For Marcella Middleton, a mother and first-year graduate student at North Carolina State University, the coronavirus pandemic is threatening the stability she has worked to provide for herself and her son.

She's not alone. As colleges and universities around the country shut down campuses and dormitories under coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders, the cost comes at a steep price for low-income and homeless students who rely on on-campus resources to get through school. 

Savanna Navarro Kresse, a senior history major at Washington State University, Tri-Cities, recently participated in a local Facebook Live broadcast about higher education during COVID-19. Her smart answers and calm demeanor masked her discomfort: She was answering questions from her car.

Academe has more than risen to the challenges posed by the rapid transition to remote instruction. But the entire shift was predicated on the notion that all students have access not only to a computer, but to reliable internet access. In reality, many do not.