Coronavirus News Roundup for May 14

We're past the halfway point, folks.

While there's still plenty of news, it all seems like an endless cycle of the same thing. A new stimulus proposal. More states reopening, and more states extending stay-at-home orders. Promising research for vaccines and treatments, coupled with sobering statements about how long it will take to get those vaccines and treatments to most of the population.

So let's take a break and look at some palate cleansers before continuing on to more depressing news.

A piece of an art installation in Toledo, Ohio, broke free and rolled around the streets.

Have you been baking bread during this time? You're the reason we have no flour now.

I'll leave you with this blessing, a photo of a donkey nanny for lambs. (Trust me, please click on it.)​

Let’s get to the news.

About one-third of Americans who had lost a job, hours or income in the pandemic have started a new job, according to a survey from the Strada Education Network.

Moody's Investors Service identified which private and regional public colleges are most likely to suffer financial hardships due to COVID-19. About 40 percent of the institutions Moody's rates are positioned well financially, one in 10 are heavily exposed to hardships and about half are somewhere in between.

A lawmaker in New Jersey put forth a bill that would require institutions to refund room and board to students, as well as a percentage of tuition costs for the spring.

The president of Hillsdale College, a private institution in Michigan, said that keeping campus closed in the fall hadn't occurred to him.

Here’s a quick roundup of our latest stories, in case you’ve fallen a bit behind (we don’t blame you):

Kery Murakami has the details on the latest proposal for another coronavirus relief package.

I wrote about how neurodivergent students are coping during the pandemic.

Doug Lederman spoke with some experts about the pros and cons of the HyFlex course model, which lets students decide whether to join class virtually or face-to-face.

News From Elsewhere

The Washington Post wrote about how the distribution of federal relief funds hurt some of the most vulnerable institutions and students.

The Urban Institute wrote about how college students often get caught in the middle with federal aid for things like food assistance.

In this new era of big budget cuts, some are concerned that diversity initiatives will be pushed to the wayside. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education explores this question.

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 Bloomberg Opinion writer looks at how the pandemic will disrupt higher education for the foreseeable future.

A professor emeritus and the president of Incluxion Works Inc. wrote about how the pandemic could set back gender equity gains for faculty in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

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.