Daily Lumina News 040920

As the pandemic escalates and people face health crises, financial challenges, job losses, and child-care issues, it might seem silly to think much about campus life and college traditions. But for millions of 18- to 20-somethings, going to college is a pivotal moment of newfound independence and relationship-building. Now many of them are back in their childhood bedrooms.
That’s why students and colleges forced to finish out the semester remotely are trying to make the best of it—by recreating the campus experience at home.

When a small tribal college in Michigan received a request from its community two weeks ago to make face masks for local workers providing key services during the coronavirus emergency, it immediately got to work.
Using 3D printing technology, students in the advanced manufacturing program at Bay Mills Community College plan to produce 3,000 lightweight, reusable face shields in three weeks. Students already are manufacturing them at a rate of about 150 per day. The face shields will go to eight local organizations—two hospitals, a health center, a fire department, a correctional facility, two police departments, and a volunteer ambulance corps.

With college campuses nearly shut down physically, administrators are leaning on artificial intelligence to help preserve, even build, relationships with students.
Across the country, college classes have migrated to online learning platforms. But campuses must also reach students for matters like encouraging them to enroll or checking on their well-being, especially now. This new reality is elevating the use of chatbots and virtual assistants to simulate human conversation via text exchanges on everything from financial aid to COVID-19 updates.

Luis Gallardo’s favorite place to study was the library at the University of California, Berkeley. He preferred to work at night when it was quiet, and the distractions of the day didn’t pull at his mind. Now, with the campus closed due to the coronavirus, his refuge is gone.
Gallardo is trying to finish his classes at his family’s two-bedroom apartment, which he shares with seven other people. For many students, the switch from the classroom to studying at home is mostly a disorienting inconvenience. But for low-income students, the situation can be dire.