Last spring, as the coronavirus outbreak swept the nation and the globe, students in Assistant Professor Christine Larson's class, Writing for the Media, jumped into action. From conducting interviews with residents in their communities to combing through government-funded reports, students contributed local and national reporting on a range of pandemic-related topics, from education to business to relationships. We're proud to present their work in this six-part package, Student Reporting: COVID-19.
*Please note that these stories were reported last spring and have been lightly edited and updated for summer publication.
Local businesses across the nation are suffering from the impacts of COVID-19. Unemployment rates have increased and businesses have found themselves applying for loans and grants to keep their doors open. Even in Iowa City, businesses have had to close their brick and mortar stores and transition into delivery and pick-up options to follow social distancing orders.
The class of 2020 was expected to graduate into a very strong job market. Citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics last February, the White House reported that over the previous year-and-a-half, America saw "the strongest earnings gains since the recession" of 2008. That all changed by March.
According to a recent study by The Knot, over 40% of couples reported spending at least 20 additional hours together each week due to social distancing guidelines in the U.S. Based on that information, you might think that couples living together 24/7 would report quarantine quarrels. However, young couples––engaged and dating alike––are reporting positive aspects of being quarantined together.
As of April, the novel coronavirus had not halted most aspects of everyday life in Palisade, Colorado. Instead, the area was left reeling from a 19-degree freeze that killed an estimated 90% of the area's crops, according to the Farm Bureau. While they knew the pandemic would cause difficulties later down the line, the freeze left farmers with the unexpected problem of deciding what would come next for their workers.
During the 2018-19 school year, over 1 million American students studied abroad, including many from CU Boulder. This spring, most found themselves sent home as a result of COVID-19. Now, students who are hoping to study abroad, as well as program administrators, are wondering what the future holds.
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