The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

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The pandemic put small private colleges under intense financial pressure Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

Many private liberal arts colleges are struggling to survive amid the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment is down, and small colleges rely on room and board revenue more than large universities. So what does this mean for the future of these schools? Application Nation founder Sara Harberson joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about why small schools are having trouble, what colleges are doing to try to survive, and what it means for students looking for scholarships.

A year of extreme need: Food Bank of South Jersey 'still seeing people who never thought they'd be in line' Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

One of the things the coronavirus pandemic has done is turbo charge the problem of food insecurity here in the US. Food banks saw unprecedented demand for months on months, and the last time we checked in with the Food Bank of South Jersey, the demand was as strong as ever. We asked Fred Wasiak, President and CEO of the Food Bank to come back to the podcast to talk about what the situation is like a year later, how they have addressed the needs in their community, and where they're going from here with brighter days hopefully ahead.

Basketball analytics for your NCAA bracket Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Analytics have become a huge part of the landscape of sports. They've changed the way many people look at and talk about teams and games, they've even changed how many teams approach building their rosters and the types of players they target. It is always fascinating to dig into data and Villanova University Business student Ethan Carpenter has done some impressive work with basketball, specifically looking at recent NCAA Tournaments and breaking down what players have the most impact. Carpenter joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to break down how he analyzed the tournament, what he found out about the type of player that typically excels, and what to look for when you're filling out your bracket.

The vaccine matchmaker: Dr. Christine Meyer has helped thousands find vaccines Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

It started on a snow day. Dr. Christine Meyer pays her staff even when the office is closed, so she was trying to find something for them to do, and she figured -- why not just help people find vaccines. So she posted on Facebook for people to email her office if they needed help finding a vaccine. She got 1200 emails in 2 hours and the email server crashed. Fast forward a bit, and the PA CoVID Vaccine Match Maker Facebook group has more than 55 thousand members and has helped thousands of people get vaccines. Dr. Christine Meyer joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about the story behind the Facebook group and what's gone right (and wrong) with getting vaccines into arms.

Find the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pacovidvaxhelp

Dr. Meyer's website: https://www.christinemeyermd.com/

Need more help than that? Dr. Meyer says people can email her (christine@christinemeyermd.com) or call her office in Exton (610-363-0100) to be paired up with a "finder," a volunteer on her Facebook page who can help people locate appointments.

Name, image, likeness: the best way to pay student athletes? Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

College athletes generate a tremendous amount of value for their schools. And for many years now there's been a ton of talk about whether they should be getting paid for their services in a sanctioned way that doesn't break any NCAA rules or hurt their future prospects. For many people that discussion involves the athletes getting paid by the school they play for. But there is also another way for them to get compensated -- athletes being allowed to monetize their name, image and likeness. Dr. Thilo Kunkel, Director of the Sport Industry Research Center and Associate Professor at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about what name, image, and likeness compensation would mean for athletes of different sports and the ripple effects it might have across collegiate athletics.

Teachers and students are working through a 'mass trauma' together Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

More and more students and teachers are returning to the classroom for in person learning across the country. Teachers have always had the challenge of dealing with a classroom of students who are all in different places when it comes to emotional and intellectual development -- but now after a year where the country has been rocked by a pandemic that has been felt by everyone, but not equally by everyone, the emotional needs for students will be all over the map. Dr. Colleen Lelli, Professor of Education at Cabrini University and the Director of The Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education at Cabrini joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about the hard road ahead for teachers and students after the mass trauma event that was the last 12 months.

The American Rescue Plan explained Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

The $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill called the American Rescue Plan is now law, and there is a lot inside it -- including anti poverty initiatives that have some serious teeth. Dr. Scott Deacle, Associate Professor and Chair of the Business and Economics Department at Ursinus College joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to break down what's in the bill and how it impacts individual households and the economy as a whole.

The real household economy just got a massive booster shot Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

The American Rescue Plan is now law and just like that a lot of help is headed to some very desperate people. So what are the big headlines in the new stimulus plan, and how is the money going to make its presence known in the economy? What are local governments getting out of the bill? And how does this change the outlook of the broader economic recovery? David Fiorenza, Associate Professor of Practice at Villanova School of Business joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about what happened this week in the economy and what it means for all of us in our daily lives.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on moon rockets, why COVID was 'like a Mars invasion' Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the Director of the Hayden Planetarium and the author of the new book Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going. He joins KYW Newsradio in Depth to talk about extraterrestrial life, space travel, what he told Elon Musk about traveling to Mars, and what he thinks humanity should learn from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Drexel Dragons are going to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

There is nothing like the pure joy and excitement for a college basketball team that gets into the NCAA Tournament. It’s why they play. It is especially special when a team that hasn’t gotten there in a while gets to punch a ticket -- and that is where the Drexel Dragons come in. The Drexel men's basketball team won the Colonial Athletic Association title on Tuesday night, beating Elon in the conference final 63-56 and that earned the Dragons an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. This will be their first appearance in the tourney since 1996 when the Dragons advanced into the second round after upsetting Memphis in the opening round. Drexel head coach Zack Spiker joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to talk about the challenges of getting through this season that was changed by the coronavirus pandemic, what this moment has been like, and what it means for the program.