PALO ALTO, U.S./TAIPEI/HONG KONG -- Tom Zeng's sophomore year at Queens College, City University of New York, began with a video message from the chancellor followed by days of video lectures. His fellow students, normally a rowdy and gleeful presence, replaced with a checkerboard of anonymous, disembodied Zoom icons. He left his apartment only once last week, for the rare chance to actually take a class in person.



