News Links | May 7, 2020
System News | Opinion
Big Bend receives funding for individual COVID-19 related relief grants
Big Bend Community College students can apply to receive individual emergency relief grants, similar to Wenatchee
Valley College students. Big Bend received federal funding from the CARES Act for
enrolled students that are facing financial strain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students
with limited emergency assistance are eligible for the grant funding, however the
financial hardship must be related to COVID-19.
560 KPQ, May 7, 2020
People venture outdoors after stay-home order slightly eases
... On Wednesday, a small fraction of the Everett Community College student body was allowed to enter classroom labs for the first time in more than
a month. The college will allow limited in-person labs to resume in five of its programs:
nursing, Emergency Medical Services, the Firefighter Academy, medical assisting and
phlebotomy. Everett is among the earliest of the state’s community colleges to allow
students back on campus, after demonstrating it was able to meet state safety requirements.
“They were well organized; they were well prepared,” said Laura McDowell, a spokesperson
for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
Everett Herald, May 7, 2020
Mosbrucker to receive Clark College Foundation award
Clark College Foundation announced Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, a 1988 graduate of Clark College in Vancouver, has been chosen to receive the foundation’s prestigious Outstanding
Alumni Award for 2019-2020. The award recognizes Clark College alumni who deliver
exemplary service to the community and Clark College, and exhibit personal and professional
achievements. “Clark College and Clark College Foundation continue to be overwhelmed
by the accomplishments of our alumni all over the world and in all aspects of society
and culture,” said Joel B. Munson, chief advancement officer and senior vice president
of Clark College Foundation.
Goldendale Sentinel, May 6, 2020
WWCC responds to COVID-19
As Walla Walla Community College works on returning to face-to-face instruction, the college must complete an extensive
list of requirements mandated by the state. “We have a list of 26 criteria that have
to be met – it’s a checklist essentially,” WWCC Acting President Chad Hickox explained. Hickox
said the list includes maintaining adequate distancing, having a plan in place in
case someone is infected with COVID-19, answering how the college will sanitize and
what personal protective equipment will be available.
My Columbia Basin, May 6, 2020
Lower Columbia College will reopen essential labs starting Tuesday
Medical assisting, nursing, machining and welding labs at Lower Columbia College reopened Tuesday, but remaining classes will stay online for the rest of the quarter,
the college announced late Monday. Lab students will have to follow strict safety
rules, including taking daily temperature checks, according to campus officials. Other
than lab work, all other coursework in these programs will continue online. The labs
have reopened because they are “essential training programs” allowed under Gov. Jay
Inslee’s four-step plan to gradually lift social distancing restrictions, according
to a college release.
The Daily News, May 6, 2020
Barron Heating awards scholarships to two studying building trades at BTC
... The Dan L. Barron Trades Scholarship aims to provide opportunities to individuals
looking to enter the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical
or plumbing trades and begin a successful career journey for themselves and their
families. Barron Heating is providing both Egge and Perez $5,000 scholarships to attend
Bellingham Technical College.
Whatcom Talk, May 6, 2020
Keeping on top of the pandemic: News you need to know, in brief
... TCC students get aid: Tacoma Community College (TCC), including its branch campus in Gig Harbor, will receive $3,835,874 from the federal
government as a result of the CARES Act, which is disbursing emergency aid to help
colleges deal with impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak. The first half of the funding
has arrived this week. The initial payment of almost $2 million will be distributed
directly to students, who will be able to apply for funds starting this week. Students
can apply for grants of up to $1,000 for spring quarter.
News Tribune, May 6, 2020
Masks, social distancing challenge interpreters for the deaf
It caught her eye in a course catalog — “a fun class that looked like an easy A”:
American Sign Language. “I was in the Running Start program at Everett High School,
and I could take anything I wanted,” said Marissa Foley. The program allows high school
students to take college classes for free. She was half right. The Everett Community College class required hours of work and study. But fun? Definitely. “Sign language is fun.
Interpreting is fun. It’s so three-dimensional, writing with your hands,” said Foley,
now 33. Today, Foley is an interpreter for the deaf and owns Talk-2-My-Hands interpreting
service, based in Lynnwood.
Everett Herald, May 6, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Should I still go to college? Families, students in Washington reevaluate plans amid coronavirus
... The sharp downturn in the economy due to the coronavirus has caused half of her
students in a class called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) to scrap
plans to go to a four-year school, and instead prepare to live at home and enroll
in community college. “For a lot of them, their parents’ finances have changed significantly,”
she said.
The Seattle Times, May 7, 2020
Steep decline in FAFSA renewals
New federal data show a substantial drop in renewals of the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid by returning college students, according to an analysis from the National
College Attainment Network. Almost 250,000 fewer returning students from the lowest-income
backgrounds have renewed their FAFSA for the 2020-21 cycle, NCAN said, and FAFSA renewals
were down nearly 5 percent over all (4.7 percent) compared to last year -- a decline
of more than 350,000 students.
Inside Higher Ed, May 7, 2020
Hardest-hit industries and job plans of workers
New survey data show that nearly three in four leisure and hospitality workers have
lost jobs, income or hours as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Over all, more
than 50 percent of Americans report the same. ... “It’s really community colleges
that are on the forefront of finding the best ways to connect education and training,”
Smith said. “Other universities, flagship universities -- they’re the ones that are
just now trying to figure out, ‘Well, how do we make sure that our students are connected
to jobs?’”
Inside Higher Ed, May 7, 2020
Washington watch: A look at Ed's final Title IX regs
The U.S. Education Department (ED) on Wednesday released its long-awaited final regulations
on sexual assaults. The regulation is scheduled to take effect on August 14, but that
implementation date is uncertain as the regulations are expected to draw several legal
challenges. ED published its proposed rule in November 2018, and received more than
124,000 comments, including those from the American Association of Community Colleges
(AACC). The regulation marks a high-profile effort by ED to establish formal, legally
binding regulations, rather than implementing Title IX’s sexual harassment policies
through sub-regulatory guidance.
Community College Daily, May 6, 2020
Work-study pay loss
... The department has said colleges can continue to use federal funds to pay students
who had work-study jobs before the pandemic, even if campus closures are preventing
them from performing those jobs, said Megan Coval, vice president of policy and federal
relations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or
NASFAA.
Inside Higher Ed, May 6, 2020
Who holds professional positions in higher ed, and who gets paid?
Professionals who are women or members of racial or ethnic minority groups remain
underrepresented in all higher education leadership areas except one, according to
a new report whose lead author says much of the disparity is due to insufficient hiring
pipelines and gaps in pay. ... The report includes data on midlevel professionals,
breaking out factors like salary, race and ethnicity, gender, age, and years employees
have held their position.
Inside Higher Ed, May 6, 2020
A tough road for part-time students
A new report emphasizes what community college advocates have known for a long time:
part-time students don’t have the same success rates as full-time students. While
the national six-year college completion rate continues to increase, students who
first enroll part-time in college face obstacles that can impede their goal of earning
a credential, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report.
Community College Daily, May 4, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Windfall for small colleges
... David Baime, senior vice president for government relations and policy analysis
at the American Association of Community Colleges, said that from his members' perspective,
"it is unfortunate that the allocations do not take into account campus and student
needs, even though Congress clearly intended that … Community colleges are under acute
financial stress, with more likely to come, and they could surely have used more assistance,
or any assistance, for that matter."
Inside Higher Ed, May 7, 2020
House stimulus bill would authorize $500m for apprenticeship expansion
Last week’s data on new unemployment claims pushed the number of jobs lost to the
coronavirus pandemic above 30 million, a figure that still likely underestimates the
true economic toll of the crisis so far. On the heels of the CARES Act, whose $2 trillion
price tag included welcome support for the United States’ patchy unemployment insurance
system, House and Senate legislators have now introduced a fifth stimulus bill aimed
at supporting the massive effort of education, training, and job services that will
be necessary to get unemployed Americans back into safe, well-paid jobs. It’s no surprise
that apprenticeship, which combines the near-term security of a wage and the longer-term
advantages of career training, plays a big part.
New America, May 6, 2020
Community colleges get smaller shares of emergency grants
Community colleges are getting disproportionately less than other types of institutions
in CARES Act emergency grants to help students deal with financial hardship caused
by the coronavirus pandemic, finds a new report by the Century Foundation. On average,
colleges and universities nationally are getting $281 per student in federal funding
for the grants. But community colleges, which enroll the most undergraduates of any
sector and often enroll students with the greatest financial and educational needs,
are receiving an average of $187 per student, the study found.
Inside Higher Ed, May 5, 2020
