Wednesday, August 26, 2020

8-26: As students and profs return to campus, coronavirus cases are turning up by the thousands - PLUS Hillary Clinton offers advice

Cue the cheers/applause! Cue the half-naked cheerleaders!

✅Tracking Coronavirus Cases at U.S. Colleges and Universities

NYT
     As college students and professors return to campus in the midst of a pandemic, coronavirus cases are turning up by the thousands.
     A New York Times survey of more than 1,500 American colleges and universities — including every four-year public institution, every private college that competes in N.C.A.A. sports and others that identified cases — has revealed at least 26,000 cases and 64 deaths since the pandemic began.
     Many colleges have reported major spikes in recent weeks as dorms have reopened and classes have started.
. . .
     With no national tracking system, colleges are making their own rules for how to tally cases…. 


Offensive but Forgivable Joke or Fireable Offense?

Inside Higher Ed

     Professor is reassigned from teaching after making comment about face masks to student from Wuhan, China, during online class. Some call comment xenophobic; others rally to his support.

. . .

     In a slightly more than one-minute video of the exchange posted on social media, [Professor] Poor asks the unidentified student where he is from. When the student responds “Wuhan,” Poor replies “Wuhan?” He laughs and says, “Let me get my mask on.”….

 

Jerry Falwell Officially Resigns

Inside Higher Ed

 

Colleges Are Making Late Calls to Shut Campuses. Is It All About the Money?

CHE


Two Killed and One Injured on Third Night of Unrest in Kenosha, Wis.

NYT

     The violence occurred early Wednesday during a confrontation between demonstrators and a group of men armed with guns as protests continued over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

 

OC Health Director to Take on Dual Roles Permanently; Will Also Serve as Health Officer
Voice of OC

     Orange County’s public health director, Dr. Clayton Chau, is now permanently taking on his other job at the county, after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously appointed him as health officer – a position he’s held on an interim basis since June.

     The selection comes in the midst of the biggest public health crisis in a century – the coronavirus pandemic – during which county health officers are in charge of issuing local health orders and advising state officials on reopenings and lockdowns.

     There was no immediate comment on the appointment from Chau or county supervisors, who made the choice in closed session after the public portion of their regular meeting Tuesday.

     Since his appointment as acting health officer in June, Chau has taken a different approach than his predecessor.

     The prior county health officer, Dr. Nichole Quick, took a harder line on mask mandates and ran into strong opposition from anti-mask activists as well as some county supervisors. She abruptly left her job in June under pressure and questions from supervisors, who then appointed Chau to replace her for the interim.

     She was one of several health officers in California and nationwide to resign during the pandemic amid friction with elected officials.

     In one of his first actions as health officer, Chau rescinded Quick’s mask order and oversaw a county reopening in June at a faster pace than called for by Quick. Coronavirus cases then shot up at their fastest rate of the pandemic before state orders in July closed indoor dining and bars, and coronavirus hospitalizations in OC then declined starting in mid-July….

. . .

     Quick was the third high ranking Health Care Agency executive to leave their post in the early months of the pandemic.

     She received police protection, and ultimately resigned, after her home address was read aloud by a leading anti-mask activist at a county supervisors’ meeting.

 

Immigrant sues Orange County Sheriff’s Department for turning him over to ICE

OC Reg

 

Some of the most startling images of wildfires raging through Northern California -- Although the progress is encouraging, the widespread wildfires continue to take a dramatic toll, and not just in terms of acres burned. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/20

California moves to stop excessive punishment of Black and disabled students at three districts -- Three school districts in Barstow and Oroville discriminated against Black students and students with disabilities by excessively disciplining them, prompting the state to impose five-year corrective plans, California Atty. General Xavier Becerra said Tuesday. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/20

 

Trump’s convention: Scare the base, then soften the tone -- The mission of the four-day Republican National Convention is becoming clear: The GOP isn’t trying to win many new friends. It’s trying to convince the old ones to stick around. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/20

 

California Lawmakers Are Gearing Up To Debate Police Reforms. Police Unions Want More Time For Vetting -- George Floyd’s death by the knee of a Minnesota police officer on Memorial Day spurred momentum for a slew of police reform bills 2,000 miles away in the California Legislature. Over the summer, lawmakers unveiled more than a dozen police reform proposals that range from banning various chokeholds to stripping “bad apple” cops of their badges for life. Nicole Nixon Capital Public Radio -- 8/26/20

 How California universities welcome students back to campus: testing, contact tracing, few in-person classes -- Even with most classes being held online, thousands of students across California will be back on campuses this week, putting months of planning to the test as universities try to reopen safely. Ashley A. Smith and Michael Burke EdSource -- 8/26/20

 University of California system to phase out single-use plastics -- The University of California announced plans this week to phase out disposable plastic products in dining halls and other retail locations after a year-long campaign by student activists. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/26/20


Hillary Clinton to Biden: Don't concede if the election is close -- Hillary Clinton is predicting Donald Trump's reelection effort will be a messy affair, and the former Democratic candidate has some advice for Joe Biden: If the race is close, don't concede. Matthew Choi Politico -- 8/26/20

 Squaw Valley ski resort to drop ‘squaw’ from name -- Calling it a derogatory and offensive term, the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort near Lake Tahoe announced Tuesday that it planned to drop the word “squaw” from its name and adopt a different title next year. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles TimesMichael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/25/20



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