A Recap of This Week’s Top News – November 4, 2022

Changes to policy, scientific discovery, and expert recommendations and opinions all have the power to rapidly influence the landscape of a sector. Whether you’re a leader at a non-profit, a member of a university’s marketing department, or a stakeholder for a public health agency, being informed about the latest industry happenings can be the difference between exceeding and falling short of organizational goals. At Hager Sharp, our experts vigorously scan media coverage to identify areas of opportunity. And now, with the introduction of the Sharp Round-Up, you too can review what we consider some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health, education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, October 29 to Friday, November 4. Let these clips serve as a resource when developing thoughtful strategies and use them to further foster organizational innovation and adaptability.

Here’s what you need to know.

Mainstream News:

• On Monday, conservative justices “seemed open to ending decades of Supreme Court precedent allowing race-conscious admission decisions at colleges and universities.” The judges doubted “the institutions would ever concede an ‘endpoint’ in their use of race to build diverse student bodies.”
• Flu season is arriving early, with the highest severity in over a decade. According to the CDC, it is estimated that there have been at least 880,000 flu illnesses, 6,900 hospitalizations, and 360 deaths from flu so far this season.
• The University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Norfolk State University, and dozens of other schools in the commonwealth have changed their policies, relaxing admissions exam requirements.
• On Tuesday, the University of Florida’s board of trustees unanimously voted for Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, as the university’s next president.

Education Policy:

• Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, said that the district is working to further implement the science of reading into its curriculum. He emphasized the need to train early elementary teachers in evidence-based practices and ensure struggling students have access to extra support.

Advancements in Health:

• On Tuesday, Pfizer announced that its experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine effectively prevented severe infections in infants after being given to expectant mothers in the second half of pregnancy.
• Researchers from Spain and Australia studying the venom of the Australian southern sand octopus have identified a compound that may significantly slow cancer growth and help fight drug resistance in patients with one of the most serious forms of skin cancer, BRAF-mutated melanoma.