As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the world, a growing number of colleges and universities are waiving standardized test requirements or making them optional. The College Board, which administers the SAT and the ACT, anticipated “an at-home style solution” for testing, and said it would make a formal announcement on Wednesday to clarify their recommendation. Ronald Ehrenberg is professor of industrial and labor relations and economics at Cornell University and the director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute.

Industrial and Labor Relations

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Kathleen Bergin, professor of law at Cornell Law School, and Doug Kriner, professor in Cornell University’s Government Department, comment on President Trump's assertion that he has "total authority" to lift restrictions on movement and businesses put in to place due to coronavirus.

Law and Policy

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The world’s biggest producer of pork, Smithfield Foods, announced it will close one of its pork-processing facilities after many workers at the plant tested positive for coronavirus. Martin Wiedmann, a food scientist and professor of food safety at Cornell University, says that the shutdown illustrates the challenges of minimizing the risk of contagion among workers in the food industry. 

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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With the coronavirus pandemic challenging the wellbeing of people and countries around the world, global financial institutions face the tremendous task of coordinating economic policies and offering relief for the most vulnerable countries. Such effort will be on display this week, as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank hold their annual spring meetings. Cornell University experts, including Kaushik Basu, Victoria Beard and Muna Ndulo are available to discuss the gravity of this week’s deliberations as well as their hope for what should be accomplished.

International

Economics and Business

Law School

Arts and Sciences

Architecture, Art and Planning

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, an expert on community resiliency and revitalization as well as local and regional food systems, says the coronavirus pandemic offers an opportunity to analyze weak points in the global food system.

Food & Agriculture

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Neil Lewis, Jr. expert in communication and social behavior, says racial and economic disparities reflect a persistent problem throughout U.S history and may exacerbate the pandemic we are currently facing.

Economics and Business

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Earlier this week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in major cities across the country in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Kristin Roebuck, assistant professor in the department of history at Cornell University, studies modern Japan with a focus on the history of medicine and law, race and sexuality and Japanese international relations. She points to Japan’s abysmal domestic violence record and says that those Japanese who feel least safe at home face heightened threats and dwindling protections in the era of COVID-19.

International

Arts and Sciences

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Sergio Garcia-Rios, professor of government and Latino studies at Cornell University, says that with Bernie Sanders leaving the presidential race, Joe Biden needs to address concerns of Latinos related to healthcare and immigration. 

Law and Policy

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On Tuesday, finance ministers from the Eurozone will meet virtually to discuss how to best address the region’s economic crisis. Nicholas Mulder says that while the tools at hand to ease the economic crisis in Europe are not new, the shock the entire continent currently faces is unprecedented.  

International

Arts and Sciences

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On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved into an intensive care unit after his coronavirus symptoms worsened. Alexandra Cirone, professor in Cornell University’s department of government and an expert in European politics, says that Johnson’s worsening condition poses the question of what an emergency leadership selection would look like for U.K.’s Conservative Party.

International

Arts and Sciences

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