Weekly Briefing: Moving In to Campus During a Pandemic

This week at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, students returned to campus. Our reporter was there. ADVERTISEMENT [logo] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up to receive your own copy.]( You’ll support our journalism and ensure that you continue to receive our emails. [Read this newsletter on the web](. This is what coming to campus during a pandemic looks like. [image] Mark Cornelison, U. of Kentucky This week at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, students returned to campus. They forgot their toothbrushes but remembered to pack masks. They listened to an a cappella group sing, and had a Q-tip swabbed in their nostrils. At the University of Kentucky, the new normal is full-speed ahead. Our Lindsay Ellis spent three days on the campus interviewing more than 50 people about returning or arriving during a pandemic. The college she documented looks and sounds like the campus-life experience we're familiar with, only everything has been turned on its side. The tables and chairs are still set up for students in the Gatton School of Business, only in this new normal, one student is allowed per table. Many students are thrilled just to be there, other people are uneasy, and some students are resigned to the idea that they will contract the virus. Many colleges have scaled back or canceled their reopenings — reversing their decisions this summer. In Lexington, things are different. The state's Covid-19 case count is lower than those of other states in the South, and students may live in a denser home environment where they share rooms with at-risk family members. The university reduced dorm capacity so that students living on campus have their own bedrooms, and share a bathroom with one other person at most. If the virus has shown us anything, it's that nothing is risk free. Rebecca Dutch, a virologist and chair of Kentucky’s molecular- and cellular-biochemistry department, is one of the doctors and scientists advising campus leaders. She said there are competing risks, like students' housing situations, food insecurity, and struggles with depression and anxiety. Dutch hopes that students do their own "risk-benefit analysis" before they gather. Bars, especially, could lead to disaster. There's some initial good news. The university requires all returning students to be tested when they get to campus. More than 10,000 tests have been processed so far, and [less than 1 percent]( of arrival tests have come back positive. But there's still a long way to go before the last Tuesday before Thanksgiving. That's the final day of fall classes. Eric N. Monday knows that Covid-19 will not be eliminated by then. But Monday, the executive vice president for finance and administration, said that if the campus can stay open until then, they'll have accomplished something. But will it all be worth it? [Our Lindsay Ellis has the story](. Paid for and Created by University of Birmingham [Research in an emergency]( Leading an effort to understand how COVID-19 affects pregnant women, University of Birmingham professor, Shakila Thangaratinam, is evaluating the emerging maternal and child health evidence base via systematic reviews. ADVERTISEMENT Subscribe to the Chronicle Our mission, at a time of crisis and uncertainty, is to ensure you have the information you need to make the best decisions for your institution, your career, and your students. Please consider subscribing today to sustain our continuing coverage. [Subscribe Today]( Lagniappe. - Learn. Here's a skill we could all fine-tune: How to spend less time on your phone. [Good luck](. - Read. This invention had the power [to change daily life]( and make millions. It's not the coronavirus vaccine, but a kitchen appliance: the electric rice cooker. - Listen. How did Netflix become a giant of the streaming era? [This episode]( of the podcast It's Been a Minute With Sam Sanders explains the company's rise. - Watch. Cowboys in popular culture are usually depicted as white Marlboro men. That's not always the case. [This is the story]( of one Black cowboy. I'll be back next week. Take care. Cheers, —Fernanda Correction: Last week's newsletter mistakenly described a Teaching newsletter but linked to [this story](. The headline and text should have read: Fall's Looming Child-Care Crisis: With school, day care, and college schedules in constant flux, academic parents brace themselves for a chaotic fall. This Week‘s Top Reads TITLE IX [Colleges Had 3 Months to Overhaul Sexual-Misconduct Policies. Now They’re Scrambling.]( By Sarah Brown [image] The new Title IX regulations take effect on Friday. In the throes of a pandemic, some colleges had to put it on the back burner. ADVERTISEMENT STUDENTS' DILEMMA [Facing a Risky Fall, Students Ask: How Much Do I Trust My Classmates?]( By Alison Berg [image] Some students who hoped to be on campus said it wasn’t worth the risk, given the prospect that they might bring Covid-19 home to their families. COMMUNITY COLLEGES [Covid-19 Has Upended Enrollment Goals. This 2-Year College Sees an Opportunity.]( By Scott Carlson [image] Zane State College, in Ohio, saw a surge in summer enrollment. It seeks to attract students who don’t want a more-expensive online experience at a four-year institution. job announcement College President position available at Laney College. [Visit jobs.chronicle.com]( for more details. Paid for and Created by University of Queensland [Evidence-based Parenting Support for Tough Times]( The Triple P Parenting Program has become the most widely used and extensively studied parenting-intervention program in the world. Find out how parents are using the program in today’s climate. The Chronicle's Latest Featured Report: Preparing For Tough Conversations The coronavirus pandemic has been the catalyst for exceptionally tough conversations between campus leaders and their faculty, staff, and students. [This Chronicle brief]( offers strategies and advice for approaching sensitive topics and leading difficult dialogues. Job Opportunities [Search the Chronicle's jobs database]( to view the latest jobs in higher education. What did you think of today’s newsletter? [Strongly disliked]( // [It was OK]( // [Loved it](. [logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2020 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037