Live Updates: Latest News on Coronavirus and Higher Education

Miami U Students Sue Over COVID-19 Punishments

Nov. 12, 6:20 a.m. Two students at Miami University of Ohio have sued the university in federal court saying that Miami suspended them based on "erroneous" information, WCPO reported.

The students were suspends based on their having hosted at an off-campus party on August 26. The Oxford, Ohio police cited them for violating city ordinances prohibiting noise and mass gatherings.

Miami officials based their actions on the Oxford police. But Miami only sent out information about new rules five days after August 26, the suit says.

Miami officials did not respond to a request by WCPO for comment.

-- Scott Jaschik

Allegheny Requires All Employees to Take 2-Week Furlough

Nov. 11, 6:20 a.m. Allegheny College is requiring all employees to take a two-week furlough between Dec. 14 and June 30, The Erie Times-News reported.

“Allegheny College has made the difficult decision to implement a mandatory two-week furlough program for college employees, a direct result of the continued financial impact the global pandemic has had on the college’s revenues and expenses,” President Hilary Link said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we have come to a determination that such temporary furloughs are an important step in our work to keep the college strong into the future."

Employees will be eligible for unemployment compensation for their weeks on furlough.

-- Scott Jaschik

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Sees Surge in Cases

Nov. 10, 6:23 a.m. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo experienced its largest surge in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, and then on Friday as well, The Tribune reported.

Last week, the university added 130 student cases, raising its total number of positive tests from 280 to 410. As of Friday, 596 students are in quarantine, and 66 are isolating.

President Jeffrey Armstrong emailed the campus, "We want to reiterate how critically important it is that each member of our campus community exercise personal responsibility in helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. What you do matters, and can make things better or worse for everyone."

-- Scott Jaschik

Clemson to Expand Testing to Nearby Colleges

Nov. 9, 6:18 a.m. Clemson University has built an on-campus COVID-19 testing facility and will soon expand services to colleges and other organizations nearby, The Greenville News reported.

Currently, it can test 2,500 samples a day but is expecting to double that number by mid-November. Eventually, the lab will be able to conduct 9,000 tests a day.

When it reaches that level, it will offer to test students at nearby community colleges, such as Tri-County Technical College.

-- Scott Jaschik

Students at British University Tear Down Fences

Nov. 6, 6:23 a.m. Students at the University of Manchester, in Britain, awoke in a COVID-19 lockdown to find that fences had been put up around some of their residence halls. The BBC reported that the students responded by tearing down the fences.

One management student, who asked not to be identified, said, "Morale is really low; we're really disappointed we didn't hear about this beforehand and about the fact it went up without any explanation. They're huge metal barriers; they're connected to one another and there's literally no gaps."