Daily Lumina News 090320

As many colleges and universities welcome students back to campus for the fall, some have seen big outbreaks of COVID-19. While several have blamed the outbreaks on students who violate social-distancing guidelines, others are deploying students to help enforce the rules.
Three colleges demonstrate how they are using "student ambassadors" as an opportunity to educate classmates and potentially keep campuses open for the remainder of the semester.

When Red Rocks Community College moved online in the spring because of the pandemic, Guadalupe Cordova's normally good grades plunged.
Cut off from family and many of her friends, Cordova missed the support she needed to cope with her stress. She spiraled into depression and on some days struggled to get out of bed. She ultimately opted to defer her college dream this fall. And that decision could very well haunt her for years to come.

Many students don’t learn in their classrooms what life is like on the job—and it shows. Specifically, they are missing the so-called soft skills that are increasingly important for success in the modern workplace.
As a result, employers must cope with new hires who are unsure of how to write a professional email, struggle to organize and prioritize tasks, or have a difficult time collaborating with coworkers.
A novel job training program aims to fill this skills gap.

Research shows that students vastly prefer a semester in person, with some saying they would be unlikely to return for remote learning. But whether students and families will continue to trust institutions that have brought them to campus, only to send them back and forth across the country, lock them in their dorms, or allow them to get sick, remains to be seen.