As Cases Surge, New York State Bans Most Gatherings, Nightlife
In March, New York swiftly shuttered activity at bars, restaurants and all other non-essential businesses as COVID-19 case counts skyrocketed across the state. On Wednesday, as the state faces an eerily similar herald, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) announced that many of these same restrictions now must return. As of Friday at 10 p.m., all gatherings at private residences larger than 10 will be banned, a measure that takes particular aim at house parties and other social gatherings, Cuomo said. Bars, restaurants, gyms and any establishment with a license from the New York State liquor authority also must close at 10 p.m. –– sans takeout service.
Silver linings: Innovation, kits, tech animate a hybrid semester
Elora Robeck ’24 couldn’t find rubbing alcohol. She needed alcohol to preserve the soft-bodied insects she’d collected near her home in Missouri, for her entomology class at Cornell. But it wasn’t included in her box of supplies, because alcohol is too flammable to ship. Her local drug store was all sold out. So at her professor’s suggestion, she asked her father to buy a bottle of 190-proof Everclear instead.
Stay Informed with the Latest Enrollment Information
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Monthly Update on Higher Education Enrollment
October 15, 2020
Beginning in mid-March 2020, many colleges across the U.S. shifted to online-only learning almost overnight. Currently, due to the uncertainty caused by a resurgence of the coronavirus and the challenges of responding to quickly evolving logistical concerns, institutional leaders and students alike are faced with difficult decisions that must be made with a lack of reliable, up-to-date information.
Why We Went Score-Free
The global pandemic has wreaked havoc on plans since early 2020. Rising high school seniors, already stressed about their upcoming college applications and standardized tests, now must contend with last-minute test date cancellations, out-of-state travel to test centers, and possible COVID-19 exposure. Through no fault of their own, applicants are suddenly facing a near-universal lack of opportunity to improve SAT/ACT scores or take the test for the first time.
Facing a $250 million deficit, UD announces layoffs and furloughs
Facing a $250 million budget deficit, the University of Delaware on Thursday announced a number of cost-cutting measures, including layoffs and furloughs for employees. “Given that we will have eliminated almost all discretionary expenses for this year, we have no choice but to turn to personnel actions,” UD President Dennis Assanis said. “We are committed to balancing the respect and appreciation we have for our workforce with the need to respond to immediate financial pressures, while positioning UD for success in the next few years.”
Outbreak Stresses Town-Gown Relations in Wisconsin
Rising infection counts drove a shelter-in-place order at the University of Wisconsin at Madison shortly after classes started, prompting questions about bringing students back to campus.
By
Emma Whitford
September 17, 2020
At the end of August, nine days before students started class at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, more than two dozen local elected officials sent a letter to university administrators urging them to significantly alter their plan to bring students back to campus in the fall.
Cornell Reports Two Straight Days of Zero Cases, Marking Turnaround From Rocky Start to Semester
In a turn of events, Cornell has reported zero new COVID-19 cases for the past two days, after initially experiencing fears that campus would have to swiftly shut down within the first couple of weeks of the semester. During the past two days, Cornell conducted a total of 8,911 tests, according to the University’s COVID-19 dashboard. There are currently only three positive cases on campus — a number that only accounts for students living on campus or living in the greater Ithaca area and taking at least one in-person class. From Sept. 8 to Sept. 14, Cornell reported 29 positive cases.
Cornell Postpones Virtual Career Fair After Disastrous First Day
Students entered this week’s career fair hoping that even if they couldn’t meet recruiters in person, they could still speak with them online. They weren’t able to do that, either. Cornell’s fall career fair was forced out of Barton Hall and onto a virtual platform, and the first trial did not go as planned. After facing many technical difficulties on the first day, Cornell postponed the fair before its Thursday finale.
GUEST ROOM | Students Will Not Bear the Greatest Cost of a Shutdown This Semester
Despite the overwhelming awareness that this could all be over in a matter of days and despite the best efforts of students online to publicly shame those who break the rules, Cornell was moved to threat level yellow after a mere two days of classes — not by a group of students who contracted the disease in spite of Cornell’s ample countermeasures, but by a group of students who willfully ignored them. I am sure these people understood the risk to themselves and, given the well-expressed fears by their fellow students online, I’m sure they understood the risk to the student body as well. And, while I would like to believe the event that caused this cluster was an isolated incident, a rare deviation from the straightforward and essential guidelines we’ve all agreed to follow, frankly, you’d have to be living under a rock to believe that. We can all hear the music.