News Links | March 10, 2020
System News | Opinion
Finding hope in college
Paula, a second-year student at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington, doesn’t have much time for rest or sleep in general, but
she is determined to finish her education. She has three jobs and is taking 13 credits
at the school, but she’s not deterred. “I work overnights. I work on the weekends,
and I go to church on Sundays,” Paula said. “My time to rest is when my son brings
me here because I don’t have a car. I would say I get three to five hours of sleep
a day.” What gives her hope and encouragement to finish her education, she said, is
United Way of King County’s Bridge to Finish.
Community College Daily, March 9, 2020
Versatile Pierce College alum shares her journey
... "I found out that Pierce College Fort Steilacoom had a great women’s volleyball program so I chose to go there.” Attending Pierce
College also made financial sense, as her volleyball scholarship covered her tuition.
Jones had previously been a Running Start student at Tacoma Community College while in high school. Her parents were “very enthusiastic” about community colleges.
“That’s the beauty of community colleges,” Jones said. “They’re affordable, plus they
have a wide range of academic offerings and you get to continue on with sports you
love.”
The Suburban Times, March 9, 2020
Virus pushes colleges online; infection touches Stanwood
Thousands of college and university students are set for online coursework this week
and beyond because of the coronavirus and concerns about its disease spreading further.
... Cascadia College, Everett Community College and Washington State University Everett, meanwhile, began offering virtual classes
Monday in the wake of the illness’ growth. On Thursday, Everett Community College
announced that a student tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel
coronavirus, and that the school would close temporarily. The next day the college
said most classes would go online instead of meeting on campus through the end of
the winter quarter, which concludes after final exams March 17 to 20. Vocational courses
in aviation, cosmetology and welding, and lab-based science, technology, engineering
and math work, can continue to meet in person.
Everett Herald, March 9, 2020
Neah Bay singer wins Peninsula’s Got Talent
Samantha Logan of Neah Bay won the 2020 Peninsula’s Got Talent competition with a
performance of “Tennessee Whiskey.” Logan won a $500 scholarship and an opportunity
to perform at the 2020 Juan de Fuca Festival in May. ... The annual contest at Peninsula College’s Little Theater was sponsored by the Associated Student Council. The judges included
Luke Robins, president of the college; Kayla Oakes, executive director of the Juan
de Fuca Foundation for the Arts; and Elita Evans, vice president of the college’s
student body.
Peninsula Daily News, March 8, 2020
Pierce College alum Lauren Adler connects Congressman with community
As a student at Pierce College Puyallup, Lauren Adler had no intention of getting involved in student government. In fact,
she wasn’t sure she’d be able to attend college in the first place. “I was a first-generation
college student from a single-parent home,” said Adler. “What propelled me to go to
Pierce College was my father passing away unexpectedly in 2008. His union benefits
helped fund my college education.” Today, Adler serves as the District Director for
Congressman Denny Heck. “Basically, I am the eyes, ears and face of the Congressman
in Pierce County and beyond,” she said. “I never thought in my wildest dreams that
I’d go to work for a Member of Congress.”
The Suburban Times, March 7, 2020
WVC student tested negative for coronavirus
Chelan-Douglas Health District (CDHD) notified Wenatchee Valley College that the WVC student tested negative for the coronavirus Friday afternoon. There
is currently no confirmed cases of WVC students or faculty diagnosed with COVID-19. ... “We
are taking the possibility of a coronavirus case on campus seriously. We have been
advised by health experts to keep campus open,” said WVC President Dr. Jim Richardson
in a press release. “However, we are understanding of those students and employees
who may need to work from home at this time. Our two biggest priorities right now
are the safety of our campus community and continuing to offer essential services
to our students.”
560 KPQ, March 7, 2020
Highline College president releases statement on coronavirus outbreak
On Friday, March 6, 2020, Highline College President John R. Mosby released a statement about how the college is dealing with
the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. ... The college has activated its Incident Command
System (ICS) to enable effective and efficient management of the COVID-19 response.
The ICS is a structured response team to organize people from across the campus, to
enable information sharing and problem solving. “This will ensure campus stakeholders
are involved in the response process and the campus is working as a cohesive unit.”
Waterland Blog, March 7, 2020
First U.S. colleges close classrooms as virus spreads. More could follow.
The University of Washington said on Friday that it would cancel in-person classes
and have students take courses and finals remotely while the Seattle area grapples
with a growing coronavirus outbreak, in a move that other colleges around the country
are preparing to follow if the virus becomes more widespread. ... The Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s 6,000-student campus in Kirkland, Wash., shut down for cleaning after several students
and faculty members visited a nursing home near Seattle where many coronavirus cases
have been confirmed.
The New York Times, March 6, 2020
EvCC to go online with some classes in response to COVID-19
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Everett Community College announced Friday that many of its classes will likely no longer meet in person for
the rest of the quarter. School President Daria Willis wrote that plans are underway
for classes to resume on Monday, with most courses being offered online. Others will
continue to meet in person, such as some lab sections, cosmetology and aviation maintenance.
Nearly 12,000 students are enrolled in winter quarter classes, said college spokesperson
Katherine Schiffner.
Everett Herald, March 7, 2020
Two colleges close, another cancels classes and others brace for coronavirus impact on campus
Last week, Amy Morrison was planning for the possibility that coronavirus might affect
her campus — a prospect facing college presidents throughout the nation. On Saturday,
she abruptly learned her school was right in the thick of it: Lake Washington Institute of Technology students and faculty had visited a nursing home near Seattle. Cases of covid-19,
the disease caused by the coronavirus, had just been confirmed there. By Sunday, Morrison
had announced the 6,000-student campus would close. On Monday and Tuesday, workers
cleaned and disinfected the school, and the more than 20 students and faculty who
had possibly been exposed were advised to remain in isolation for two weeks. The campus
briefly reopened Wednesday — before closing again that night. A faculty member had
tested positive for covid-19, Morrison announced, and the campus would close through
the weekend.
The Washington Post, March 6, 2020
Coronavirus and higher education
... A group of students from Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Washington State has been self-quarantined at home after possible exposure. Some
are nursing students who, along with four professors from the institute, visited a
long-term nursing facility where seven residents have died from COVID-19. Lake Washington
closed on Wednesday after a faculty member tested positive for the virus, and will
remain shuttered through the weekend. ... And Washington State's Everett Community College closed for "deep cleaning" through the weekend after a student was diagnosed with
the virus.
Inside Higher Ed, March 6, 2020
Edmonds CC free recycling event still on for March 7
Edmonds Community College’s free recycling event is still on for this Saturday, March 7, the college says. The
college Thursday announced it was canceling all campus events expected to draw more
than 50 attendees, due to ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the illness
caused by coronavirus. However, Edmonds CC spokesperson Marisa Pierce said the recycling
event — set from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — will occur as scheduled. “We will modify the
format a bit by asking people to remain in their cars until directed to remove their
recyclables and empty them into totes,” Pierce said. “All staff are planning to wear
gloves and have hand sanitizer on hand and available.”
My Edmonds News, March 6, 2020
Centralia College Foundation breaks ground for construction on new training facility
The Centralia College Foundation broke ground for the construction on the Southwest Washington Flexible
Training Center — known as the SWFT Center — Friday morning in front of a small crowd
of spectators. To commence the beginning of construction for the 12,000-square-foot
facility, Centralia College Foundation President of the Board of Directors Peter Abbarno
spoke to about 30 people on hand. “Thank you all for coming, everybody, the coal transition
board (TransAlta Centralia Board Funding), everybody that has been supportive at the
college, it has really been an amazing project,” Abbarno said in front of the crowd.
The Chronicle, March 6, 2020
WVC crew pulls off overnight cleaning after student tested for coronavirus
Wenatchee Valley College’s custodial staff went into high gear Monday after hearing a Wenatchee Valley College
student was being tested for the coronavirus. Health officials did not recommend closing
the campus. (And test results from the student came back negative Friday.) As a precaution,
though, the WVC facilities department cleared the campus overnight Monday, following
best practices for sanitization to prevent the spread of the illness. The Wenatchee
World asked WVC spokeswoman Libby Siebens about what that entailed and how they pulled
it off.
The Wenatchee World, March 5, 2020
WWCC alumnus/playwright to present 'Dangerous Little Creatures'
Local playwright/author and Walla Walla Community College alumnus Dana M. Crist drew on his experiences in small-town Walla Walla in the late
1980s to write “Dangerous Little Creatures,” a play to be presented in the China Pavilion
on the WWCC campus. ... Crist explained how his many years of involvement in the WWCC
Drama Department helped him overcome a learning disability and an undiagnosed short-term
memory deficiency — something his WWCC math instructor suspected and for which, at
his instructor’s urging, Crist sought testing. Once diagnosed, Crist received assistance
from WWCC allowing him to achieve academic placement on the president’s list and eventually
to earn his associate’s degree in business management in 2014.
Union-Bulletin, March 5, 2020
Edmonds CC canceling large campus events until further notice
Edmonds Community College announced Thursday that it is canceling all campus events with “an expected attendance
of 50 or more people” until further notice, in light of the coronavirus. The college
itself will remain open. The college said the action — effective at 3 p.m. Thursday,
March 5 — was taken “based on the recommendations of the Snohomish Health District
and Snohomish County and our own risk assessment to slow the progress of the coronavirus
(COVID-19) in the greater community.”
My Edmonds News, March 5, 2020
Clover Park Tech reopens campuses after disinfecting, offers online updates for students
Two Clover Park Technical College campuses are back in operation Thursday (March 5) after they were closed for cleaning
as a precaution against coronavirus (COVID-19). Clover Park Technical College suspended
Lakewood and South Hill campus operations Wednesday (March 4) after reports of a student
under quarantine with symptoms similar to coronavirus. In a message posted Thursday,
College President Joyce Loveday said in a statement: “The South Hill and Lakewood
campuses have undergone a disinfecting process.
The News Tribune, March 5, 2020
Computer science students prepare for life after graduation
Tom Willingham came to Big Bend Community College to teach computer science. You know, hardware, software, programming, networking.
The stuff of computing. But Monday night found him in a small classroom inside BBCC’s
computer science building talking to a group of students about résumé writing, job
interviews and how best to make that 20-second pitch or that 30-second “commercial”
for themselves. In short — how best to sell themselves to potential employers.
Columbia Basin Herald, March 5, 2020
A white wine revolution is underway in Washington's reddest appellation
... In part, it’s been the steady drumbeat of Tim Donahue, instructor of enology at
Walla Walla Community College’s Institute for Enology and Viticulture. Donahue laughs when asked what’s contributed
to the recent changes. “It’s been 10 years of me beating everyone over the head,”
he says. Donahue has encouraged students and area winemakers to consider white wine
production, given the quicker turnaround time for their release and lower overall
cost to make. “From a portfolio perspective, Walla Walla wasn’t particularly diversified
when I got here,” says Donahue. “It was all big reds, which is great if you have the
capital and cash flow to make those happen. With white wines, it really helps wineries
meet that immediate cash need to keep them afloat.”
Wine Enthusiast, March 4, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
DOL grants for prison re-entry
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is accepting applications for $65 million in grants
to help soon-to-be-released inmates transition back into communities through an array
of services, including education and job training. Community colleges may apply. The
Pathway Home grants will provide workforce services to eligible incarcerated individuals
prior to release from a correctional facility and continue when they are released,
according to DOL.
Community College Daily, March 9, 2020
6 ways universities are responding to coronavirus
So far just a few U.S. higher education students have confirmed exposure to COVID-19,
mainly through contact with patients in hospitals. There are no outbreaks centered
on campuses, and young people as a group appear less susceptible to the disease. But
higher education in the United States is more of an international community than ever,
and that means the effects of the coronavirus have been felt broadly across the country
already.
NPR, March 6, 2020
Student aid flexibility in response to coronavirus
The U.S. Education Department (ED) is giving colleges and universities flexibility
on financial aid requirements in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). A March 5
directive from ED’s Office of Postsecondary Education responds to concerns from college
leaders about how they should comply with federal Title IV regulations regarding students
who are ill or quarantined, recalled from travel-abroad experiences or can no longer
attend classes, internships or clinical rotations due to the coronavirus.
Community College Daily, March 5, 2020
ED, IRS working to simplify FAFSA form
The U.S. Education Department (ED) hopes to soon have a timeline for when it will
implement a streamlined federal student aid application that will, in part, require
the Internal Revenues Service (IRS) rather than students and families to provide certain
income information to determine eligibility. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
told Senate education appropriators on Thursday that ED and the IRS are working on
“implementing steps” to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) asked DeVos about the progress of revamping the
form. He and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) crafted a bipartisan bill signed by
the president in December that permanently restored funding for historically black
colleges and universities and simplifies the FAFSA.
Community College Daily, March 5, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Big differences in Biden and Sanders's plans
Elizabeth Warren’s departure from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination
has left two candidates with different approaches to dealing with college affordability
and other higher education policy issues. In addition to having different price tags,
the plans released by Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders differ in how much detail they
provide.
Inside Higher Ed, March 9, 2020
Using past lessons to draw a blueprint for federal investment in community colleges
... Our blueprint is being published at a time of renewed interest in such capacity-building
investments in community colleges. We are encouraged by a current batch of proposals
on Capitol Hill to do just that. The College Affordability Act of 2019 included a
grant program for improving the capacity of community colleges to raise retention.
The $150 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant in the 2020 appropriations
bill also invests in community college capacity.
New America, March 9, 2020
Young voters in Washington state swing district
[All Things Considered Host, Michel Martin]: We came to Washington's 3rd Congressional
District in the southwestern part of the state because it's one of those places in
the country that analysts are now calling purple, meaning Republicans and Democrats
are both competitive. And Washington state allow 17-year-olds to register to vote
as long as they'll turn 18 by Election Day in November. We specifically wanted to
hear from young voters on this trip, so we traveled to Longview, Wash., for a visit
to Lower Columbia College, where the baseball team was warming up to the music of one of the school's more
famous alums, the former bass player with Nirvana. [Audio]
NPR, March 8, 2020
Blunt: No cuts to work-study
The chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that handles education funding
told U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos “it’s almost certain” the panel will not
pass the cuts to federal student aid and TRIO programs President Trump wants. ...
Democrats on the committee also assailed a number of the president's other proposed
cuts, including to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. “The budget does nothing
to address the college affordability crisis facing our nation,” Senator Patty Murray,
a Washington Democrat, told DeVos during a hearing on the budget proposal before the
appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education, and related
agencies.
Inside Higher Ed, March 6, 2020