Last updated (3/23/2020, 5:44 p.m.) with news of delays in sexual-assault investigations, problems for support-staff members, a look at what one university has lost, and other updates.
“Here are the latest updates:
- The disruptive force of the coronavirus on higher education could delay progress in sexual-assault cases, forcing colleges to figure out how to proceed with open investigations, which at some colleges require live hearings and cross examinations, and to ensure that students can report harassment while studying remotely. Read more.
- Many support-staff members, including custodians and security guards deemed essential, have been required to proceed with their work as usual, highlighting what is widely viewed as a pre-existing labor divide. Read more.
- The ban on face-to-face gatherings of almost any kind has stripped campuses of the rituals and events that are part of everyday life for students, faculty, and staff. We focus on how that’s affected one university. Read about it here.
The novel coronavirus and Covid-19, the disease it causes, have become a public-health threat across the world, and on March 11 the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.
More than 33,000 cases had been reported in the United States as of Monday afternoon, and experts fear that number could eventually rise into the millions. As more cases are reported, colleges are canceling study-abroad programs, moving courses online, and asking students to leave campuses. Meanwhile, academic associations have canceled their conferences, and athletic seasons have been cut short.
The crisis — one Chronicle senior writer called it a “black swan” event — could have lasting ramifications in the months and years to come. It could financially devastate institutions, their students, and employees. It will test the strength and efficacy of remote instruction. And a host of unanticipated effects will very likely become clear only with time.
[The Chronicle of Higher Education] compiled what you need to know — to be updated regularly — on the virus’s spread and its implications for higher ed.”
Read the full article on Chronicle.com.
