Student Union
Trapped in Elevator, Professor Teaches Class Online

When Jay Van Bavel, a social neuroscience professor at New York University, stepped into his apartment building elevator 10 minutes before his Introduction to Psychology class online, he "breathed a sigh of relief," thinking he would start his lecture on time.
That is, until the elevator lurched downward before halting to a stop between floors.
"Ok, no need to panic. The door won't open and the elevator won't move. But I use the call button to contact the staff from the elevator. They promise to call a repairman from the elevator company to help us escape," Van Bavel tweeted about the experience.
Van Bavel, trapped in the elevator with his increasingly anxious 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, began frantically texting his contacts. Still thinking about his students and despite having a bad internet connection, Van Bavel was able to send out an email at 3:28 p.m., a mere two minutes before the start of his class.
"By this point, a certain level of camaraderie had developed. ... We had a dawning recognition that we were all in this together and would pull through," Van Bavel tweeted. "I reminisced about the time I was stuck in the elevator with [son] Jack 5 years ago and we laughed about those old times!"
Yet, the sense of peace didn't last long as Van Bavel worried about his students, who had a midterm scheduled for the following week. He turned to alternate solutions, trying to access his class through his phone. After a couple of failed attempts, he was able to dial into his Zoom lecture of more than 200 students.
To their surprise, Van Bavel would be teaching the class from inside the elevator.
"I could hear one student yelling to her roommate that her professor was trapped in an elevator. Others seemed excited to give this a try," Van Bavel tweeted. "Apparently they'd never been taught from a professor stuck in an elevator before. It would give the class a fresh new twist."
Just when Van Bavel thought he was good to go, he realized his lecture slides were on his computer in his apartment. Concerned about whether he would remember his class notes, Van Bavel set his class in motion.
"After about 50-excruciatingly-long-minutes in the elevator, it jolted and then started to move," Van Bavel tweeted. "The doors opened. We could see our beautiful nondescript lobby and the sun beaming in from the front doors. We cautiously stepped out into freedom."
Van Bavel dashed upstairs and finished teaching his students from the safety of his kitchen table.
"As I type it all out, I am now deeply aware of how absurd this was. I will not be teaching in elevators in the future," Van Bavel tweeted.
WATCH: Van Bavel's earlier COVID study
VOA Student Union interviewed Van Bavel earlier this year about his worldwide crowd-sourcing study that asks social scientists to contribute how wearing masks, washing hands, going to crowded public events, and conspiracy theories can attribute to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
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The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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STEM, business top subjects for international students
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The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
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Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
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US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
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A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)