Be safe. Stay Strong.
June 18, 2020 • THE VILLAGER | PAGE 3
How has COVID-19 changed the ecosystem of American colleges and universities? BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
The Villager sat down with Craig Wittgrove, head of the post-graduate counseling office at Cherry Creek High School (CCHS) to gain his insights on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the upcoming first year of college for the CCHS graduating class of 2020 and colleges overall. We met at a park nearby the school so we could visit in person and observe social distancing rules. Wittgrove told us that about two-thirds of U.S. colleges and universities are planning to hold at least some classes on campus in some format in the fall. Some have planned to begin the semester early and complete it at Thanksgiving in case the virus comes back in what has traditionally been the flu season. Eight percent of colleges and universities have already opted to be fully online for the fall semester, led by the California State University
LETTERS KUDOS TO BILL HOLEN
In the 6/4 Villager, Democrat Bill Holen says in his column “I support these protests. I do not support the violence or destruction of property which are becoming all too prevalent. As a Viet Nam veteran, I fought to protect the freedom to protest. I too, participated in protests. But NOT the destruction of property.” First, thank you Mr. Holen for so courageously serving our country. Secondly, thank you for your continued courage by speaking out against the violence gripping so many of our cities. Other members of your party are afraid to stand up to this violence, which has destroyed many black businesses and the jobs they provide. My hope would be that other people in your party would show the same backbone that you did as a veteran. If they did, perhaps they could protect their citizens from the terror gripping our cities. Thank you also for pointing out the real problem which is a small group of brutal cops. The Wall Street Journal recently went into great detail about how the police unions often protect these bad apples from being fired. One important demand being made by many is that police disciplinary records be made public. This would alert everyone to a potential problem before someone gets unjustly killed. In closing, I think it is clear that if more people had the courage and insight of Mr. Holen, our country would not be going through this terrible turmoil. Thank you, sir, for speaking out and speaking the truth. Charles Newton Highlands Ranch
system, the nation’s largest four-year public university system with 500,000 students. Wittgrove told us that CCHS sends around ten students to California State Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo each year. The University of California system, which includes UCLA and UC Berkeley, is letting each individual campus decide how to hold its classes. Overall, Wittgrove said, 20 to 25 percent of colleges and universities nationwide have not yet made a final decision, waiting to see what path the
Craig Wittgrove has been the head of post-graduate counseling at Cherry Creek High School for 11 years.
coronavirus follows in their locale, while leaving parents and students in limbo. University of Oregon is letting students decide all the way up to September 1 whether they want to accept offers of admission. Ivy League and the most highly selective schools have been less flexible. Specific actions being taken around COVID-19 are having only one student per dormitory room. For those designed as suites with shared common areas, that is less challenging than in dorms
with traditional two-person rooms. Some colleges are setting up one building on campus as a COVID dorm for students to stay in if they become infected and must be isolated for several weeks. At the University of California San Diego, where there is a large biomedical program, administrators have decided to test everyone on the campus—66,000 people---monthly for the virus at a cost to the school of $2 million per
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Get COVID-related assistance from Arapahoe CARES Arapahoe County and its communities have received $114.5 million in federal funding to provide a wide variety of economic relief from the COVID public health crisis. Visit arapahoegov.com/arapahoecares Telephone Town Hall Thursday, June 18 @ 7 p.m. Ask questions and get updates on COVID-19 and other developments in Arapahoe County. Visit arapahoegov.com/townhall
VOTE in the June 30 election! Ballots for the state primary election will begin to go out this week. To check your registration, update your voter record or learn about safe voting practices during the COVID crisis, visit GoVoteColorado.gov and ArapahoeVotes.com.
Arapahoe CARES Business Roundtables Arapahoe County is hosting one-hour virtual business roundtables funded by the Arapahoe CARES COVID-19 relief program. The events are on June 17, June 25 and June 30. Visit arapahoegov.com/townhall A/D Works! Let Arapahoe/Douglas Works! work for you. Access COVID-19 resources for jobs, housing, businesses and more. Visit ADWorks.org or call 303-636-1160
arapahoegov.com
