Coronavirus and US Campus issues

Parents Forum
321

@homerdog – that’s rough. I agree kids can be both sad and grieve and understand colleges are making tough decisions and doing the best they can. I think K12 schools will be shutting down / going online (as much as they can) soon. Whole other whole host of problems given food insecurity and parents who are health care workers, etc.

But what I’m reading increasingly makes me think the sooner we shut everything down the better we are. Especially given the limited capacity to test right now. In NC, they reported there were 250 tests for the whole dang state as of yesterday. So we really have no idea how widespread this already is – no idea.

322

Colby and Hamilton are closing, apparently.

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Yes, Colby just announced that. Not clear to me what the timefrane is. Spring break extended by a week then online learning.

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Ithaca is adding on an extra week of Spring Break and going online from 3/23-4/3. Hopefully they will be able to go back to campus after that, but I’m not holding my breath.

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Tulane:
Dear Tulane Community:
As you know, our country and world are currently facing a severe health crisis with the global outbreak of COVID-19. For weeks, Tulane has been mounting a response to this threat with the goal of keeping our campus community safe while also allowing our students to continue their education.
I write to you today to outline a series of major actions we are taking in response to this pandemic. In keeping with the recommendations of public health officials worldwide, we are acting to reduce the concentration of people on campus and the number of gatherings. These efforts include, as outlined in this letter, conducting classes online, reducing the number of students on campus, cancelling major events and eliminating non-essential travel. However, our campuses will remain open during this period as we continue to support the academic and research mission of Tulane.
Instruction
All classes will be conducted online beginning Monday, March 23 through the end of the semester.
Friday, March 13 is the last day of in-person classes for the semester.
No classes, online or in-person, will be taught March 14-22. This will allow undergraduate students time to move and will also ensure that faculty can provide students with the highest quality of online instruction.
All graduate and professional students will also transition to remote instruction by March 23, with the exception of clinical-based programs, practicums, medical rotations and in-lab training/research.
We will observe Spring Break as scheduled so there will be no classes from Sunday, April 5 to Monday, April 13. However, make-up classes will be scheduled to compensate for class time lost during the March 14-22 closing.

On-Campus Students
Between March 14 and March 22 all uptown, on-campus students should prepare to move out of their residence halls for the remainder of the semester.
A number of students may have an exceptional need to remain on campus. Some, such as international students, may have difficulty returning home; others, such as in-season athletes, have activities that require them to be present on campus. Students who are seeking an exception to moving off campus should submit an online application.
Students who may have difficult personal circumstances that would make leaving campus a challenge, should reach out to Erica Woodley, Dean of Students, at ewoodley@tulane.edu
The move to online instruction will limit service learning and practicum hours for many students. Academic advisors will work with students to ensure this does not disrupt any student’s academic progress.
Travel
All non-essential university-related international and domestic travel is being suspended. Exceptions must be approved by the Provost or the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Faculty and Staff
With the exception of quarantined individuals, all faculty and staff are expected to report to work as normal. However, we will practice social distancing measures and preventative measures throughout the university. We urge you to follow these same recommendations at home. For more information on Tulane’s COVID-19 response, FAQs, and the preventative measures please click here.
Events
All gatherings, events, and activities with more than 50 individuals will be postponed or cancelled immediately. This includes:
The Book Festival at Tulane
Crawfest
New Orleans Entrepreneur Week
We hope to hold Commencement as scheduled in May, but this is subject to change given potential public health recommendations.
As we all work together to confront this pandemic, we should keep our motto “Not for oneself but for one’s own” in the forefront of our thoughts. This is a stressful and disruptive time for our community, but I know that together we will triumph through this difficult period and emerge stronger, better, and more united as a Tulane family.
I witness, firsthand, on a daily basis the resilence and dedication of this extraordinary community – and even more so during moments such as this. I want to express my deep appreciation and admiration to the many colleagues who are working tirelessly to support our community, continue our mission, and keep us all safe.
Sincerely,
Mike Fitts

326

Ugh – 2 of 3 of my kids are now online class- one is still on campus because of lacrosse which seems to be on its way out too as one by one schools are cancelling their entire seasons!

I have no idea if she will be home for a while or the end of the semester and trying to figure out travel and storage is becoming rather challenging. And then I am paying for tuition, room and board for 3 kids who are going to be at my house, eating my food and using my internet!

327

The latest today from Purdue:

March 12, 2020

Dear Purdue Community,

First, my thanks for all of the actions being taken to support our response to COVID-19. President Daniels and I have appreciated the ‘can do’ attitude expressed by our students, staff, and faculty over the past couple of days – your resolve and support has been truly impressive and deeply appreciated. Your many questions have been helpful and we would continue to point you to the COVID-19 website for answers to those questions. We are updating it frequently, so please check back often.

Given the events of the past 48 hours, I write to share some additional information with you. As President Daniels indicated in his earlier letter, ‘we are eager to return to the normal business of Purdue as soon as it is medically and scientifically justified’. We will make that decision no later than Monday, March 30, and if we do decide to resume face-to-face instruction, we would start on Monday, April 6. To be clear, by March 30, we will either commit to remote instruction for the rest of the semester, or we will resume face-to-face instruction on April 6. We are hopeful this date is helpful for your planning purposes.

Please know that our residence halls will remain open and food service will be available throughout the semester. That said, every student can leave campus knowing that classes will be delivered remotely from March 23-April 3, and that by March 30, will let you know whether or not we will be holding face-to-face classes this semester.

Another important update for today: The CDC has raised the travel designation for most European countries to Level 3 for coronavirus. In addition, President Trump has signed a proclamation that suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in these European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their arrival in the United States. Given this development, Purdue faculty, staff and students returning from these Level 3 countries must self-quarantine for 14 days before they return to campus. In addition, the university will delay arrival of other visitors from the affected countries.

Again, my thanks to each of you for all you will do to help us navigate this challenging situation successfully. We will continue to keep you informed to the best of our ability and urge you to check the website often for help answering your questions and for updates.

Best regards,

Jay T. Akridge

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Diversity

328

American changed from closing through April 6 to closing the rest of the semester. Online classes begin March 18. Students (who are currently on spring break) have until March 23 to vacate the dorms and move out. Students with extraordinary circumstances can petition to stay on campus. They are still figuring out prorating room and board but it looks like that will be happening.

My son was planning on enrolling for summer semester, no word on that as yet. We are lucky to be within a short drive to move him out but this will obviously be a real pain for people who have to fly in more ways than one.

https://www.american.edu/coronavirus/

329

Davidson just called it. They had just arrived back on campus last weekend from Spring Break. Classes cancelled tomorrow through Tuesday; online instruction will start this coming Wednesday. Everyone encouraged to pack for the year when they leave, but campus will stay open to accommodate those who can’t leave. (international, etc.)

330

UGA is suspending classes for 2 weeks and will prepare for the possibility of going online for the rest of the semester during that time if necessary. They are monitoring the CV situation during the interim. I’m happy with this response. My D will return to her apartment on Sunday (end of spring break) and hang out for the next two weeks.

331

@toomanyteens Last night I said to DH, our nights of simple, barely cooking done two months early! I had an egg last night. My first thoughts when they called with campus closing - how will internet handle it, food spending up with lots of meal swipes left on their cards and water bill going up.

332

I have a freshman, sophomore and senior in college. My heart goes out to all the seniors in particular. I just attended Senior Day for my eldest’s basketball team this past weekend. It was fantastic. With both the celebration and the sadness of the finality of her basketball career over with, she was newly excited to be a ‘regular’ college student and get some quality time with so many people as they headed towards the big Graduation Day in 2 months. Then the world threw a curveball.

Suddenly, they are all buying boxes, packing up, and making rushed travel plans to all four corners of the map as the entire campus shuts down on Sunday.

She is too hurried to get everything done in time to even see classmates for one final ‘Goodbye’. Quite surreal and yet so many people are so much worse off right now. Seniors finish off their studies online and then abruptly enter the working world without any college wind down and likely no Graduation Ceremony. Must feel a bit cheated by fate, but such is life.

333

Just got an email. The Big 10 has suspended the remainder of the season. All sports.

334

Not just Big 10. All of “March Madness” is cancelled. Kids worked their rear ends off to reach the pinnacle and its cancelled. Some, college career ends abruptly. No ‘Dancing’ this year.

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@bloomfield88 As I mention, all B1G sports are suspended. So, we’re talking about hockey, LAX, golf, baseball, etc. And not just March Madness.

336

I’m about to have 2 kids home, taking classes online. I guess time to upgrade the internet…

337

Adding Brown University. https://covid.brown.edu/news/2020-03-12/remote-learning.

"we have made the very difficult decision to move academic instruction for all undergraduate and graduate students to remote learning effective Monday, March 30.

Undergraduate students who live in on-campus residences or Brown-owned properties must vacate their residences as soon as possible and no later than Sunday, March 22, and complete the semester from their homes or at an alternate location away from campus."

338

Auburn is going on line as of Monday. For now it’s only officially until April 20, but I can’t imagine they’ll call the kids back just for exams.

339

The cc where my Ds take dual enrollment classes in SoCal just went mostly online as of today, effective through the end of the month. All intercollegiate sports at the school are also suspended during that time.

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@AlmostThere2018 , Ohio closed its schools (K-12) as of next Monday, for 3 weeks and gatherings of over 100 people are prohibited.

My kids’ colleges, Elon and LMU, are both online until 4/5 and 3/30 respectively. Both are allowing kids to stay if needed.