Problems With Closing Colleges For Coronavirus

[tvguy]

The colleges need to give the students more time to move out.

Some students may have a Disney trip planned for spring break and do not have time to break down their rooms, pack up, and find a place to store their things first.

Disney is closing, so that isn't an issue anymore.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Wow, never heard of dorms closing down during holiday breaks. But the Private College I went to, which my son also attended, recruits heavily in the Middle East and South America and those students depend on having a place to live for the entire school year.

The only break we had to move out in college was Winter break. However, international students could stay and if you could not go home they had space in a certain dorm hall where you would tempoarily move there during the month long Winter break. Things may have changed where they put you though as that dorm hall was very large, had 3 wings on each floor but has since been demolished.

Fall break, Thanksgiving break, and Spring Break you did not need to move out for those.

 

[tvguy]

The only break we had to move out in college was Winter break. However, international students could stay and if you could not go home they had space in a certain dorm hall where you would tempoarily move there during the month long Winter break. Things may have changed where they put you though as that dorm hall was very large, had 3 wings on each floor but has since been demolished.

Fall break, Thanksgiving break, and Spring Break you did not need to move out for those.

Well, my college operated on what was known as the 4-1-4 schedule. 4 classes for fall semester, 2 weeks off for Christmas, 1 class for 1 month (January), 4 classes for spring semester. So there was no long break without classes during a 6 week winter/Christmas break

 

[hellow]

My son’s university sent this email to parents this afternoon literally BEGGING parents to get their kids to leave off campus apartments and go home!!!

Thanks for posting this Mrs. Ciz. What was explained in the email was exactly what I was seeing in the students at our local university too. It made zero sense to implement remote learning at the university, if it was just used as an excuse to party/congregate in bars and restaurants and (from the sounds of the email) cause trouble. Glad they followed through.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, my college operated on what was known as the 4-1-4 schedule. 4 classes for fall semester, 2 weeks off for Christmas, 1 class for 1 month (January), 4 classes for spring semester. So there was no long break without classes during a 6 week winter/Christmas break

Yeah that's a lot different from what I had.

Mine was credit hours so how many classes per semester would vary and varied based on one's degree they were seeking. Most courses were probably 3 credit hours each but then you'd have 1 credit hours, 5 credit hour, 6 credit hour, and so on and all in between. My husband averaged 18 credit hours per semester (which is considered a lot), I averaged 15 credit hours but again courses varied in the amount of credit hours. Full time student was considered at least 12 credit hours.

It went start of Fall semester, Fall Break (like 2 days off), Thanksgiving Break (like 3 days off), Winter Break (usually a month), start of Spring semester, Spring Break, end of Spring semester, summer semester and repeat.

 

[tvguy]

Yeah that's a lot different from what I had.

Mine was credit hours so how many classes per semester would vary and varied based on one's degree they were seeking. Most courses were probably 3 credit hours each but then you'd have 1 credit hours, 5 credit hour, 6 credit hour, and so on and all in between. My husband averaged 18 credit hours per semester (which is considered a lot), I averaged 15 credit hours but again courses varied in the amount of credit hours. Full time student was considered at least 12 credit hours.

It went start of Fall semester, Fall Break (like 2 days off), Thanksgiving Break (like 3 days off), Winter Break (usually a month), start of Spring semester, Spring Break, end of Spring semester, summer semester and repeat.

Most classes were 4 units. Some were 2. 12 units was minimum for a full time student. Normal was 16 units. The maximum was 18, but you could petition to take more. I took 20 one semester. 4-4 unit classes, and a 4 unit internship that was 24 hours per week. That was an odd semester. I had 3 classes on Monday and Wednesday during the day. 1 class on Tuesday and Thursday night at 7 pm. No classes on Friday. I did 8 hours of internship on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the day.

 

[barkley]

Wow, never heard of dorms closing down during holiday breaks. But the Private College I went to, which my son also attended, recruits heavily in the Middle East and South America and those students depend on having a place to live for the entire school year.

our local state has lots of international students but they are held to the same dorm criteria (in normal times) as everyone else-winter break (just shy of 1 month) limited dorms so if you opt to stay on campus you move into a temp dorm and pay $$$, spring break (1 week) dorms open.

if this situation continues into the summer w/international students prohibited from going home it will be interesting to see what happens. summer classes here are almost exclusively high cost professional training courses (think what's needed to retain licensing and certifications) so it's limited dorms at exorbitant prices. i'm guessing it would be cheaper w/decreased leisure travel for those students to bundle together and take advantage of uber cheap hotels (think holiday inn express w/free breakfasts, microwaves and fridges in a room-you could fit 6 people in a junior suite w/2 kings and a double bed pull out sofa).

 

[CF'er]

I've only read up to page 5 and I only saw this hit on briefly. What about those kids that have jobs, no not work study, and still are expected to be at their job? Thankfully my DD is in off campus housing and she is off all next week for spring break and then her school goes on-line. I think most of her co-workers are students too so they all can't come home. I doubt they close her business and until or unless they do she will stay where she is.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

.

 

[laughinplace199]

My DD20 was doing a semester in Dublin and was supposed to be there until May 3. Her program was cancelled Thursday and she's flying home tomorrow. She is devastated. She was having the time of her life in Ireland. The part that's hardest for her is that the cancellation was so abrupt. One minute they're told classes would be online but they can stay, and the next minute they're told they have 3 days to pack up and leave the country.

DS18 is a college freshman. They have to be out of the dorms by tomorrow, so DH is driving down to get him. It's unclear of they will be able to return to the dorms at a later date, so he is packing everything up. He is so sad to leave school and all of his new friends.

But I really feel for the high school and college seniors who are missing the best part of senior year and possibly graduation. So sad.

 

[Southernmiss]

If my sons' college 5 hours away demanded that off campus students were forced to their parents home, I would not agree with it.

My sons are over 21. We are told elsewhere they're adults. Don't coddle them. Now we are to scoop them up and insist they come home?

One son is returning from France right now. I told him travel was a bad idea before he left. But again he is 21. He will need to self quarantine in his apartment for 14 days. I love him and will be in touch with him daily (have mailed supplements to his apartment, his brother bought him groceries), but we are safer if he can stay in his own apartment.

The college town needs to enforce gathering rules and curfews, not mom and dad.

 

[luvsJack]

If my sons' college 5 hours away demanded that off campus students were forced to their parents home, I would not agree with it.

My sons are over 21. We are told elsewhere they're adults. Don't coddle them. Now we are to scoop them up and insist they come home?

One son is returning from France right now. I told him travel was a bad idea before he left. But again he is 21. He will need to self quarantine in his apartment for 14 days. I love him and will be in touch with him daily (have mailed supplements to his apartment, his brother bought him groceries), but we are safer if he can stay in his own apartment.

The college town needs to enforce gathering rules and curfews, not mom and dad.

That’s what I was thinking. Contacting off campus landlords, that are not connected to the university, is stepping over a line, IMO. What if these off campus students have no where else to go? Or they won’t be able to keep up with online classes from home? Lots of things to consider before that line is crossed, it seems to me. The first being, these are young adults.

 

[luvsJack]

Apparently, this is happening in many districts across the country.
I get why, and I’m all for kids programs.
But, this goes completely against the purpose for closing down schools. It’s the humans, not the buildings.

They have more control of the numbers, seeing if someone is sick upon entering, etc. They have to educate these kids and not everyone has reliable internet.

A few of our districts have similar centers all the time. They aren’t very big and during the summer, people make appointment times to use it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What to me becomes the issue is before you had this student opt to go home or that student go home and that is something that was done by their choice, exposure issues generally were limited to the area the college was in with the students still there (not completely but generally speaking). Once you pull the students and all at once you increase the exposure rate for everyone else out there through travel to get them home, through exposure once they are home especially if their home has cases. Cars do limit the outside exposure a bit.

I would have the same opinion if they did it for my area but it seems more like shifting the burden of responsibility--the University would rather not deal with it all and instead says "it's whereever you live it's their problem" and they appear to be under the assumption that many of the students their parents have all the control over them.

 

[godisney14]

For some parents it’s not about having to man up as a parent. Some people just think this is completely over the top and don’t think it’s necessary for their kids to come home. So they aren’t going to force or encourage them to do so.

I work at a level 1 trauma center so I understand not wanting hospital resources to be spread thin. But I work with a surgeon who has a son that goes to UVA. He thinks all of this is a bit over the top (actually every surgeon and physician I’ve spoke to thinks it’s a bit over the top).

I assume your area does not have a lot of cases.
That is exactly not what we think out here in CA.
Of course even doctors have their own opinions, but everyone in my circle were starting to keep kids home from school earlier this week even before all school districts announced closure yesterday. And the doctors with elderly parents in SNFs and ALFs are brining their parents home.
Some hospitals here have already set up triage tents in parking lots to prepare for potential surge.

Even Apple decided today to close ALL stores around the world, except China. Almost everyone will dislike it, but extreme measures of social distancing works as demonstrated by China and what Italy is doing.

 

[Searc]

Our son has not lived here in three years. His off campus apartment is his home.

They are either adults or not. You can't talk out both sides of your mouth.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our son has not lived here in three years. His off campus apartment is his home.

They are either adults or not. You can't talk out both sides of your mouth.

Agreed.

My junior and senior year I lived in an apartment off campus. My lease was 12 months at a time. I didn't leave it to go home for breaks I didn't leave it to go home for summer. That apartment was my home.

 

[Southernmiss]

In our state at least 2 of the major university towns exist because of the college. There was nothing in the town in the 1850s when my kid's school was founded.

Closing the college and sending kids home, closes the town. Our colleges are closed btw for the foreseeable future and online classes start next week. One son has been working spring break week in his off campus yogurt shop job. Not sure how long the shop will stay open due to coronavirus

The businesses there are because of the college. To send messages to landlords to kick students out would not sit well at all.

Last weekend we visited. Everything was busy and things were hopping, sporting events and campus visits were still happening with people in from out of town supporting the economy.

 

[indimom]

Our daughter is staying in her apartment off campus with her four roommates. As far as I know, they are all staying. They all have jobs, on and off campus. My daughter is a tutor at the university and the only one who won't be working but she's staying to complete her research. She and her roommates are not doing anything different that most adults - going to store, going to work - and taking their online courses.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

well, it's going to be interesting here (eastern washington) to say the least. this afternoon the governor ordered all k-12 public and private schools to close at minimum from 3/17-4/24. those schools are looking to rush to come up with on-line curriculum. i haven't heard of a single college in the state that isn't planning on all next quarter being on-line classes. all of this together has brought the issue-internet access, speed and capabilities. there are concerns that with the increased educational demands on internet that the current systems in place in many areas of our state will be insufficient. some families don't even have access to or can't afford it so what are they to do? don't suggest the library-those close tomorrow, for a minimum of a month.

I tried to get my little school to start making plans for online learning 3 weeks+ ago, so we’d have our act together when this happened. But I was told no, the diocese is making a plan. We heard nothing from the diocese except “we are monitoring the situation” until this week. On Thursday they sent some link to distance learning ideas out to teachers. Look through these ideas, they said. No plan of any kind. Closure announced yesterday (Fri) and this Monday the teachers have to meet to plan out the online curriculum. School should have started it 3 weeks ago like I said!!! I already know what I’m going to do bc I’ve been planning it for 3 weeks. I just need to scan all my copies of stuff, so I can send it out. But the other teachers are STRESSED and scared and trying to figure it all out.