fall

These immunocompromised college students felt isolated when the fall semester began. So they did something about it

By Shelton Muro 1 month ago

On the list of proposed topics: “Have you had a hard time with friends in the pandemic?”, “Are you planning to go back to school in the fall?” and “How have you been coping on a day-to-day basis?”

But Lynch quickly realized that the group of immunocompromised college students didn’t need questions to guide them. They just wanted to talk about their shared feeling of isolation during the pandemic.

They bonded over the fact that people assume that all teens are healthy. They questioned whether their schools were taking the right measures to help those who are more at-risk. They vented about their friends not understanding their inability to leave the house without fear of contracting Covid.

It’s a virtual support group for immunocompromised students — but its members don’t call it that. They prefer the name “Chronic and Iconic.”

They're living with an invisible illness. Social distancing will save their lives

It all started with a social media post. Lynch, who

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Your income bracket may predict how likely you are to send your kids back to school this fall

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

Several factors, such as income, job flexibility and health concerns, influence a family's decision to send their children back to school this year. (Photo: Getty Images)
Several factors, such as income, job flexibility and health concerns, influence a family’s decision to send their children back to school this year. (Photo: Getty Images)

More than 30 percent of parents plan to keep their children at home if schools reopen in the fall, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

For the study, involving 730 U.S. parents of school-age children (ages 5 to 17), researchers asked parents whether they planned to either opt for distance learning at home or send their kids to in-person school, if available, and looked at what factors influenced their decisions.

More than 30 percent of parents reported they will “probably or definitely” keep their child home if schools open for in-person instruction, while nearly 50 percent reported they would “probably or definitely” send their child to school this fall. Several factors influenced these decisions, from a family’s socioeconomic

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UNC-Chapel Hill fall semester going online amid COVID-19 outbreaks, one week into classes

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday became the first major college to pivot to online classes after reopening in person. The reversal took one week.

Since the university started courses in person Aug. 10, it has reported at least four clusters of outbreaks of COVID-19 in student living spaces. Undergraduate courses will go remote Wednesday, and the university said it will reduce the density in its dorms.

UNC was one of the first and largest universities to bring students back to campus for in-person classes. It was under close scrutiny as a potential harbinger for other institutions planning on resuming face-to-face instruction this month or next.

“As much as we believe we have worked diligently to help create a healthy and safe campus living and learning environment, we believe the current data presents an untenable situation,” wrote the university’s chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, and its provost, Robert

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Big-Box Chains to Make Big Gains, Off-Price Could Fall Victim to COVID-19

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

It’s a big earnings week for retail.

Four of the country’s largest nationwide chains — big-boxes Walmart and Target, department store Kohl’s and off-pricer TJX — are set to report second-quarter financial results over the course of the next few days. (Alibaba and Foot Locker also report earnings on Thursday and Friday, respectively.)

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The numbers come at a precarious time for the retail sector, whose challenges amid shifting consumer habits and the rise of e-commerce have been compounded by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Government-imposed lockdowns and COVID-19 fears have already significantly impacted both top and bottom lines in the first quarter, albeit in different ways: For Walmart and Target, panicked shoppers drove a surge in sales of essential goods, while physical-first companies like Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and Marshalls took a huge hit as store traffic dwindled and, in most cases, completely halted for weeks.

As we

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COVID-19 will hit colleges when students arrive for fall semester. So why open at all? Money is a factor.

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

Colleges that are reopening campuses this fall know they’re bringing a higher risk of coronavirus to their community.

The questions aren’t really about if or when, but about how bad outbreaks could be — and whether having an in-person experience for students is worth the cost. With so much at stake, some students, parents and faculty are asking: Why take the risk at all? 

In many cases, it comes back to money. 

For months, colleges and experts have warned another semester of remote courses could have disastrous effects on student enrollment and college budgets.

Colleges already lost billions of dollars when they pivoted to digital instruction in the spring, in the form of refunded room-and-board payments and expensive technology for online courses. Another semester — or year — of online courses could be even worse, especially for universities without large endowments. 

For any institution, online instruction also means no money

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Justin Fields furthers call for Big Ten to restore fall season

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

On the heels of creating an online petition to try to save the Big Ten’s fall football season, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields went into greater detail about his effort during a Monday morning interview with ESPN Radio. 

The petition Fields authored Sunday was to the point, saying Big Ten teams and individual athletes should be allowed to “make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season” amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

“We want to play,” Fields wrote in the petition directed to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and conference presidents and athletic directors. “We believe that safety protocols have been established and can be maintained to mitigate concerns of exposure to COVID-19. We believe that we should have the right to make decisions about what is best for our health and our future. Don’t let our hard work and sacrifice be in

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After Big Ten postponement, Ohio State QB Justin Fields creates online petition to advocate for a fall season

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

Justin Fields has resorted to creating an internet petition to advocate to play football this fall.

The Ohio State quarterback created a petition on MoveOn.org directed to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and school presidents and athletic directors in the conference under the #WeWantToPlay hashtag. The Big Ten was the first Power Five conference to postpone football to the spring of 2021 when it made the abrupt decision on Tuesday.

“We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season,” Fields’ petition states. “Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penalty or repercussion.

“Why is this important?

“We

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Ohio State QB Justin Fields creates petition to play in fall

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

Justin Fields has resorted to creating an internet petition to advocate to play football this fall.

The Ohio State QB created a petition on MoveOn.org directed to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and school presidents and athletic directors in the conference under the #WeWantToPlay hashtag. The Big Ten was the first Power Five conference to postpone football to the spring of 2021 when it made the abrupt decision on Tuesday.

“We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season,” Fields’ petition states. “Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penality or repercussion.

Why is this important?

We

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What Will College Look Like in Fall 2020?

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

From Seventeen

Any other year, incoming college freshmen would be filled with giddy anticipation at this very moment, counting down the weeks until they get to step on to their awaiting campus. They’d be making a packing list, trying to decide whether or not their beloved stuffed animal should make the journey to their dorm room or stay behind with their high school years. They’d be awkwardly chatting with their future roommates, comparing sleep schedules, asking about majors, and subtly trying to figure each other out.

While some 17 and 18-year-olds are doing that right now, many are not. Instead, they’re getting ready to buckle down for another semester of Zoom classes. They’re trying to imagine living under their parent’s roof for the next few months, instead of on the dorm floor like they planned. This semester, the coronavirus pandemic is forcing hundreds of thousands of college students to stay

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The FHSAA will finally decide its fall sports plan. A look at all options on the table

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

The Florida High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors is finally set to vote — this time for real — on the association’s plan for playing fall sports this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Directors is slated to meet in person at 10 a.m. on Friday in Gainesville to finalize a plan for all fall sports, including football. There are three options currently on the table, with potential regular-season start dates ranging from early September to November.

As it currently stands, the FHSAA will allow schools to begin practicing for fall sports on Aug. 24 and let the regular seasons begin two weeks later in September. One of the options — “Option 1” — mostly keeps this plan intact, while actually moving up the start of the regular season a few days. The other two — “Option 3A” and “Option 3B” — call for the FHSAA to

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