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The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has officially topped one million.
Health officials are looking toward the fall, when the country could be in for a bad resurgence of the virus if we don't find a treatment.
Despite that warning, several colleges have already announced plans to reopen their campuses for the fall semester.
But more on that farther down. Let's take a break from the dire news with some palate cleansers.
First, up we have some BREAKING NEWS. The U.S. Navy declassified videos of "unidentified aerial phenomena," aka UFOs. This is not the distraction I would have chosen for this moment, but I'm rolling with it.
A family on TikTok is doing nightly videos of their so-called Quarantine Olympics. A-plus wholesome content.
In (good) higher education news, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, will help deliver 2,000 pounds of frozen chicken to hungry residents. Holly Poultry is donating the food, and southwest Baltimore’s Arabber Preservation Society is helping deliver it.
On to the news.
Fall announcements are starting to fall like dominoes. Several colleges have announced plans to reopen in the fall, while a few have said they're planning for an online-only world.
Students at private colleges who aren't graduating this spring are likely to return to their current institution in the fall, despite the pandemic. A survey found about 75 percent of those students said they'd "definitely" return to the same institution.
Jeb Spaulding, chancellor of Vermont State Colleges, resigned after backlash for his proposed plan to close three campuses.
Here’s a quick roundup of our latest stories, in case you’ve fallen a bit behind (we don’t blame you):
Teaching assistants at Columbia University are striking as they struggle to make ends meet during the new recession, Colleen Flaherty reports.
College students are also struggling. Many have had internships and other opportunities canceled, leaving them worried about their future career prospects, Greta Anderson writes.
Some students have decided not to attend a four-year college next year -- even if they've already made a deposit. Rick Seltzer has the story on the latest polling data.
Elizabeth Redden has the story on how institutions are trying to figure out study abroad during the time of coronavirus.
News From Elsewhere
Researchers at Davidson College put together a report tracking colleges' response to COVID-19. Maps show where institutions responded to the pandemic in its earlier stages.
The Education Trust has a piece out on the rising importance of student activism during this time.
Institutions other than those in the Ivy League are turning down federal stimulus money for fear of legal liabilities, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Percolating Thoughts
This is a time when everyone has an opinion. As journalists, we try not to have opinions, but we've gathered some interesting ones from others.
A writer at The New Yorker explores how the pandemic has shattered some of the great mythos around the American college experience.
The director of the Center for Academic Resources and Pedagogical Excellence at Washington and Lee University proposes a silver lining to the pandemic: a chance to rethink how students are taught.
A MarketWatch columnist advises parents to bargain with colleges this fall.
Have any percolating thoughts or notice any from others? Feel free to send them our way or comment below.
We’ll continue bringing you the news you need in this crazy time. Keep sending us your questions and story ideas. We’ll get through this together.
