Skip to content

News Links | March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020 by SBCTC Communications

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

Last Modified: 9/11/24, 11:59 AM
starburst graphic