College parents...fall semester?

[Colleen27]

Right now, East Lansing (home of Michigan State University) is dealing with an outbreak involving a campus bar. The exposure dates were 6/12-6/20 and, so far, 152 cases have been linked to the bar. Out of the cases, 128 are primary exposures from the bar in people ages 18-28 and 24 cases are secondary exposures in people ages 16-63. Nobody has been hospitalized at this point and 38 cases are asymptotic.

I think drinking & partying among college students is probably a big threat and major way this will spread. It seems much more likely that 150 kids drinking, dancing and yelling at a party will spread virus faster than 150 masked kids quietly taking notes in a lecture hall.

I don’t think anyone knows how this is going to play out, but these college outbreaks happening in the summer when campuses are pretty quiet doesn’t bode well for fall at all. This just stinks.

FWIW, I wouldn't ever call East Lansing or the MSU campus "quiet". There's too much Greek life and too many students who live off campus and don't go home because they've got a 12-month lease and/or a year-round job anyway. I partied up there a fair bit in my younger days, mostly during the summer and on breaks because during the school year my social life centered more around my own school and hometown, and the campus bars were always pretty hopping regardless of the season.

And on top of that, the bars in Michigan just happened to reopen just as MSU (and other universities) was bringing student athletes back to campus to resume practices, which I'm sure was an occasion marked by no small number of "get togethers" at campus hot spots.

 

[leebee]

Just learned today that all general chemistry and organic chemistry classes here (so lectures, recitations, and labs) will be delivered online only. It stinks, but at least I can finally start planning my lab sections. I guess there is quite a bit of concern with the numbers of people in the building at one time, how to manage hundreds of students in the hallways and stairwells at the same time, no way to establish one-way hallways, etc. My husband teaches quantitative analytical chemistry at the same school and he is holding class, F2F, but he has an enrollment of 13, not 265!

 

[barkley]

the uw cases have now exceeded 100-and are no longer limited to residents of the frat houses by virtue of at least 4 newly diagnosed cases in non residents with close ties to members of the infected houses.

 

[pxidst119]

I have been on the side of sending my daughter despite the reduced experience and even the take out dining. As they release more info, my confidence continues to drop. Some of these plans may look good on paper but in reality will be impossible to implement. Students living in reduced capacity dorms and wearing masks everywhere sounds great but the reality is that they will be zigzagging from all over the country and living together with a lot more free time on their hands since many activities will be reduced on campus. In the most perfect scenario, this already doesn’t work. Now add in commuters, off campus activities, students going home for the weekend etc. Even if we weren’t worried about her catching the virus (which does actually concern me) sending them home again seems unavoidable. A lot of time and effort is going into the planning for this. I’m all for trying to make this work but families will be spending a lot of money on room and board. It won’t take much for the virus to spread on campus and it will all shut down again. This time the colleges will keep the money as many have disclaimers now. I agree with the PP that said sitting in the classroom with masks on is not going to be the problem. It’s all other things that will go on. My daughter is so ready to go and we are ready too. However, with the spike in cases we are seeing around this county, I think online only is the only fair and realistic answer.

 

[HeatherC]

I have been on the side of sending my daughter despite the reduced experience and even the take out dining. As they release more info, my confidence continues to drop. Some of these plans may look good on paper but in reality will be impossible to implement. Students living in reduced capacity dorms and wearing masks everywhere sounds great but the reality is that they will be zigzagging from all over the country and living together with a lot more free time on their hands since many activities will be reduced on campus. In the most perfect scenario, this already doesn’t work. Now add in commuters, off campus activities, students going home for the weekend etc. Even if we weren’t worried about her catching the virus (which does actually concern me) sending them home again seems unavoidable. A lot of time and effort is going into the planning for this. I’m all for trying to make this work but families will be spending a lot of money on room and board. It won’t take much for the virus to spread on campus and it will all shut down again. This time the colleges will keep the money as many have disclaimers now. I agree with the PP that said sitting in the classroom with masks on is not going to be the problem. It’s all other things that will go on. My daughter is so ready to go and we are ready too. However, with the spike in cases we are seeing around this county, I think online only is the only fair and realistic answer.

We are kind of thinking the same thing. Right now three out of her five classes are online and we anticipate the other two will wind up that way as well. We are waiting to see what happens with housing before she makes the final decision. Right now she is in a suite of 8 and is being told they need to do singles. Which will be interesting because housing is already short.

While she would love to be on campus, she knows it will not be anything like it was last fall and it is an awful lot of money to pay for something that will be nothing like it was supposed to be.

Most of her friends are thinking the same thing so at least she will have people around to hang out with if she stays home and does online. Several of her college friends also live within driving distance so she would be able to see some of them as well.

I’m pretty proud of her because she is very laid back about it all. She told me not to worry because “it’s a few months out of my life and I will be just fine”. And she is right. I just hate it because this is not how we all wanted our kids college experience to go.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

Seems like alot of schools are going to just having the freshman class on campus. This is smart because they can lock in the students and get the money and prevent them from leaving/deferrning whereas the upperclassmen are pretty much stuck at the school and will grind it out on line to get all their credits in. It also allows for more social distancing since there will be less students on campus and the dorms.

 

[McKelly]

So, now my son's five classes are all on-line including discussions. But they told him to wait to make any decisions, because they are still moving things around. July 20th is the date the schedules will be finalized. Patience, is NOT my greatest virtue. I just don't see spending that kind of money to have him sit in his dorm room. But then he won't have housing for the spring semester. I feel a little manipulated...

 

[HeatherC]

So, now my son's five classes are all on-line including discussions. But they told him to wait to make any decisions, because they are still moving things around. July 20th is the date the schedules will be finalized. Patience, is NOT my greatest virtue. I just don't see spending that kind of money to have him sit in his dorm room. But then he won't have housing for the spring semester. I feel a little manipulated...

I kind of think even the Spring semester will be pushing it with “getting back to normal” unfortunately. It stinks all around.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Any schools going with following strong recommendations?
Suspect inviting a Labcorp/Quest whatever onto campus would work, they have the logistics schools don't have.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00502-w

 

[soccerdad72]

Sign-ups have begun for move in dates/times for upperclassmen. Looks like we're probably moving our son in on Aug. 17th. Rumor is that everyone only gets a one-hour time slot with just one person allowed to help move in, so that will be interesting.

ETA: The school is requesting that every student self-quarantines for 2 weeks prior to returning to campus.

 

[bethbuchall]

I completely agree with you. I am feeling incredibly hopeless for our country. So much unrest. So much sickness. So much violence. I see no hope other than Jesus coming. Our poor children may be living their own version of the French Revolution. I just don't see how all of this resolves in a good way or how college aged kids will even survive of thrive. The world as we know it is gone.

Do you realize how lucky we still are in this country with our living conditions despite current events? Think about how many are forced to live in parts of Central America, Middle East, and Africa. Think about what parts of Europe looked like during/after World War II. Yes, this sucks in many ways, but we'll come out stronger if people put in the work that is necessary instead of complaining or trying to pretend that the conditions don't exist. We need to find a way to pull together instead of standing around pointing fingers. (And that last part is not a condemnation of the protesters.)

 

[JimMIA]

ETA: The school is requesting that every student self-quarantines for 2 weeks prior to returning to campus.

Yep, that should work well...

 

[JimMIA]

I can just see it now...

"Yeah, LET"S GO! Everybody to the Pub! I've been stuck in a stupid quarantine for two weeks and I NEED A BEER!!!!!"

 

[choirfarm]

nm

 

[disneyworldsk]

In NY we have the 2+2 program that many kids take advantage of to save money. In order to get the full credit though students are already accepted at the school they plan to transfer to after completing their associates degree. That way all the credits can transfer. In NY there is also free tuition at state schools for some students whose families meet the income guidelines. I believe that some private schools are going to have to close as a result of the pandemic. That would take choices away from kids and make state schools much harder to get into causing more kids to be turned away. The whole thing is a losing proposal for the colleges. If they go back people are going to get mad when kids get sick and if they don't go back or go online people are going to lose their jobs and colleges are going to close.

i'm worried about this. hofstra. small private school. my ds attends and that's in the back of my mind, these schools not being able to withstand keeping open. also you have to factor in the loss of international students...

 

[disneyworldsk]

Son's classes went from all in person to all online to now being 50/50. They need to make up their dang minds.

That's another issue. they're saying come to dorms, we have a plan, we are in person. but when you look on individual classes each professor is slowly choosing online options and soon they all will i'm thinking so the whole idea of returning is a scam/farce because it's the professors who are holding the cards all the power here. if they're not comfortable in person they are doing online and that's their choice.

 

[disneyworldsk]

should we even discuss the loss of all of our kid's internship opportunities?! Mine lost two already from last spring/summer. now fall there won't be any. so between academics, sports, internships, social clubs, nothing's left. awful.

 

[choirfarm]

nm

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

should we even discuss the loss of all of our kid's internship opportunities?! Mine lost two already from last spring/summer. now fall there won't be any. so between academics, sports, internships, social clubs, nothing's left. awful.

I think a lot of college kids are going to end up taking a gap year, or an off year, if they can find work or do something meaningful at home.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think a lot of college kids are going to end up taking a gap year, or an off year, if they can find work or do something meaningful at home.

Lots of kids can't do that and maintain their scholarships/financial aid. And besides, working is just going to give them public exposure. And good luck finding something meaningful to do.