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Finally, it's Pet Friday!

Here is Lola, the happy pup of Brittany Maschal, who runs a consulting firm. She's a 13-year-old Jack Russell-dachshund mix that was rescued from a McDonald's parking lot in West Virginia. "She's now living the good life, splitting her time between Brooklyn and the Catskills. She frequently (although uninvited) attends student meetings via FaceTime and Zoom, and never ceases to put smiles on anxiety-ridden high schoolers' faces," Maschal writes.

And here are Layla and Rudy, who belong to Christine Shaw, administrative coordinator at the Center for Global Engagement at Columbus State University, in Georgia. Layla, a 2-year-old mini dapple dachshund, is seen on the left working hard from home. On the right, 8-year-old standard doxie Rudy helps Layla keep a lookout, presumably for the mailman.

"Layla is the sweetest thing ever! She loves to run and play with her 'brother' Rudy. On the spur of the moment they will run through the house or yard at top speed, chasing each other (we call that wiener-time)," Shaw said.

I need more animal photos! Send yours to madeline.stamour@insidehighered.com.

To the news.

Senator Lamar Alexander, the head of the U.S. Senate's education committee, said colleges will have sufficient testing capacity to reopen campuses this fall. He also vowed that Senate Republicans would ensure any future COVID-19 legislation from Congress would include liability protection for colleges from potential lawsuits if students or employees get sick after returning to campus. College presidents brought up their liability concerns at a meeting last week with Vice President Pence.

A preliminary study found that spring breakers may have spread the coronavirus far and wide.

The Division I Council of the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced it will now allow Division I football and basketball programs to start training. The move opens the door for the use of athletic facilities, in compliance with local regulations. However, athletes must initiate the activity and coaches can't require them to report back.​

Public colleges and universities in Colorado will see their collective state funding budget cut by nearly $500 million next year. To help ease the pain, the state's governor allocated $450 million in federal CARES Act funds to public higher education, bringing the net cut down to 5 percent.

The University of California system is considering implementing hybrid courses, leaving campuses open but letting students take courses online. Announcements may come around mid-June.

Here’s a quick roundup of our latest stories, in case you’ve fallen a bit behind (we don’t blame you):

About a week ago, a photo of partying college students surfaced in Boulder, Colo., causing quite a stir. Greta Anderson reported on how colleges are trying to police these get-togethers.

Tuition discount rates are rising as enrollment declines. Emma Whitford wrote about what that could mean for private colleges.

Elizabeth Redden has the details on the new guidelines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released for colleges that want to reopen.

Colleen Flaherty has a roundup of what institutions are doing to faculty and staff retirement plans as they slash budgets.

News From Elsewhere

Teen Vogue talked with some higher ed heavyweights about the future of college after COVID-19, if you want to know what the kids are reading.

Want to know why some colleges are pushing ahead on the college football season? ESPN has the answer (and it starts with a "B").

This isn't about higher ed, but it's still worth a read. The New York Times reports on a study that found the slow moves to lockdown cost nearly 40,000 lives in the United States.

Percolating Thoughts

This is a time when everyone has an opinion. As journalists, we try not to have opinions, but we've gathered some interesting ones from others.

The president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education writes for the Courier-Journal about how high school graduates should still look to colleges for a better life in the long run.

An English professor wrote about how the humanities can help on the front line of the pandemic.


Have any percolating thoughts or notice any from others? Feel free to send them our way or comment below.

We’ll continue bringing you the news you need in this crazy time. Keep sending us your questions and story ideas. We’ll get through this together.

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