@MWolf Did Midd give you guys a date that they will re-evaluate the situation? At least they aren’t having kids move out for the summer.
Holding graduation in smaller groups may or may not help stem the spread of the disease. The Biogen conference was only 175 people but was a major cause of the Boston outbreak.
The first couple weeks of April. I included an excerpt of the email we received in the “Parents of the Class of 2019” thread. I wouldn’t be surprised in Bowdoin also followed suit soon.
A shift toward distance / online learning may have a particularly detrimental effect on courses where interactive discussion is more valuable, in addition to those where hands on experiences (e.g. labs or art/music performance) are important.
UChicago for now is remaining open with Spring Break starting on March 21st. My D thinks they would be one of the last schools to close. They did announce today the following measures:
"The University is suspending all faculty-led Study Abroad programs for Spring Quarter 2020. We will work on a case-by-case basis with College students who are currently abroad on direct enrollment programs. Students living in College residence halls may remain in their current room assignments and will be supported in pre-registration for Spring Quarter classes. Our actions take into account the latest CDC guidance for international travel and study abroad programs, issued on Monday.
The University is suspending all nonessential international and domestic University travel, effective immediately through April 15. Essential travel is defined as supporting activities that are absolutely necessary, cannot be rescheduled, and must be done in person; individuals may petition the appropriate deans or officers regarding travel. While this step and the suspension of Study Abroad is disappointing, please know that the University remains deeply committed to international and domestic education and research, and we look forward to resuming normal activities when conditions allow.
We are suspending University-sponsored events and gatherings of more than 100 people effective immediately through April 15. At this time some scheduled performances in the arts and athletic events may be held with limitations on audience; please check ahead with the presenting organization. Any events that are moving forward should take into account the CDC’s guidance for event planners. Events with fewer than 100 attendees, and those involving vulnerable populations, should be approached with care based on the changing situation. Classes are not included in this guidance and will continue as scheduled, with the exception of courses affected by travel restrictions.
In a similar vein, we are asking schools, divisions, and departments to consider postponing on-campus visits to a later date when there may be lower risk.
If you must travel over the spring break period, please note that evolving public health measures could make it difficult to return to campus in a timely way. We advise travelers to bring along any items that you may need if your return to campus is delayed. As usual, the University will provide spring break housing for undergraduates currently in College residence halls who need to remain on campus over break.
We know some of these changes will be difficult, and that uncertainty about the spread of COVID-19 is contributing to concerns. But be assured that the University is refining preparations for a range of contingencies. The steps we are taking are temporary and well within our ability to achieve by working together.
One question that has arisen from recent developments at other universities is whether our University is moving to online classes or telework. Our current situation does not call for such measures, though we are continually monitoring developments and guidance from public health authorities. Should it become necessary, the University has access to virtual platforms that can accommodate many needs, including online classes, virtual events, and telework. We will be in touch with schools, divisions, faculty, and staff managers with further information on related preparations."
American U extending spring break through 3/17 and then starting online classes for 3 weeks, with in person classes resuming April 6. Obviously this plan could change depending how things go.
S came home yesterday for spring break and American recommends he stay here through April 5 though for students stuck on campus dorms and food services are open.
MIT is cancelling classes for next week. The following week is Spring break. Students are to leave campus by this Saturday and not return after Spring Break. Classes will be online after break (3/30).
https://web.mit.edu/covid19/update-from-president-l-rafael-reif-to-the-mit-community/
I can’t believe Amherst moved to online classes for what sounds like it could be the rest of the semester and sent all the kids home, just out of anxiety that someone MIGHT bring back the virus after spring break.
I sure hope Williams does not copy Amherst. I will be angry if it does so under circumstances similar to Amherst’s, in the absence of a big outbreak on campus or other new information/ complications. I want my kid to have the full college experience this spring— in-class discussions with peers and professors, life in a dorm, extracurricular activities, time with friends.
All of life has risk. Reasonable precautions are a great idea. Overreaction is not.
At my workplace, we are taking reasonable precautions (teaching handwashing and cough covering, installing sanitizer dispensers, wiping surfaces multiple times a day, etc.), and we are busily making preparations for various contingency plans (as I mentioned on the preparations thread, I have created an online curriculum and prepared resources for parents to use with their kids at home, but I hope we will never need to use them). But we also are keeping learning and the whole school experience as normal as possible for as long as possible.
It seems the schools are concerned that students will be traveling all over for spring break and there is no good way to determine who may have the virus upon their return to school. How can labs run without students? How can students doing final engineering or other research projects finish without being on campus?
What about international students with no plans to return to their home country? So far, varsity athletics seems to be going on. Will those students get to stay on campus?
Hopefully, students and families are getting more info than the school websites are showing.
Purdue is now online-only effective March 23. Professors have the option for the rest of this week, but after Spring Break next week it’s required. Campus and dorms remain open, students have the option of returning to campus or staying home.
Summer abroad programs are also cancelled.
Full email/details in the Purdue forum if you are interested.
These are 18 to 22 year old kids who are known for their bad life choices. All you need to do is to count the number of kids who are caught drunk on campus every weekend to understand that there are dozens or hundreds of kids at Williams (and at every other college) whose executive functions are not developed enough for them to take precautions which are inconvenient, or who will ignore symptoms because of various reasons.
Waiting until an outbreak starts to take steps, especially in the petri dish of college dorms, is waiting until too long. By the time the first kid is diagnosed with COVID-19, it is too late - there could be as many as hundreds who are either still asymptotic/light cases, or are infected and in the incubation period.
My guess is that most NE colleges and universities will eventually move to online.
Both NY and MA have large numbers of coronavirus infections and many students who attend these places. All it takes is one infected parent who decides that they MUST visit their kid in the kid’s dorm during break. Since there is no legal way to prevent this, the safest thing for all the students is to keep them separated as much as possible.
NYU will teach online starting tomorrow.
Spring break starts March 16
March 23-27 NYU will continue teaching all classes online
I wonder if those schools which send the kids home will issue partial refunds or credits for room/ board?
Some graduations just can’t happen months later. Think Law and Medical schools where students have hopefully moved on after graduation. It’s not like the can all just drop what they are doing and return for a graduation in July or whenever.
It will be very disappointing for some students to not have graduation this year…and I do think that is a possibility at some places.
Grinnell has gone digital for the end of the semester as well. They’re holding classes through Friday the 13th then going on their scheduled spring break and going digital after that.
I’m sure they will. They can’t charge for something they don’t provide for.
@Sue22 is Grinnell re-evaluating at some point? Or did they say class on campus is over the rest of the semester?
Harvard’s response: "Room and board charges will be pro-rated to an effective end date of March 15th.
The University is still working on the details for what will happen with any other student charges. Please be patient as this will take some time and the priority is getting students home safely.
https://dso.college.harvard.edu/coronavirusfaq
The situation is fluid; I’m sure other colleges will answer ASAP
@1NJParent Smith is reimbursing for room and board. I figure other schools will have to do so as well …but I was glad that a friend shared her Smith letter with me so I could see they plan to reimburse. I feel like I’ll have a leg to stand on if Bowdoin won’t let kids back to campus. Bowdoin kids are in a weird spot. Weren’t told to bring everything home for online learning and spring break started last Friday. It’s a two week break. We’ve been getting updates but nothing about online learning or a delay to return yet. I’m guessing most kids could make online learning work even if they weren’t planning on that, but I don’t know how the college will handle kids moving out for the year. We would obviously all have to go back at some point to do that.
NB- I corrected myself on the dates in post #134.
Grinnell goes on break at the end of this week. They’re giving kids an extra week to get their belongings out, until the 23rd, then going to on-line for classes when the semester resumes on the 30th.