U.S.
College Students Left in Limbo as Classes Move Online and Campuses Shut Down
Published
2 years agoon

- Colleges across the U.S are shifting to online classes and shutting down campuses amid the coronavirus outbreak, leaving some students in tricky situations.
- Some don’t have the means to get home on such short notice and rely on their schools for housing, food, and work.
- Others have homes that don’t have Wifi or the resources needed to complete a college class.
- International students are also scrambling, as some come from countries where the coronavirus outbreak is much worse. Others rely on their homes and schools in America for their visas, immigration status, and ability to obtain future jobs and Internships.
Colleges Suspend In-Person Classes
As people all over the United States are frantically buying hand sanitizer and scrubbing their hands to the tune of Happy Birthday, the coronavirus pandemic is posing news challenges for college students.
Colleges across the country have switched classes from in-person to online for the coming weeks, and in some cases, for the rest of the academic year in light of the outbreak. Some schools have also closed campuses and asked students to pack their bags and head home. For many attending these colleges, the changes leave them with far more questions than answers.
From an education standpoint, the quality of learning is about to be severely lessened for students who study subjects that require hands-on learning. For many though, the end of face-to-face classes is the least of their problems.
With dorms and dining halls closing, students who have no other reliable options are left worried. In some cases, campus job closures mean students will go without their main sources of income.
International, Low Income, and First-Generation Students Impacted
Harvard University is among the many schools that have opted to switch to virtual learning. In a letter sent Tuesday, students were told not to come back to school after spring break.
“Students are asked not to return to campus after Spring Recess and to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice,” the letter read. “Students who need to remain on campus will also receive instruction remotely and must prepare for severely limited on-campus activities and interactions.”
This leaves students with just a few days to prepare to leave campus and professors with just around a week to figure out how to transition their curriculum from in-person to online. There is an application process for students to remain on campus, which the school is expected to look at “as soon as possible.”
According to Harvard’s student paper, The Crimson, the decision to have students work remotely could disproportionately impact International students.
Satoshi Yanaizu, a student in Harvard’s class of 2023 told the paper that he’s from Japan, where the coronavirus is at a higher risk.
“The town I’m from, we have like 70 cases already, the same as the entire state of Massachusetts. If I go back, I have no guarantee I will be in a safer environment,” he said to The Crimson. “It might be even worse.”
Aside from the fact that some hail from countries facing travel restrictions or worse cases of the virus, these students face added stress since they rely on schools for their visas, immigration status, and ability to get work and internships down the road.
The new precautions are also having an impact on those with great financial need. According to The Crimson, 15% of the student body is first-generation and 20% are on full financial aid. These students are already being hit particularly hard, facing the sudden costs of having to find transportation to get back home, alternative housing options, finding places to store their belongings, and losing the income of jobs they have to leave.
Some students are also worried that without the school’s resources, like the internet and computer labs, they won’t be able to keep up with the curriculum remotely.
“The only equalizer at Harvard is the fact that we all live together and have the same accommodation,” Nicholas T. Wyville, who is set to graduate in 2020 told The Crimson. “We live together, we eat the same food, we have the same faculty resources. But if you take away campus living and residential life then you take away that equalizer.”
The Crimson reported that students are trying to find ways to help one another find housing. Students have set up a Google spreadsheet that connects students who have housing to share with those who are looking. At least 80 students have reportedly signed up for it.
Students Take to Twitter
Harvard is just one of many schools taking these drastic measures amid the outbreaks, but the problems students face there are universal across other American colleges. Students at the University of California, Santa Barbara have taken to Twitter to express their frustrations about their classes moving online at least until April. The school briefly became a trending topic in the United States.
Like thousands of students nationwide, many were confused as to how this would impact the school and their education both in the short and long term.
UCSB IS DEAD ASS A SHIT SHOW. Grades? Who knows. TAs getting the adjustments they deserve? Guess we will see. Online classes? It’s gunna be a surprise. Campus shut down? Maybe. Do our professors know what’s going on? Nope.
— Casey (@cldelmonte) March 10, 2020
Others felt the decision may have been made without the full consequences in mind.
what about students who depend on on-campus jobs which are now in jeopardy for rent, food, etc? students who don't have reliable access to tech/internet? i feel like this should have been thought out more, instead students in emotional distress have to find their own solutions?
— 🌙Comrad(yk)e♏️ (@JennaMckB) March 11, 2020
Students at UCSB, as well as students at other schools, also felt that their tuition and housing costs should be adjusted since dorms are closing and their education is being impacted.
UCSB going online for the rest of the quarter and the first month of spring quarter….the real question is are y’all gonna keep charging me an in-person tuition or are y’all gonna adjust that tuition fee hmm pic.twitter.com/yxVQYtnhQf
— nathen (@__nathen) March 10, 2020
University of Dayton
Another school that gained a lot of media attention for their response to their school’s new changes is the University of Dayton in Ohio. There, in-person classes will be moved online until at least April 6. The decision was made on Tuesday, and later that night, a group of over 1,000 gathered on a campus street.
According to a statement given to Flyer News, the school’s paper, students were jumping on cars and throwing objects at police. Officers requested that the disperse, but after the group failed to comply, authorities launched pepper balls at students.
The chaos began at 11:00 p.m. and continued until 2:15 a.m. Police moved to clear the street, which eventually got students to disperse. One injury was reported.
Video that shows students blocking Lowes Street. This was before any police action. pic.twitter.com/EX3CK0pQpU
— Flyer News (@FlyerNews) March 11, 2020
There were several reports about this incident, with many calling it a riot. Some coverage seemed to imply that these events may have been to take a stand against the school’s decision to move classes online because of the coronavirus. It turns out, however, that the college kids were just doing what college kids do best: finding an excuse to party.
Students were treating it as a potential last party of the semester.
— Flyer News (@FlyerNews) March 11, 2020
See what others are saying: (New York Times) (CNN) (Wall Street Journal)
U.S.
After Uvalde, Politicians, Public Figures, Gun Violence Survivors, and More Call For Change
Published
3 days agoon
May 25, 2022
“When are we going to do something?” Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr asked during an emotional plea at a press conference.
Uvalde Shooting Kills 21 People
Democratic politicians, activists, and many others are calling for gun reform in the United States after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a Tuesday shooting at Robb Hill Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The 18-year-old suspected gunman was reportedly killed by officers. The massacre marks the 27th school shooting of 2022, according to Education Week.
It also comes just a week and a half after 10 people were killed in a shooting in Buffalo, New York, and another shooting in a Southern California church left one person dead and several others injured.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Ct.) spoke fervently on the Senate floor Tuesday, slamming his colleagues for refusing to pass gun control legislation that could prevent future shootings.
“What are we doing?” he asked of his fellow lawmakers. “Why do you spend all this time running for the United States Senate? Why do you through all the hassle of getting this job, of putting yourself in a position of authority, if your answer is, as the slaughter increases, as kids run for their lives, we do nothing? What are we doing?
“Why are you here if not to solve a problem as existential as this?” he continued. “This isn’t inevitable. These kids weren’t unlucky. This only happens in this country.”
“And it is a choice. It is our choice.”
President Joe Biden likewise urged action by supporting the now-expired assault weapons ban.
We know common sense gun laws can’t and won’t prevent every tragedy. But we know they work and have a positive impact.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 25, 2022
When we passed the assault weapons ban — mass shootings went down.
When the law expired — mass shootings tripled.
“We can do more. We must do more,” he added.
Public Figures And Shooting Survivors Speak Out
The demands for change spread far past political figures. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr took time out of a pre-game press conference to passionately plead for common-sense gun control. He specifically called on Senators to vote on H.R. 8, a background check bill previously passed in the House.
“When are we going to do something?” Kerr asked while slamming his hands on the table.
“I ask you, Mitch McConnell, I ask all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings and supermarket shootings. I ask you: Are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and our elderly and our churchgoers?” Kerr continued. “Because that’s what it looks like.”
He went on to say that Americans, who largely support background checks, are “being held hostage by 50 Senators who refuse to even put it to a vote.”
Grammy Award-winning musician Taylor Swift shared his message, adding that she is filled with “rage and grief” not just from the shootings, but by “the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak.”
Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep. https://t.co/Rb5uwSTxty
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 25, 2022
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” tweeted David Hogg, an activist and survivor of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. “The way we will make this time different is by Americans on both sides of the aisle collaborating on what we can agree on to get something done even if small. Kids are dying we have to do something.”
It doesn’t have to be this way.
— David Hogg 🌻 (@davidhogg111) May 25, 2022
The way we will make this time different is by Americans on both sides of the aisle collaborating on what we can agree on to get something done even if small. Kids are dying we have to do something.
This is a choice. Make this time different. https://t.co/1JyKObtYG2
Manuel Oliver, the father of one of the children lost in the Parkland shooting, slammed the inaction of politicians in an interview on CBS News.
“The families don’t need your freaking hearts,” Oliver said. “They need their kids, and the kids are not there anymore. So I feel very angry and offended and I just don’t understand how come a whole society doesn’t wake up.”
People impacted by the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting also spoke out, including Mary Ann Jacob, who worked as a librarian at the school during the shooting.
“I’m so sorry those deaths did not change our world,” Jacob wrote.
#Uvalde I’m sick at what you are going through today. I am transported back to the firehouse that we were brought to after the shooting at our school almost 10 years ago. I’m so sorry those deaths did not change our world. #SandyHook I’m broken hearted.
— Mary Ann Jacob (@Mary_AnnJacob) May 24, 2022
Texas-based figures felt especially compelled to stand up as the tragedy hit so close to home. Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, whose hometown is Uvalde, wrote a message on social media asking Americans to “take a longer and deeper look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value?’”
“We have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us,” McConaughey wrote.
Uvalde, Texas, USA. pic.twitter.com/0iULRGtREm
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) May 25, 2022
“Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”
Fellow Texas native Selena Gomez also took to social media to argue for action.
“If children aren’t safe at school where are they safe? It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore,” the “Only Murders in the Building” star wrote on her Instagram story. “Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future.”
We make it a point to not include the names and pictures of those who may have been seeking attention or infamy and will not link out to websites that might contain such information.
U.S.
Lawmakers Call For Action as Oil Companies Post Record Profits Amid Rising Gas Prices
Published
5 days agoon
May 23, 2022By
Lili Stenn
A recent analysis from the Center for American Progress found that the top five oil companies earned over 300% more in profits during the first quarter of 2022 than the same period last year.
As Consumer Prices Climb, Big Oil Profits
American oil companies are facing increased scrutiny over profiteering practices as gas prices continue to surpass record highs driven by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Last week, costs surged to above $4 per gallon in all 50 states for the first time ever, according to the auto club AAA. Prices are currently averaging over $4.59 per gallon nationwide, which is 50% higher than they were this time last year.
In addition to consumers hurting at the pump, there are also rising concerns for industries that rely on fuel and oil like trucking, freight, airlines, and plastic manufacturers.
To account for high prices, some in sectors have responded by ramping up prices further down the supply chain to account for costs, putting even more of a burden on consumers to pay for everyday items.
But as Americans struggle with sky-high gas prices at a time of record inflation, recently released earnings reports show that many of the world’s largest oil companies thrived in the first quarter of 2022.
ExxonMobil more than doubled its earnings from the same period last year, reporting a net profit of $5.5 billion. Meanwhile, Chevron logged its best quarterly earnings in almost a decade, and Shell had its highest earnings ever.
According to a new analysis conducted by the Center for American Progress, the top five oil companies — including the three mentioned above — earned over 300% more in profits this quarter than during the same time last year.
“In fact, these five companies’ first-quarter profits alone are equivalent to almost 28 percent of what Americans spent to fill up their gas tanks in the same time period,” the report noted.
Per Insider, for at least four of those companies, that growth marks a tremendous increase in profits from even before the pandemic.
Lawmakers Ramp-Up Efforts to Reduce Prices
To address these startling disparities, federal lawmakers have moved in recent weeks to increase pressure on oil companies and take steps to lower prices.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill proposed by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Ca.) that aims to reduce gas prices. The legislation, called The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, would give the president the authority to issue an Energy Emergency Declaration that would be effective for up to 30 days with the possibility of being renewed.
In that emergency period, it would be illegal for anyone to increase gas or home energy fuel prices to a level that is exploitative or “unconscionably excessive.”
The proposal would also give the Federal Trade Commission the power to investigate and manage instances of price gouging from larger companies and give state authorities the ability to enforce price-gouging violations in civil courts.
The bill, which has already seen widespread opposition from Republicans and extensive lobbying from pro-oil interest groups, faces an uphill battle in the 50-50 split Senate.
During debate on the act Thursday, Rep. Porter delivered an impassioned speech accusing oil companies of driving their record profits by using their market power to unfairly increase prices.
“The oil and gas industry currently has more than 9,000 permits to drill for oil on federal land, but they are deliberately keeping production low to please their investors and increase their short-term profits,” she said. “Even when the price of crude oil falls, oil and gas companies have refused to pass those savings on to consumers.”
“Let me be clear: price gouging is anti-capitalist,” Porter continued. “It exploits a lack of competition, which is a hallmark of capitalism. It is an effort to juice corporate profits at the expense of customers. Energy markets are reeling because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Big oil companies, however, are using this temporary chaos to cover up their abuse.”
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (Vox) (NPR)
U.S.
Lincoln College to Close for Good After COVID and Ransomware Attack Ruin Finances
Published
3 weeks agoon
May 10, 2022By
Chris Tolve
Last year, 1,043 schools in the U.S. were the victim of ransomware attacks, including 26 colleges or universities, according to an analysis by Emsisoft.
One of the Only Historically Black Colleges in the Midwest Goes Down
After 157 years of educating mostly Black students in Illinois, Lincoln College will close its doors for good on Friday.
The college made the announcement last month, citing financial troubles caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a ransomware attack in December.
Enrollment dropped during the pandemic and the administration had to make costly investments in technology and campus safety measures, according to a statement from the school.
A shrinking endowment put additional pressure on the college’s budget.
The ransomware attack, which the college has said originated from Iran, thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data. Systems for recruitment, retention, and fundraising were completely inoperable at a time when the administration needed them most.
In March, the college paid the ransom, which it has said amounted to less than $100,000. But according to Lincoln’s statement, subsequent projections showed enrollment shortfalls so significant the college would need a transformational donation or partnership to make it beyond the present semester.
The college put out a request for $50 million in a last-ditch effort to save itself, but no one came forward to provide it.
A GoFundMe aiming to raise $20 million for the college only collected $2,452 as of Tuesday.
Students and Employees Give a Bittersweet Goodbye
“The loss of history, careers, and a community of students and alumni is immense,” David Gerlach, the college’s president, said in a statement.
Lincoln counts nearly 1,000 enrolled students, and those who did not graduate this spring will leave the institution without degrees.
Gerlach has said that 22 colleges have worked with Lincoln to accept the remaining students, including their credits, tuition prices, and residency requirements.
“I was shocked and saddened by that news because of me being a freshman, so now I have to find someplace for me to go,” one student told WMBD News after the closure was announced.
When a group of students confronted Gerlach at his office about the closure, he responded with an emotional speech.
“I have been fighting hard to save this place,” he said. “But resources are resources. We’ve done everything we possibly could.”
On April 30, alumni were invited back to the campus to revisit the highlights of their college years before the institution closed.
On Saturday, the college held its final graduation ceremony, where over 200 students accepted their diplomas and Quentin Brackenridge performed the Lincoln Alma Mater.
Last year, 1,043 schools in the U.S. were the victim of ransomware attacks, including 26 colleges or universities, according to an analysis by Emsisoft.
See what others are saying: (The New York Times) (Herald Review) (CNN)

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