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Universities Are Blaming Students For The Spread Of The Coronavirus, Says One Missouri Professor

By Steve Kraske,

Published September 1, 2020 at 1:35 PM CDT

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Colleges like the University of Kansas in Lawrence have recently gotten national attention for clusters of the coronavirus that have spread on campus.

College administrators have some tough decisions to make, but it's a mistake for them to blame outbreaks of COVID-19 solely on students, says Dr. Jessica Gold.

One Missouri professor who wrote about the issue for The Atlantic says students are inevitably going to socialize, and the playbook colleges use to govern campuses needs to incorporate that. Instead, says Dr. Jessica Gold, they should seek to answer another question: “How can we think of socializing safely and be on the same side?”

Dr. Jessica Gold, psychiatrist and assistant professor at the Washington University in St. Louis
Conner Mitchell, reporter for The Lawrence Journal-World

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Mackenzie Martin is a senior podcast producer at KCUR Studios and host of the podcast, A People's History of Kansas City. Contact her at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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