Knowsstuff:
sbdad12:
brantly:
sushiritto:
brantly:
Completely disagree. This is not like taking personal responsibility for not crossing against the light, or for self-directing your career, or for eating a healthy diet. Those are the types of things that affect the individual and only the individual. It would be wrong to blame others.
When it comes to public health, each individual’s actions affect outcomes for many other individuals as well as the health status of the community. That’s why it is a PUBLIC health crisis. PUBLIC health means that the health status of the many is impacted by actions of the individual. It astounds me how many times I have to repeat this to so many people.
**There is zero possible way that “individual responsibility” ALONE can tackle this virus while having a functioning community. **Community-wide measures MUST be taken. These include:
-Universal molecular testing 2-3 times/week
I have a graduate degree in public health., btw.
Did I say the individual is 100% “alone” responsible? No. You’re completely disagreeing with something I didn’t say.
You said it’s 90/10 on the UMich administration. I said the “majority,” which I define as 50%+1, is personal responsibility. Many people want to be blame the university and take ZERO responsibility. I say, not so fast, my friend.
In any case, clearly there are students (and A2 residents) who are screwing around with everyone’s health at the university (see Michigan Daily opinion piece above). Students are going home for Thanksgiving. Mine is NOT coming back to CA for Thanksgiving. And that sucks.
IMPORTANT: Coordinated, widespread public health communication program from **Federal, State and local authorities too! **
Failure is everywhere. But ultimately, it’s one’s brain making the final decision.
The individual cannot do this. All of this , which is key to containing the virus, needs to be coordinated by existing institutions:
100% agree with you. I would add in wastewater testing.
This is on the university. I don’t believe the City of Ann Arbor has law enforcement functions on campus; just off campus–that’s on the University Police Department, which is part of the state Division of Public Safety and Security. Washtenaw County Dept of Health works with the university, but the university has the responsibility to keep students and staff safe–that’s even more important than education, believe it or not. To say it is more on the individual is a bit too “Ayn Randian” to me.
The university makes 5-10X more off of its investments in one year than the City of Ann Arbor’s entire General Fund. It’s their responsibility to fund and enforce.
https://news.umich.edu/a-sewage-surveillance-effort-to-track-covid-19/
They have been and how they determined one of the dorms was getting infected.
I think the message to students was loud and clear through all the emails, texts, phone applications, tracking measures that are actually in place. Where I feel they fell very short was not enough daily testing till now. Also not asking off campus kids like my kid to get tested. Sure he did isolate before coming up. But he’s in one of the coop housing and they could of easily just had him test. Could he do it on his own? Yep. But they repeatily said it wasn’t needed.
He also works for the university even though it’s through zoom but all employees have to get tested think once a week now. Hopefully he does. He is around others but really not a lot. Standing in line getting food then back to his room. So yes it sucks.
He is also the house manager for his section. He puts everyone on a cleaning schedule. They do it together. Even the toilets. Remember it’s a Co op. No one has had covid yet. No one. So taking personal responsibility is definitely part of this. This is as much like a dorm as the dorm they are behind. Yes, mostly older students, graduates and researchers so more mature students.
They have picnic tables outside (hammocks also) and lots of green space. Looks more like a summer camp ground with tons of trees and woodsy. You don’t even think your on a college campus. His walk to classes is actually beautiful…
Anyway, Now Michigan has the protocols but the dorms have gotten out of control. My son stayed on campus last year when everyone went home. It was great for him. It was very quite on campus but it allowed him to focus on this classes also. He’s adaptable and just wants to graduate at this point.
Yes, being a freshman would kinda suck. My daughter went to a Lac and graduated last year but didn’t have a ceremony. She said if she was a freshman she would of taken a gap year.
As an aside for financial aid.. There are many OOS kids getting between $20-30,000 from Michigan that’s close to half costs. Everyone’s situation financially is different. There is more to the story of the why. I know many that asked for reconsideration due to covid and got it. Know a few that got an extra $10,000… So I think it’s an unfair comparison since we don’t know all of the facts financially. If you have to.. Ask again…
We’ve been inundated with COVID emails from the administration all semester as has my kid. I’ve been receiving one from various admin people every week.
D18 took a Covid test today. No exposure but went along with a friend. There was a wait, but the answer a negative.