyond, the plan pushed by Senate Democrats to cancel large
amounts of the nation's student debt.
Inside Higher Ed, March 24, 2020
Dispute over student loans helps stall stimulus bill
A $1.6 trillion stimulus proposal from Republicans to help the economy during the
coronavirus crisis stalled in the Senate over a number of objections by Democrats,
including that the proposal didn’t do enough to help those saddled with student debt.
The bill was hindered as well by five Republican senators putting themselves in self-quarantine,
including Kentucky’s Rand Paul, who announced Sunday he has tested positive for the
virus.
Inside Higher Ed, March 23, 2020
Excusing loan payments vs. paying them
Senate Republicans and Democrats on Thursday unveiled plans to help students saddled
by debt during the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis, but a rift quickly
developed over how. ... Similar to a proposal Murray announced last week, the Republican
plan also would protect Pell Grant recipients from having to return money to the federal
government if their institutions close midterm. It additionally includes a provision
allowing institutions to issue work-study payments to students who are unable to work
due to workplace closures.
Inside Higher Ed, March 20, 2020