Who says academe can’t be nimble? In the space of a few weeks in early March, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, colleges across the country ditched their customary glides toward the end of the semester in exchange for closing campuses and moving all classes online.

It’s too early to tell how, or if, this mass experiment in online mobilization will work. Many institutions just started teaching remotely, and some won’t start until this week. But early lessons have already made themselves evident.
 

Sara Goldrick-Rab has long been on the front lines of advocating for low-income and food-insecure college students. But even for an expert like her, this past week has been uncharted terrain.

When the former University of Wisconsin-Madison professor first heard that Harvard University was asking students to move out on March 10, the COVID-19 pandemic quickly took on a new form.

Within hours, Goldrick-Rab, who now teaches higher education and sociology at Temple University and directs The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, wrote and published a guide for colleges on how to support students during the crisis.