Bowdoin’s communication said they aren’t furloughing any faculty or staff:
I think the single biggest factor is whether a college is comfortable with multiple occupancy of its dorm rooms and off-campus housing. If a college decides all returning students need to be in singles on campus (which clearly puts the college in the best position to contain the spread of the virus), then only a portion of its students can come back to campus, as few colleges have sufficient number of singles to accommodate all their students.
So if your daughter is essentially an upperclassmen by classes she’s taking, I would make a fuss about this and see what your school is willing to do. I don’t think things are black and white. There seems to be a lot of gray. Also lot’s of study groups are “online” anyway but your daughter should be with her peer group. If that is upperclassmen then so be it. I would be curious what they would say.
I must say I am very surprised by the Bowdoin decision. With neighboring Colby and Bates going back it seemed likely that Bowdoin could come up with a plan as well. And Maine just doesn’t have many cases. Some states report more cases in a single day than Maine has reported in 3 months! So there’s probably little risk of students contracting Covid in the community. Biggest risk is getting kids back to campus. It seems the single rooms could have been the barrier? What are Bates and Colby doing for housing?
I assume this is happening at other schools as well but have not seen it spelled out like they have at Bowdoin.
We will have a substantial budget deficit this next year, likely the largest we have ever had by a significant margin. We will provide the campus community with an estimate of the fall semester’s deficit in September. Bowdoin is fortunate to have strong financial resources to cover much of the deficit, but we will also have to implement several cost-cutting measures for the coming academic year, with those making the most contributing the most. I have already explained that I have cut my own salary by well more than 20 percent, beginning on April 1. Senior officers will see a 10 percent reduction in their salaries, and, with the exception of a handful of planned promotions, faculty and administrative staff will have their salaries frozen at current levels. The College will also reduce retirement contributions for all employees by 50 percent beginning in September for the remainder of the academic year.
Agree. You’d think with only 1800 students in remote Maine and what - 1.75 billion endowment (for 1800 students), they would find a way to make it work. My understanding is that the Bowdoin dorms are very large with a living room in every dorm or something to that effect.
"The fall semester fee for on-campus students will total $33,935. Those who will be off campus will be charged only the tuition component of this comprehensive fee for the semester, which is $27,911. "
28K for a semester of online classes. 50% of students at Bowdoin are full pay - this is a tough pill to swallow.
Our daughter is going to be a soph at Bowdoin as well and while she is one of the very few who will be allowed on campus in the fall term, she is sad that the majority of her friends are not there and her classes are going to be online. Without athletics and other activities, she is worried that it is going to be, “like a motel with online classes”, without the majority of her friends around.
Of course this is not ideal…but I think she is able to appreciate that the school is being very honest and that this is better than having to change course in the middle of the term. And, clearly the school is taking the health and safety of its students, professors and staff very seriously.
I can see how that would be very frustrating & very disappointing to have to stay home – and doubly so if all your friends went back. Tough time for homerdog kiddo…
So, suddenly HYPSM aren’t the only ones not caring about their undergraduates…
@Chekov It’s not that HYPSM doesn’t care about their undergraduates, it’s just that at the end of the day, the thing they ultimately prioritize is research, while LACs prioritize undergraduate education, which makes Bowdoin’s decision all the more surprising.
A very interesting read in the NY Times today regarding schools trying to recruit more students to attend school in their home states.
@homerdog , sorry about Bowdoin’s decision. My son is a rising junior at Hamilton. As of now, they’re all going back. They’re building modular “dorms” and supposedly renting out hotels in the area to house students. There’s a town hall meeting on July 1st. Apparently, some classes will be online while others will be in person.
I am shocked @homerdog. I really thought all of the NESCACs would make the same decision. I am sorry for your son. My D is in the same boat. It sucks. I was certain that my son was going back, now not so sure… Williams said they would announce by July 1.
My son has decided to take a gap year if Williams follows Bowdoin. The company he is interning with remotely has already said he can stay on for the year…
A suggestion to all whose kids are stuck at home- have them offer up their services as tutors/caretakers for K-6 crowd. K-12 is going to have a hard time opening up and parents will be desperate for help!
There was never going to be the perfect scenario. Sorry for your son. I am just a bit surprised they just don’t bring back the entire senior class if their bringing back some.
Well at least you know now and can plan.
Many other schools will release in the next week or two. Should be interesting.
Actually, I think that for covid related fall planning HYPSM are showing that they ultimately prioritize their student body - undergrad, grad, PhD, and post-doc, and can afford to do what is right for them. Looks like Bowdoin is in good company.
I disagree, I think they are prioritizing their professors. Students at home will be out and about, as they are now in the summer. Many will move off campus and live with friends and have parties, and those at home will get jobs and socialize. They are protecting themselves (mitigating the college’s risk) and their professors. They can afford to do that because they won’t lose much/any enrollment.
@homerdog I’m really sorry to hear this, especially as your S (and his classmates, I’m sure) were preparing for a changed but on-campus experience. You both must be so disappointed.
Also, in addition to not letting most students come back, having virtually all classes online, and having traditional tuition, they are also restricting gap years by saying that students will not be guaranteed a return the following year. That is going to be a lawsuit. My mom (the lawyer) says that is going to be a major legal issue for Bowdoin.
I call BS on that one too. HYPSM obviously prioritizes teaching alongside research. It’s a favorite canard of some, often at LAC, to claim that HYPSM really don’t have professor time or small classes or “English speaking teachers” or whatever else. I can tell you for a fact that this is nonsense. Even a brief admitted-student visit at HYP made that clear, and much more extensive experience as you all know and tease me about, with M. I guess I don’t know about S but I can’t imagine it would be different.
@Chekov was being sarcastic, obviously. As you well know, many of us think that the way of showing care for undergraduates is prioritizing everyone’s health.