Bowdoin online until end of semester. Getting more details this afternoon. Kids went home for spring break last Friday with no direction to take stuff home for longer than the two week break. Sounds like they will somehow be letting kids back on campus to grab stuff if they need it but I highly doubt anyone who has to fly will go and we will just make do. The letter does say that, in the unlikely event that the virus situation changes for the better, they will re-evaluate having kids come back for class.
@homerdog , Bates is staying open until the April break, at least for now. As of yesterday, Maine had no reported cases of COVID19.
I’m just so sad that these kids are probably not going to get a graduation weekend. I am hoping that it will be rescheduled for early fall or something.
@safiastyle, no tours at Grinnell until May at the earliest.
The second semester at Bates ends in mid April so it makes sense for them to try to stay open until then if possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to cut out Short Term (their 5 week extra term running from April-May) this year or to curtail the options.
^^^If a college has a late spring break (say, in April), why doesn’t the college consider, as an alternative, cancelling the break and keeping the kids on campus, if it’s in a location with no confirmed case? If the students don’t leave the campus, they won’t bring back the disease.
@gardenstategal , what is Colby planning?
Binghamton U has a three stage plan. First, infection in Broome County. Second, infection at BU. Third, only essential staff allowed on campus. So far, students are in class. I fully expect my son to be coming home in a couple of weeks.
@1NJParent - interesting idea.
Have any of the schools said what happens with classes that don’t really work remotely? Thinking arts classes, labs or research projects that undergraduates might be working on? Or nursing students doing clinicals? And international students, especially those from countries with major outbreaks.
My son’s is at grad school at a nearby state college that is extending spring break and may be transitioning to online classes, but so far lab classes will go on next week. That is possible because most students are commuters or live off campus, but that won’t work for schools where most students live on campus.
This is what I am hoping my son’s colleges does.
Cancel spring break, require the students to stay on campus, and prohibit people from visiting the campus. Basically, quarantine the campus. The kids would be safer staying on campus than they would be returning to their communities. Plus, if kids return to their communities, the odds of them contracting Covid-19 and then passing it on to a member of their community who falls into the high-risk category is much greater than if they stayed put on campus.
Another thing the Bowdoin letter said was that all NESCAC spring sports are cancelled (at least conference competition)…that the presidents all agree to that. Winter sports will be allowed to finish up, but all games may not allow spectators.
“Have any of the schools said what happens with classes that don’t really work remotely? Thinking arts classes, labs or research projects that undergraduates might be working on? Or nursing students doing clinicals? And international students, especially those from countries with major outbreaks.”
I’ve though about this too. DS is an engineer and music minor. Obviously he can’t perform his music online, and what about labs? The other things I have been thinking of are bandwidth and the servers. Are they going to be able to handle all these kids doing online classes at the same time? As it is, a lot of people are already working from home, I’ve notice my commuter train has less and less people every day. Same with the subway.
I realize there are bigger issues, but my heart does go out to these kids. It stinks to have your semester cut short!
Another university closes campus classrooms during the coronavirus outbreak
From CNN
Georgetown University in Washington, DC, will move classes online starting on Monday due to concerns over the novel coronavirus outbreak, they announced in a statement on their website.
The university is currently on spring break.
“We are suspending all in-person, on-campus classroom instruction. This will continue until further notice,” the statement said.
All undergraduate students are advised to return home, but the campus will remain open. No guests will be allowed into any residential facilities starting this Sunday, according to the school’s website.
Washington, DC, is currently reporting four cases of coronavirus.
Georgetown is the latest school to close campus classrooms during the coronavirus outbreak.
The cancellations have been focused in states and areas hardest hit by the virus, including the Seattle area, California and New York. The Ohio State University, which has an enrollment of more than 60,000 students, and Harvard University, the Ivy League institution, were some of the most recent schools to announce they are closing classrooms.
D said none of her profs have a plan In place to make this on line class stuff a reality. They didn’t think the university would really move to this contingency. She’s more upset now than she was yesterday.
@Mwfan1921 My kid at Williams has not been notified of that development. My kid told me that the Williams LAX team is competing today.
Not true. Only for 7th block right now.
If anyone is in question of anything, it’s easy to find info online. 
@Mwfan1921 , all NESCAC spring sports cancelled? My son is on the rowing team at Hamilton and is scheduled to leave this Saturday for SC for two weeks of practice. We’ve heard nothing from Hamilton.
My son just received an email that Purdue Engineering is rolling out info for admitted students virtually via YouTube instead of the traditional admitted student day.
@Mwfan1921 @123France
My kid just got notice that all NESCAC athletics have been cancelled for spring season
I only know what the letter said…all in conference games cancelled for spring sports. I can post verbiage later.