The Phoenix Still Rises at Elon

Elon News Network: "The Phoenix, whose identity remains a secret to the Elon community, serves as Elon University’s mascot. While The Phoenix wishes it could be in pictures with the community and attending sporting events alongside every Elon University student right now, it is still keeping busy ... Normally, The Phoenix would be attending sports games, visiting elementary schools, going to alumni events and anything else that involves spirit at Elon. However, with physical distancing guidelines preventing The Phoenix from attending in-person events, it needed to find other ways to be seen by students."

“I’m basically a giant hype man, so anything involving school spirit and promoting Elon in the community they will most likely send me to,” The Phoenix said.

"The Phoenix has been dropping in on Zoom classes and attending virtual town halls so that the Elon community can still see their symbol of spirit. It can also be seen around campus on many signs and posters where it is demonstrating how to properly wear a mask and abiding by physical distancing guidelines ... The Phoenix’s suit is also washed and dry cleaned regularly, the inside and the helmet piece is constantly wiped down and washing hands is a must."

Survey Ranks Colleges for 'Free Speech'

Fire: "The Ivy League offers students sterling credentials, but is miserly when it comes to offering them free speech — try the University of Chicago instead. That’s just one of the findings from the first-ever rankings of the free speech climates at 55 of America’s largest and most prestigious campuses, based on the largest free speech survey of college students ever performed ... Other highlights: Seven of the top 10 colleges for free speech are public, and only one of the top 10 is in the Northeast, while the bottom 10 include many schools that repeatedly make headlines for campus censorship."

"The top-five colleges for free speech are: The University of Chicago, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Arizona State University. The bottom-five: Syracuse University, Dartmouth College, Louisiana State University, University of Texas, DePauw University."

"The 2020 College Free Speech Rankings take into account the varied dimensions of free expression on campus — from the ability to discuss challenging topics like race, gender dynamics, and geo-political conflicts, to whether students hold back from openly sharing their views. The rankings are designed to help students and parents make enrollment decisions based on a range of factors including openness, tolerance, self-expression, administrative support for free speech, and campus policies. The rankings capture and score, on a scale from 0-100, the overall speech climate, as well as the distinct experiences of conservative and liberal students."

The Bright Side of Digital College

Vox: "The pandemic, says Kevin Carey, the director of the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, is hastening what he thinks is the long-term trend: 'the integration of technology into the planning, design, and implementation of college in a way that’s so taken for granted and ingrained that the distinction between in-person and online really starts to collapse altogether' ... Unlike a live lecture, a recorded one has a shelf life. It might take two-and-a-half hours to record one hour’s worth of lecture, but once it’s done, a professor could use that hour for four or five years straight ... While those digital lectures might not be as good as live lectures, professors will not have to spend time creating them and can devote their freed-up time to discussions, office hours, and other forms of high-value engagement."

"Digital lectures also have logistical benefits from the student’s standpoint. With asynchronous delivery, you never miss out on a class simply because it happens at the same time as another class. Seven years ago, then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, making the case for investing in classroom technology, argued that with 'streaming video, students — particularly those who are geographically isolated or who are taking advanced courses with limited enrollment — can connect with experts who might be thousands of miles away and can use nearly limitless instructional resources'.”

"The most selective schools could still offer unique advantages in terms of their in-person discussion seminars, providing students access to the best peer groups and other factors. And in the near future, it should be possible, through licensing or other schemes, for everyone to benefit from the best lecturers in the world. Faculty, meanwhile, could have more time for their research or for real teaching and mentoring activities rather than duplicative lecturing."