But the point here is that the "problem for colleges in the fall" is not "reluctant professors." The problem is a failing model of privatized funding that is now pitting the lives of actual people against the viability of our country's higher education system. That is the story.

I've written this insanely long thread because it is mind-boggling to have a crisis this serious misreported this badly on the front page of a newspaper staffed by people who surely care about the viability and longevity of colleges and universities all across the US.

Absent the speedy arrival of new therapies and vaccines, the strain on the finances of many schools operating on the current model will grow insurmountable much faster than many people seem to realize.

Imagine a country in which hundreds of our colleges and universities no longer exist. If that prospect terrifies you as much as it does me, stop worrying about "reluctant professors" and start calling your elected officials and demanding plans to backstop higher ed.

And while you're at it, remind them that a robust system of publicly funded healthcare would radically reduce the costs of ensuring that high quality research and teaching are available for everyone.