Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Virus Is A Formidable Foe': Notre Dame, Michigan State Halt In-Person Classes
NBC News: 8 Days Into Semester, Notre Dame Halts In-Person Classes As 146 Students Get Coronavirus
The University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes on Tuesday, eight days after the school’s fall semester began and after 146 students and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said. The two-week suspension, which is effective Wednesday for the school’s 12,000 students, came one day after the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill made a similar announcement and as Michigan State University on Tuesday ordered undergrads to stay home for the rest of the fall "effective immediately." (Stelloh, 8/18)
Politico: Notre Dame, Michigan State Suspend In-Person Instruction
“The virus is a formidable foe," [University of Notre Dame President and Rev. John] Jenkins said. "For the past week, it has been winning.” All of the cases, except for one, are students infected with the coronavirus. Most of those students resided off campus, the university said, adding that the infections were linked to "off-campus gatherings where neither masks were worn nor physical distancing observed." (Perez Jr. and Quilantan, 8/18)
UNC grapples with its decision to halt in-person classes —
NBC News: 'They Put Us All In Danger': UNC-Chapel Hill Students Outraged After Quick Shift To Virtual Learning
As University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill students scrambled on Tuesday to move out of their dorm rooms, make decisions about their academic futures and demand tuition refunds, they had one message for administrators. We told you so. (Wong, 8/18)
CBS News: Doctor Says UNC Chapel Hill "Should Not Have Been Opened" After School Backtracks On In-Person Classes
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is abruptly ending in-person instruction for undergraduates after a cluster of coronavirus cases emerged. The outbreak is a worrying development for education officials and parents looking to send students back to other schools and universities around the country. (Elkind, 8/18)
NPR: UNC In-Person Class Cancellation A Lesson To Other Colleges, Faculty Chair Says
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made it one week into the fall semester before scrapping plans for in-person instruction. It's an experience that other large campuses should learn from, Mimi Chapman, chair of the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, told NPR's All Things Considered on Tuesday. (Treisman, 8/18)
Also —
The New York Times: ‘Frats Are Being Frats’: Greek Life Is Stoking The Virus On Some Campuses
The concerns over Greek life come amid reports of virus outbreaks at fraternities and sororities across the country. Universities are struggling with how to prevent tightly packed sorority and fraternity houses from turning into coronavirus clusters. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, officials abruptly called off in-person classes on Monday after identifying four clusters in student housing facilities, including one at the Sigma Nu fraternity. (Harmon, Robles, Blinder and Fuller, 8/18)
