Michigan State University Archives

The Year of the Grown-Ups (and Helping Local Businesses) // Alice Dreger

August 19, 2020

Since MSU’s announcement yesterday that all undergrad classes will be online, I have heard from three different long-time East Lansing friends something along the lines of this: “Maybe this year will be the year of the grown-up downtown? And we have to save local businesses!”

So I have an idea of how to combine these! Let’s put together an organic, decentralized series of fun things to do to bring people downtown that we can do with masks and social-distancing, and encourage people to participate … Read more →

Coronavirus // Bill Weckesser

July 7, 2020July 6, 2020

PR admin note: I had removed this post at one point – but have changed my mind and am keeping it on the site, as to stick to my initial thought of how such a post could encourage a productive conversation.

Hopefully good news in the fight against the coronavirus is permissible. In fact there’s every reason to believe that few if any of the young people who tested positive from Harper’s will need to be hospitalized nor succumb to … Read more →

Will University re-Opening Be Done Safely To Avoid Covid-19 Outbreaks? Likely Not. // Patrick Levine Rose

June 23, 2020

Will we get large Covid-19 outbreaks by having college students return to campus? Answer: Most likely yes.

Why? Students are not likely to limit contacts outside class this Fall upon return to school. And the mitigation strategies that are needed likely will not be in place. [Source: Study by Univ of Penn/Swarthmore Profs.]

So Universities will likely collect the tuition, bring the students back to campus, cause the outbreak, declare emergency, send the students home — a planned failure (but a profitable one). Thoughts?

The study … Read more →