Education

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that her administration may extend portions of a three-week partial shutdown of schools and businesses next week because of the “sheer volume” of coronavirus cases in Michigan.

The University of Michigan said it hired a consultant to guide changes after the school’s chief academic officer was ousted because of sexual misconduct.

Guidepost Solutions will assist the university in following recommendations by a law firm that said it had uncovered sexual misconduct by Martin Philbert during his long career. He was accused of harassing graduate students and staff and regularly having trysts in campus offices.

Snow days may no longer be needed for school districts across Michigan as many students are learning online amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Many people wonder if virtual instruction will take the place of snow days since schools are already offering classes online, MLive.com reported.

Eastern Michigan University will test campus wastewater for the COVID-19 virus and other signs of infectious diseases. The testing is part of the school's return-to-campus plan. It's intended to track the presence of the coronavirus in wastewater flowing from residence halls and apartment complexes. The monitoring process may provide early detection of asymptomatic cases of the virus, according to the school. EMU in Ypsilanti is working with Michigan-based Aquasight on the testing.

Ingham County health officials have identified 11 more large houses near Michigan State University's campus where there are known exposures to the COVID-19 virus. The health department has ordered residents in those houses to quarantine for the next two weeks. Mandatory quarantines now have been ordered for 25 fraternity and sorority houses and 14 large rental houses in East Lansing. On Saturday, the health department said at least a third of the 342 people affiliated with the university testing positive for the virus since Aug. 24 attended parties or social gatherings.

The governing board at the University of Michigan is expressing support for President Mark Schlissel, two days after he said trust in his leadership has slipped on campus. Denise Ilitch, chairwoman of the Board of Regents, says the board supports Schlissel and his administration during a time of "tremendous challenges." Schlissel has been criticized for the university's response to the coronavirus. Separately, the school sued to try to stop a strike by graduate-student instructors. A vote by faculty also revealed disappointment with Schlissel.

Graduate students who teach at the University of Michigan have returned to classes after voting to end a strike. The Graduate Employees' Organization represents about 2,000 students who teach or assist classes. The union says it achieved "critical progress" on child care options during the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 testing protocols and concerns about campus police operations. The deal ends legal action by the university, which sued this week to try to end the strike. The university says the strike disrupted many online undergraduate classes taught by graduate students.