Noah Aniser
Is Covid-19 Making College Towns Unsafe To Retire In?
College towns are a great place to retire because they “are not just good for your mind and your sense of well-being, they’re also good for your health,” says the Center’s chairman Paul Irving. They offer diversity and an economically vibrant community but through Covid-19 that’s in danger. The pandemic forces college-town retirement developments to keep their doors closed. Concerns about the public health are just to strong. Since the pandemic started, 2.000 colleges had already approximately 90.000 cases according to a study of the New York Times.
The author mentions the destinies of several retired people and how it affects their life. Taking part in campus activities just doesn’t feel comfortable for them anymore.
Another problem is that through the virus a lot of jobs or possible part-time job opportunities connected to the college are reduced. The increasing unemployment rate and decreasing possibilities for part-time jobs is hurting the people living in college-towns.
Colleges actively try to prevent the virus from spreading by limiting or cancelling concerts or sport events. That increases the safety but takes away the social advantages of retiring in a college-town. Making new friends and interacting with other alumni seems like an impossible task but not for Blue and Bill Reeves. The couple is seeing the restrictions just as a minor inconvenience and is making the best out of their already existing network. They stay connected and even find new ways to support their college without being in the stadium. Tailgating on a big screen is just one example.
I think the article is news because it is happening at the moment and it matters to a lot of people. If I would know old people living in a college-town, I would be very concerned about their safety. The author does a good job and explaining the facts and the current situation, but he also gives a positive outlook in the end which rounds up the story quite well.
He also includes the main information in the upper part so that you don’t have to read the whole story which is good.
The headline is also well chosen because it rises a question that the reader wants an answer to. He gives the answer but also talks about an alternative answer.
Overall, I think it is an informative and newsworthy article which is easy to understand and also well-written.