Guest Opinions

Carroll College’s students departed for spring break on Feb. 28. Over the next month, the world as our students knew it would dramatically change. Little did they know that in less than 2.5 weeks, the entire college’s curricula would be converted to remote learning, 75% of their classmates living on campus would choose to go home, all spring athletic sports would be cancelled as well as the national basketball championships which Carroll’s teams were slated to compete in, most liturgical services on campus would be cancelled with only a Sunday evening live streamed Mass remaining, and the college would need to cancel or postpone all events on campus through May including Commencement. On Feb. 28, no one would have guessed all of this would transpire in less than three weeks.

The job losses in March were no surprise, capturing the early impacts of the COVID-19-induced economic shutdown. The majority of cuts occurred in restaurants, leisure, and travel industries. The construction industry also experienced losses, but principally related to commercial real estate.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service officially responded on March 26 to the United States Cattlemen’s Association petition regarding accurate labeling of beef products. The petition requested FSIS to amend the Agency’s Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book to provide that any beef labeled as “Made in the USA,” “Product of the USA,” “USA Beef” or in any other manner that suggests that the origin is the United States, be derived from cattle that have been born, raised, and slaughtered in the U.S.