In the News
Big Ten football is back, with the U-M’s first home game on the weekend of October 23-24. In a talk to the Rotary Club on Wednesday, athletic director Warde Manuel said the Big House will have no fans, just family members of student athletes and staff. President Trump took credit in a tweet; the conference cited newly available rapid-response Covid-19 tests.
U-M Dance Department moves to remote classes through September; over 10% of the department in quarantine. According to a Monday email from department chair Christian Matijas-Mecca shared on Reddit, they decided to halt in-person classes for two weeks because with infections rising, “we do not want the [dance] building to become a superspreader site”
U-M graduate employees end strike. In a press release Wednesday, the Graduate Employees’ Organization announced they had accepted the university’s second offer and voted to end the strike. Agreements include child care, greater transparency on Covid-19 testing protocols, and “incremental but real movement on policing demands.” Details of the deal can be found in the GEO press release.
A faculty vote of no confidence in Schlissel appears to have fallen short of approval. Votes of no confidence regarding President Mark Schlissel and the administration’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic fell short of the majority needed to pass a Faculty Senate vote Wednesday. MLive.
Confirmed outbreaks of Covid-19 among students in K-12 schools and colleges across Michigan are now being posted on the MDHHS website. On Wednesday, the only Washtenaw County schools listed were the U-M (77) and EMU (19). The county infection rate continues to hover around 100 new cases per week.
Tom Crawford is Ann Arbor’s next city administrator. The city’s capable, straight-shooting chief financial officer twice served as acting administrator when power swings on city council pressured his predecessors. (Steve Powers left voluntarily in 2015, while Howard Lazarus was fired earlier this year). All but one other candidate had withdrawn before council’s unanimous vote on Monday.
The YMCA announced that it will be offering in-person K-3 learning centers in Ann Arbor beginning September 14 and in Ypsilanti beginning September 21. “When the Y sees a problem like this in our community, and families come to us with their concerns, we try to meet their needs in the best way that we can,” says president Toni Kayumi. “Separate from the importance of having the adult supervision and academic support, being in the presence of other children helps kids with their emotional development, self-esteem, sense of identity and more.” The curriculum that includes relationship building, exercise, outdoor activities, and light academic support, and children must be registered in a virtual school curriculum with a synchronized classroom to participate. www.annarborymca.org.
A herd of ten goats is working at the Thurston Nature Center until September 21. In an ongoing “goatscaping” project, the animals are rented from Twin Willow Ranch to help control invasive species. Visiting goat lovers are advised to keep their distance because the herd is behind an electrified fence and has been eating poison ivy. Fans can see photos and personal bios for each goat here: Thurston Nature Center.
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