New rise in COVID-19 cases pushes universities to reinstate mask mandates
CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION — Following a period of loosened public-health guidelines and relatively low Covid-19 caseloads, a handful of universities are bringing back mask requirements on campus — in many cases, just weeks after rescinding them.
Read More about New rise in COVID-19 cases pushes universities to reinstate mask mandatesLooking at the drawbacks of unpaid internships
INSIDE HIGHER ED — According to data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers 2021 Student Survey, 74 percent of white students said they’d had unpaid internships and 73 percent had paid internships, compared to 8 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively, for Black students and 10.2 percent and 7 percent for Hispanic or Latinx students. Among first-generation students, 25.6 percent reported they…
Read More about Looking at the drawbacks of unpaid internshipsCOVID-19 spike in Washington, DC causes Howard University to shift to online classes
CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION — Howard University on Wednesday announced that undergraduate students would finish up their spring semester online, due to an increase in the Covid-19 positivity rate on campus and in Washington, D.C. After classes end on April 22, exams will also be held online.
Read More about COVID-19 spike in Washington, DC causes Howard University to shift to online classesWhite House to extend federal student loan payment pause to the end of August
ABC NEWS –President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an extension of the payment pause on federal student loans through Aug. 31. The moratorium on student loan payments was previously set to expire on May 1. “I know folks were hit hard by this pandemic. And we’ve come a long way in the last year. We’re still recovering…
Read More about White House to extend federal student loan payment pause to the end of AugustWhite House to remove defaults for federal student loan borrowers
POLITICO — The Biden administration on Wednesday moved to expunge the defaults of millions of federal student loan borrowers who fell behind on payments before the pandemic, as the White House formally unveiled a four-month extension of the pause on monthly loan payments and interest.
Read More about White House to remove defaults for federal student loan borrowersHow the federal student loan payment pause has helped Black women
THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE — For millions of Americans who took out loans to pay for college, the past two years have offered a chance to live without the burden of their education debt. The pause on federal student loan payments introduced and extended during the pandemic meant borrowers could redirect money – potentially hundreds of…
Read More about How the federal student loan payment pause has helped Black womenCompetitive colleges have become even more selective
INSIDE HIGHER ED — March 31 was the day this year that many of the most competitive colleges picked to tell applicants if they’d been admitted. On March 31, top colleges boasted about record applications. But since very few of those colleges are getting any bigger, it was also a day for record numbers of rejections.
Read More about Competitive colleges have become even more selectiveColleges work to re-enroll adults with partial college credit
THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION — As colleges across the country try to turn around sagging enrollment rates, many are targeting one group in particular: the 36 million adults who left college without a degree. Undergraduate enrollment has decreased by about 8 percent during the pandemic, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That has made…
Read More about Colleges work to re-enroll adults with partial college creditLooking at the impact of the labor shortage on higher education hiring
THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION — Last month, Michigan State University was met with widespread scorn after it was reported that a senior administrator there had asked faculty and staff members to volunteer in the dining halls on nights and weekends because of a worker shortage. Despite the outrage the request produced, the situation that…
Read More about Looking at the impact of the labor shortage on higher education hiringStudents impacted by COVID-19 pandemic during high school are less prepared for college
THE HECHINGER REPORT — Many students whose last years of high school were disrupted by the pandemic are struggling academically in the foundational college courses they need to succeed later in their academic and professional careers. Professors and students say the remote learning that students were stuck with during the pandemic wasn’t as good as…
Read More about Students impacted by COVID-19 pandemic during high school are less prepared for college