Problems With Closing Colleges For Coronavirus

[mi*vida*loca]

So, in Oregon the universities are going remote Do they really think these students are NOT going to get together for parties/clubbing/activities? Kinda seems ridiculous to think going remote is going to help unless they put them in house arrest or something. This is crazy!

I expect that if classes go remote and dorms are still open that kids will just go home or stay home after spring break. That's what my son will do.

I did tell him that during spring break I would prefer he stay home as much as possible and not go to parties with tons of people. He agreed. We shall see.

 

[mjkacmom]

I expect that if classes go remote and dorms are still open that kids will just go home or stay home after spring break. That's what my son will do.

I did tell him that during spring break I would prefer he stay home as much as possible and not go to parties with tons of people. He agreed. We shall see.

I’m guessing most who live off campus will be staying. I’m not sure about Dd18, she’s coming home tomorrow for her new spring break, but might be going back after if the dorms remain open. Ds21 is coming home tomorrow for spring break, but he’s going back after the week (or sooner) to do online learning.

 

[okeydokey]

My University told on campus students that if they left for break they would not be able to return to campus dorms until the online period was over (through April 6 currently).


They are saying that off-campus students that leave town should not return to any on campus facility during the online period (library, gym, etc). Hard to enforce, but the fact that this is the policy they put out. Hoping for compliance.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I’m guessing most who live off campus will be staying. I’m not sure about Dd18, she’s coming home tomorrow for her new spring break, but might be going back after if the dorms remain open. Ds21 is coming home tomorrow for spring break, but he’s going back after the week (or sooner) to do online learning.

Just got word my sons classes at Rowan are all going online but dorms and dining halls will remain open. All sports now canceled.

He’s thinking if he’ll go back after spring break or stay home. I was sure he’d want to stay home but he’s seeing what his friends do and then he’ll decide.

Also no refunds for dining plans or housing. I’m sure that’s one reason why they’ve decided to keep it open. Technically it’s open so we don’t have to give a refund.

 

[kidshop]

My son has to be out of the dorms by tuesday and they are not going back, classes are going to be online. I am quite happy about it! He is a junior and when he left for college he never really came back except a week here or there for holidays. He stayed summers to work. I am thrilled I get to get thoroughly sick of him before he heads to his summer internship! (always a silver lining)

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

My University told on campus students that if they left for break they would not be able to return to campus dorms until the online period was over (through April 6 currently).


They are saying that off-campus students that leave town should not return to any on campus facility during the online period (library, gym, etc). Hard to enforce, but the fact that this is the policy they put out. Hoping for compliance.

My DS graduated last year from UVA. This is exactly what his school just announced yesterday.

My DD goes to Virginia Tech. They weren’t as adamant in their announcement, saying online learning would commence but the campus, dorms and dining hall would stay open. So now tons of the off campus kids and some of the dorm kids are excited about staying and having fun with their friends. Parents on the parents Facebook page are saying stuff like - Johnny is going back to his apartment because we pay for it, or because his friends are all there, or because he needs his study group, or because he will be bored at home, or because he wants to.

Other kids want to stay because so and so is staying and they don’t want to miss out. The FOMO is real, and it is strong. So much for social distancing.

If they all go back with no classes and tons of down time, it’s going to be a disaster. When things get bad and the interstates shut down in order to keep people in place and prevent spread, or state to state travel is suspended, and people are sick everywhere, or the kids get sick and the parents can’t get to them, these parents are going to panic!!! It’s going to get bad... the USA wouldn’t be shutting down if this wasn’t BIG. Why are people so short sighted???

 

[hellow]

You have posted this same thought on many threads. The Universities cannot control if students can get together in clubs or at parties. They can control if they get together in classrooms. They are doing what they can. No solution is going to be perfect for every population, but overall steps need to be taken to flatten the curve of infections so we don't overwhelm our healthcare system.

I wasn't aware that there was a limitation on providing my thoughts on different threads. This one is titled "Problems with closing colleges with Coronavirus". Why do you feel the need to post your response to me on different threads, and think that is any better?

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

You have posted this same thought on many threads. The Universities cannot control if students can get together in clubs or at parties. They can control if they get together in classrooms. They are doing what they can. No solution is going to be perfect for every population, but overall steps need to be taken to flatten the curve of infections so we don't overwhelm our healthcare system.

I think this is when parents need to pull the parent card and the purse strings if necessary to get their kids to leave campuses. Social distancing will not happen if too many kids stay on campus. This is a national health crises. Parents need to man up.

DH and I are working through this with our DD now. She doesn’t want to come home because all her friends are staying. Flattening the curve be damned (according to the kids). Fun is more important. We are doing everything in our power to get her home.

 

[mjkacmom]

Just got word my sons classes at Rowan are all going online but dorms and dining halls will remain open. All sports now canceled.

He’s thinking if he’ll go back after spring break or stay home. I was sure he’d want to stay home but he’s seeing what his friends do and then he’ll decide.

Also no refunds for dining plans or housing. I’m sure that’s one reason why they’ve decided to keep it open. Technically it’s open so we don’t have to give a refund.

Lol that’s what everyone is saying about UD, no need for refunds if dorms and dining stay open.

 

[Hikergirl]

I think this is when parents need to pull the parent card and the purse strings if necessary to get their kids to leave campuses. Social distancing will not happen if too many kids stay on campus. This is a national health crises. Parents need to man up.

DH and I are working through this with our DD now. She doesn’t want to come home because all her friends are staying. Flattening the curve be damned (according to the kids). Fun is more important. We are doing everything in our power to get her home.

My 2 kids in college are adults. I'm not going to pull anything to make them stay here at home.
My dd is going back because she has to still pay rent for the next 3 months. Her apartment has been her home for the last year. She has research that has to be done off campus and since she started it up there, doing it here at home will mean starting over.
Some of her friends have jobs on campus, one uses it to pay his rent that will still be due every month for the rest of the semester. If the campus is open, he will be there.
For some this isn't just about fun, it's about making their own adult decisions.

 

[mamamary]

I'm leaving in a few minutes to get my son at college. My daughter came home the other day. So far he has his regular week off next week followed by two weeks of online classes. I have to drive 3 hours to get him. I'm wondering if they will really go back in April like they plan. I guess he'll bring home what we can fit in the car. Even if school closed now I'd never fit all his stuff in the car. He graduates in May so I'm crossing my fingers that will still happen.

 

[NYCgrrl]

My 2 kids in college are adults. I'm not going to pull anything to make them stay here at home.
My dd is going back because she has to still pay rent for the next 3 months. Her apartment has been her home for the last year. She has research that has to be done off campus and since she started it up there, doing it here at home will mean starting over.
Some of her friends have jobs on campus, one uses it to pay his rent that will still be due every month for the rest of the semester. If the campus is open, he will be there.
For some this isn't just about fun, it's about making their own adult decisions.

This.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think this is when parents need to pull the parent card and the purse strings if necessary to get their kids to leave campuses. Social distancing will not happen if too many kids stay on campus. This is a national health crises. Parents need to man up.

DH and I are working through this with our DD now. She doesn’t want to come home because all her friends are staying. Flattening the curve be damned (according to the kids). Fun is more important. We are doing everything in our power to get her home.

What purse strings? My mom didn't contribute a dime to my education, she was unable to. Not every student at a college is being financially backed by their parents nor does that mean the concerns are any different the parents have for their kids if they aren't. It's a bit insulting to say "Parents need to man up".

My mom wouldn't have been able to even pull the parent card with me. I was far more independent for that, all my college decisions were my own. Of course my mom offered advice.

I completely 100% understand mom2rtk's position. Her and I live in the same metro and we're getting all ramped up here. I wouldn't judge her decision by any means nor any other parent who is stuck in this impossible place moreso when their kids are too far away from home where transit becomes an issue.

In college I worked, I would have been far more concerned with if I still had a job because of all the impacts to retail. When I was a senior in college I worked for the University's bookstore so decisions they made would have directly impacted by ability to earn any money so if the campus closed completely god I don't even know what I would do. My income was being used to go to college in the first place and have housing. Heck in this day in age with all of these I would be worried how I would be completing my coursework if the college didn't stay open. My senior year I helped a grad student with her study she was running. If I couldn't go on campus would I still earn the credits? The first semester was actually conducting the study (which I don't know if they would have forced a "no study" rule or not). The second semester I coded the results of the study but I met with the researcher (the grad student) to figure out the coding. I could do only so much from my laptop in my apartment. These are questions I would have been worried about. Partying would have been the last thought on my mind. Having fun would have been the last thought on my mind.

Ultimately everyone is different, I suppose the best thing you can hope for is there's enough balance between the "just want to have fun" and the ones who aren't. Either way..'manning up' isn't the solution for all

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My son is 20. He’s an adult. I couldn’t imagine “pulling the purse strings or parent card” on an adult. At his age I had my own apartment, a baby (him) and was married. I can’t fathom anyone telling me what to do at 20 so I wouldn’t do that to my son.

My son has FAFSA and student loans. I took one very small student loan in my name. It’s an instate school so not crazy expensive for him. He works. He has his own money. He does live at home with me when he’s not at school and his father and I do pay his car insurance, but we aren’t supporting him 100%.

I’m letting him make his own adult decisions. Because, ya know, he’s an adult.

 

[mnrose]

My son is staying at our house...probably. He has aspergers and doesn't socialize much, so no hardship for him. His classes will be on line. He'd also be fine just staying in his condo, I think. But, the building has a TON of elderly people (1/2 college age kids, 1/2 elderly), and he wants to avoid possibly spreading this disease to them. He's not worried about himself. My daughter will likely need to go back. She's student teaching a few days per week, and that high school remains open. She also works weekends at a bridal salon. And, that is still open. She lives off campus in an apartment with 3 other girls. Not worried about her. She's smart and savvy about all of this stuff. She's adulting like mad.

 

[NYCgrrl]

@mnrose- you reminded me that we should all try to think of the elderly (in my world that's the folks in their 80's and 90s, ) who may not have family nearby or home attendants.

Do some food shopping/run errands for them
Surprise them with a casserole dish or two
Make sure they have 90 day supplies of meds

Just be good neighbors.

I've a set "grandfathered in" as my mother used to live in this apartment so DGD and the adults take turns running the rounds to see how they are doing. Great for DGD to think about something besides what her hair looks like....

 

[Wendy31]

Our 2 older kids go to a small, private liberal arts college.

As I’ve posted in either this thread or one of the others (I can’t remember now... we have so many different threads going!), their Spring Break starts on Monday, &, after that, they’re going to online instruction, They hope to be able to return to in-person classes at the beginning of April.

Students were told they had to be out of the dorms by Sunday & that they needed to pack as if they were not going to be able to return until next fall.

At first, I thought they were leaving a block of dorm rooms open for international students & students who just can’t get back home.

However, today, I’ve heard that many of the faculty & staff are opening their homes for the students who can’t get home, & some students are going home w/ other students. So, now, I’m thinking that maybe ALL the dorms will be closed.

During previous fall, Christmas, & spring breaks, dorms have stayed opened, but the dining hall was closed... students could stay in the dorms over breaks, but they were “on their own” for meals.

Our kids commute, so I don’t know what they’re doing about dorm & dining hall refunds

 

[wvjules]

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[erc]

I think the biggest virus exposure area on campus is the dining hall. Especially any "bar" where students serve themselves. My son is doing remote classes but the campus is open including the dining halls. Kind of a strange compromise.

 

[Searc]

I think this is when parents need to pull the parent card and the purse strings if necessary to get their kids to leave campuses. Social distancing will not happen if too many kids stay on campus. This is a national health crises. Parents need to man up.

DH and I are working through this with our DD now. She doesn’t want to come home because all her friends are staying. Flattening the curve be damned (according to the kids). Fun is more important. We are doing everything in our power to get her home.

Actually, in my DS's case, his full time job is more important. He lives off campus, is 100% self-supporting and works full time. He isn't staying there to party, he's staying to work.