Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Colleges Move Online For January; College Football Is Reeling
Fox News: Several Major Universities Announce Remote Start To Spring Semester Due To Omicron Variant
George Washington University, Columbia University, Duke University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Temple University, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego and the University of Washington have all announced they will begin their spring semester remotely, adding to the already growing number of colleges and universities taking similar measures. (Sabes, 12/22)
Inside Higher Ed: More Colleges Move January Programs Online
More colleges are adopting policies to discourage—or in some cases ban—students from being on campus in January. ... DePaul, Harvard and Stanford University students won’t have in-person classes the first weeks of the semester, those universities announced; Pennsylvania State University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the U of Southern California are considering such a move. (Jaschik, 12/21)
The Washington Post: UCLA, Columbia, Duke Plan Temporary Shift To Virtual Instruction In January
Columbia University, Duke University and the University of California at Los Angeles will start with remote classes in January, part of a growing number of colleges choosing a temporary pivot online as coronavirus cases rise and the omicron variant spreads nationally. (Svrluga, 12/22)
The Boston Globe: On College Campuses, Omicron Is Fueling More Stress For Students As It Causes Another Round Of Closures
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is compounding pressure on college students and administrators, prompting some to announce at least a temporary return to remote learning in January at the same time that many students are feeling more stressed out and exhausted than ever. This semester, many students had finally gotten into the groove of in-person learning and teaching and finally felt connected to their peers, but in the past two weeks, the variant has begun to tear across campuses. Harvard graduate student Tanush Jagdish, an evolutionary biologist whose lab also helped Harvard set up its COVID testing lab, said he hopes the university switches back to in-person classes after the first few weeks of the semester. (Krantz, 12/22)
And college football is in chaos —
The New York Times: College Football Playoff Warns Teams Could Forfeit Because Of Virus
Under the policies that playoff officials outlined on Wednesday, a team that is unavailable to play in a semifinal game on Dec. 31 will forfeit, allowing its intended opponent to advance automatically to the national title game, which is scheduled for Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. (Blinder, 12/22)
The Wall Street Journal: The Covid War Of Attrition That Could Decide College Football’s National Title
The organizers of the biggest games of the college football season have reached a decision that once would have sounded completely ridiculous: The winner of the national championship this season may not even have to step onto the field. With the Omicron variant surging, the possibility of disruption to the college bowl season is high. On Wednesday, for example, Texas A&M said it doesn’t have enough available scholarship players and will no longer play in the Gator Bowl, which is scheduled to be held on Dec. 31 in Jacksonville, Fla. (Diamond, 12/22)
