Can Colleges Reopen? 7 Questions From Congress As It Considers More Higher Ed Support – EdSurge
With the new semester quickly approaching, and coronavirus cases rising in most states, will colleges and college students have what they need to succeed this fall?
That’s the question members of Congress sought to answer as they gathered virtually on Tuesday to hear from expert witnesses representing community colleges, public universities and online higher ed institutions.
Two federal policy measures set the tone for the meeting of the House of Representatives Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee. One was the proposed HEROES Act, a $3 trillion stimulus bill follow-up to the already-enacted CARES Act, which would send more emergency support money to higher education and offer student loan borrowers additional relief. The House passed the bill in May, but the Senate hasn’t formally considered it.
The other was Monday’s announcement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that international students studying in the U.S. on certain visas will not be permitted to remain in the country if they exclusively take online courses in the fall. The guidance marks the end of temporary exemptions to this rule that had been in effect since March to accommodate the nationwide shift to remote instruction.