Lockdown/shelter in place varies from home to home. Not every college kid can sit by the pool not to mention that in many parts of the country it isn’t even warm enough yet for a lot of outside activity. Many homes are becoming very small with the entire family home all day, every day with multiple members trying to work and go to school. Some families are trying to juggle computer time as they may not have a laptop for everyone. There are students in rural areas who can’t “walk a neighborhood.” Not all college kids have a network of peers left over from high school at home. Their friends are far away. Parents have lost jobs which no doubt brings a great deal of stress including figuring out how to put food on the table. Younger children need home school instruction and guidance. Some parents are essential workers which puts the entire family at greater risk for contracting Covid19. Imagine worrying everyday if your parent is going to be ok or if they are bringing the virus into the home? The level of movement one has within their community varies greatly depending on what part of the country you live in and how seriously you take this disease.
This is a quarantine for many rather than a staycation. To essentially put people, especially young people, on house arrest has serious mental and sometimes physical ramifications. My teen likes to point out to me that my life hasn’t changed very much (it’s true…I still grocery shop, garden, and keep my work going). His life has done an abrupt 180. Luckily my college student was able to stay in his off campus housing in his college town. If he were here too trying to work I can’t even imagine. At least he still has some semblance of his adult, independent life as a college student.
I agree - curse ships resuming? Are you kidding me? Cruises and gyms opening I just don’t get. Especially given that cruises are filled with seniors although I have seen plenty at the gym too.
I think the possibility of students returning to residential campuses in the fall is diminishing. The models are suggesting a long tail in the outbreak, and this has been evident in the data for a while. For example, Italy, under total lockdown, still has more deaths than expected at this point in the outbreak.
In the U.S., with the (in my opinion, premature) easing of social distancing, things could take even longer to settle.
I would look for the language from colleges to start changing next month, unless there is a dramatic change in the outbreak trajectory. Institutions will begin to talk about an online start to the fall term, with the possibility of an on-campus return either later in the fall or in the next semester.
Simply put, the down-side to a college of an outbreak on campus this fall is too great.
@socaldad2002 You must have written this pity party post from the bubble over your pool. Many Inner city and rural kids don’t have a neighborhood or a pool to spend their ‘quarantine’ in. Many high school students get their entire socialization at school, at school sports and with after school programs and activities.
It is one thing to close schools for a few months or so…it turns into very damaging for many (socially and mentally) to force many students into their homes away for schools for the balance of 2020.
I highly doubt you have personally ever had to ‘suck up’ an event of this nature and duration in your lifetime. Thankfully you have a pool and live in good weather.
I like the way Rice is thinking in terms of ending the semester at the Thanksgiving break and at-home finals. Thanksgiving falls late this year so that helps. It doesn’t make sense to send kids home and have them come back from everywhere. I think once the semester starts there shouldn’t be a break that would encourage students to leave campus. Give them a Tues or Wed. off a couple of times, if the calendar allows.
Yeah, usually the kids get a 4 day midterm break but they are cancelling that this year. I think the idea is to keep them on campus once there but then get them home as soon as possible. It helps that the weather is nice there in the fall.
I really thought schools would follow each other’s lead on problem solving this but it seems each school will have its own plan. That in itself is pretty interesting.
Macalester is saying they will put off the start of the year in order to have two full semesters on campus, flat out saying they’ve chosen the “calendar shifting approach”. Their president also says:
“Only if it becomes necessary and unavoidable will we consider a semester, or partial semester, of remote, online learning. This is our last, and least preferable, option. We will think creatively about how to minimize the use of this option.”
@PrdMomto1 – Yes, it’s so smart! My D attends Davidson which also has nice weather. And, like Rice, they have a very strong honor code. Even in normal times, exams are take-home and finals are self-scheduled, so ending at Thanksgiving would be pretty easy to do.
I bet/hope other colleges are considering this too.
@homerdog – I wonder if this is partly due to when COVID is peaking in different parts of the country? I know MN is one of only a handful of states where the transmission rates is over 1.0 now. They make be expecting their peak in August?
I think weather and state infection models means there will be differences in how colleges think they can best time their semesters. That said, things can change quickly so there’s still no easy answers.
Rice’s logic only makes sense if it thinks the second wave will come in the winter. If so, what happens to the spring semester? Would it be delayed until after the spring break?
@INJParent – I don’t see how ending in-person first semester at the end of Nov. vs. 2nd week of December makes a difference either way in terms of timing for the Spring semester. Either way there are finals before winter break and the 2nd semester begins in Jan.
The question of a second wave and Spring semester is its own ball of wax. Am I missing something?
I have no idea how schools could make predictions as to when (if?) their states next wave will come. Couldn’t the wave come as soon as students from 50 states show up on campus? Maine has had very few cases and I’m sure is worried about kids coming back to Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin.
I can see if a state has a big curve and now it’s tapering off and then colleges in that state thinking “let’s get these kids to school asap before the chance of another spike”. Didn’t Newsome even float the idea out there that K-12 should go to school this summer since CA cases have been low? I get that. For colleges, though, I don’t think they can call kids back much earlier than planned.
As for Rice, they are likely thinking no one can predict what will happen as far out as Jan/Feb so they are just focusing on a plan for fall and then will be nimble with decision making as time goes on. Lots of schools have said they will make a plan but then they might have to change it as time goes on. Remember the virus is the timeline!
@AlmostThere2018 Right. The reason Rice would have kids go home for the semester at Thanksgiving is to not have them return from all over the country after Thanksgiving break and risk someone bringing the virus back.
Been thinking about football and other college sporting events…Some schools seem to be considering holding sporting events without fans. I get why they want to do it, but there seems to be so many issues with that idea.
To start with, how do you social distance in practice and in games? Helmets with face guards?
Next, the travel aspect of teams traveling for the games, even just regionally. Social distancing on the bus? Incubation periods?
Then, fans. Sure, you won’t have a stadium full of fans, one giant mass of people. But you’ll instead have dozens (in some cases, hundreds) of groups gathering in various places to celebrate and watch the games. Maybe they could control to some extent on campus, but what about off campus?
Assuming here that games would be broadcast in some way. Otherwise why bother?
If the students can stay on campus through the end of November with no outbreak, why couldn’t they stay until mid December? If there’re outbreaks in other parts of the country, but not in Houston, shouldn’t they just keep the students on campus though the Thanksgiving break?
@INJParent – Yes, they could keep them through Thanksgiving, but I imagine they think that’d be unpopular b/c it’s such an important family holiday for many. There’s probably only a week of classes after Thanksgiving b4 finals anyway this year – so I think trading Fall break for that week makes sense. Of course, I’ll just be happy if they are on campus period this Fall!
@1NJParent That would be a closed campus idea - I think some schools are considering keeping kids on campus with no fall break and no Thanksgiving break and also no Parent Weekend either.
@AlmostThere2018 This isn’t a typical year, so many families probably prefer their kids not have to travel during the Thanksgiving break, if the risk of being infected is still significant at that time.
@INJParent – Right, but if students stay on campus for Thanksgiving they’d still have to travel home two weeks later after finals so there’s really no difference – one trip home either way. Or, are you suggesting they stay through winter break too and just move into the 2nd semester immediately after the first?