The latest Texas A&M University-College Station news from The Texas Tribune.
The past week of power outages and water shortages have been particularly challenging for college students living in large residence halls who are unable to see their families or access supplies like extra clothing, food or a car. Full Story
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University officials said Wednesday that the decision to keep the Ross statue in place is not a new one, and that the diversity committee that has been studying the issue for the past three months was never considering removing the statue. Full Story
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“While some universities have attempted to ignore demands surrounding symbols, names and iconography, in the majority of cases, they have been unsuccessful, and by inadequately addressing the issue, increased reputational damage,” a committee report says referring to the debate about the Confederate monument. Full Story
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Students of color said they feel most of their calls to eliminate racist symbols from campuses have been ignored or intentionally mired in lengthy, bureaucratic processes intended to delay answers to difficult questions. Full Story
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Universities across Texas and nationwide are seeing an increase in online cheating since the start of the pandemic, as students take more virtual courses and test remotely with less supervision. Full Story
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“We are pausing all football team activities and shutting down football training facilities to get a COVID-19 spread among our football program under control,” Chris Del Conte, UT-Austin athletic director, said in a statement. Full Story
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System Chancellor John Sharp is recommending John L. Junkins, distinguished professor of Aerospace Engineering, as interim president. Full Story
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Few Texas universities — some of which have been identified as coronavirus hot spots — have explicitly encouraged students to quarantine for 14 days before Thanksgiving or required exit testing, despite staggering rises in case counts across the state and country. Full Story
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Multiple Texas universities are planning in-person graduation ceremonies this December, despite the fact that the state’s daily COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are higher today than they were in May when most universities first scrambled to cancel the celebratory events. Full Story
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Texas A&M confirmed the new cases as football programs across the country continue to face postponements and cancellations while trying to finish the season during a pandemic. Full Story
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Halfway through the semester, schools are reporting participation rates far below their goals, prompting at least one school to go so far as to offer prizes to students who volunteer to get a coronavirus test. Full Story
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In counties where four-year college students make up at least 10% of the population, cases have grown 34% since Aug. 19, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. That’s compared with 23% in counties with a smaller proportion of students. Full Story
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Gates also talked about how the pandemic is reshaping alliances. Full Story
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College football is starting back up with a new burden: It's the most visible evidence of the wisdom of putting Texas students back on campus. Full Story
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Schools, desperate to keep their doors open but worried about health risks to their students, are being put in the uncomfortable position of having to govern young adult behavior that is mostly happening off university property. Full Story
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Public health experts say colleges need to dramatically ramp up testing in order to catch “silent spread” fueled by students who are infected but don’t have symptoms. Full Story
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Young will continue as a faculty member for the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Texas A&M School of Law, and take on a new role as the director of the Institute for Religious Liberties and International Affairs. Full Story
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Some faculty members call the pressure to return to face-to-face instruction a callous decision that prioritizes money and the college experience over the safety of the university community. Full Story
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This comes after the Pac-12 and the Big 10 said that they would postpone college football until at least the spring. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey signaled Tuesday that the conference that includes Texas A&M will play this fall. Full Story
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Economists said canceling football would be devastating to local businesses that rely on the huge influxes of cash from home games. Meanwhile, athletics officials weigh whether they can risk the health and welfare of student athletes. Full Story
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