If they’re not letting students come back, then yes.
Nobody said the state controls everything. We’re talking about education and pandemic response. In NY, the state is responsible for managing education. Why some people assume that only applies to k-12, I don’t know. The federal government made it pretty clear that managing the pandemic is the responsibility of the states too, so people who want to know what college might be like in the fall are missing half the picture if they’re only looking at what their college is saying. Parents should understand the education laws of the state the college is located in too.
Seems that Bowdoin’s president thinks that they will test out how fall goes on their campus and also look to other schools to see how their plans worked out. It’s a super conservative plan. Kids who will be there will be tested twice a week. I don’t see any other school planning that. Everyone in singles, which is also not the case on every campus this fall. And no in-person class except for freshman writing seminars which are usually 8-10 students.
Some are now saying that he’s likely not waiting on any particular scientific breakthrough but just wants more time to see how they could keep the campus safe for spring. That decision would come in November. He also mentions that all of the safety procedures that schools are planning right now change the experience on campus just too much. That was likely part of the decision as well - he was weighing a highly restricted campus life versus safe remote learning for most that he believes will still be highly valuable.
I guess this just highlights another dimension to a schools planning - legal. Again, the schools with the best lawyers should do well.
Then why bring freshman in?
Lawyers will always advise clients to avoid all possible risk, regardless of other consequences. That is our job. Others can worry about what that does to education, but the lawyer’s role is to minimize legal risk only.
@homerdog what a bummer for your son and the rest of his classmates. Good luck making a decision on his plans for fall.
One question for clarification though - the freshmen will be on campus but only have one actual in-person class and the rest will be online? So they are paying room/board, plus more tuition than the online sophomores, juniors and seniors?
We don’t know. Can only guess. Maybe he’s feeling sure he can keep them safe with so many precautions. Maybe there are plans for trying to get them to meet other freshmen and make friends somehow? I hope they give freshmen a lot more details before they have to decide.
Not sure how many will now defer. I would not send my freshman if I had one.
Yes for the frosh and classes, only freshman seminar in person.
No, tuition sounds like it’s the same for all. The on campus students also pay room and board. So $33,935 if you are living on campus which includes room and board, and $27,911 if you don’t live on campus, which is presumably tuition only (no room and board).
I would assume freshmen are paying the full cost (minus financial aid of course) for tuition, room and board. And, yes, just one of their four classes will be in person. For the rest of us, no tuition increase but no discount. Tuition the same as last semester.
Since they are also inviting transfer students to campus, I am guessing that they want to integrate those students who would never have attended Bowdoin before?
“The first semester at Bowdoin is a critical time, and having our first-year students and transfer students on campus allows our newest students to come to know one another, to develop communities, to acclimate to work at Bowdoin, to understand our culture, and to become familiar with our campus.”
I cannot remember MIT’s density threshold, but 40% comes to mind. Perhaps Bowdoin is attempting to see if they can safely manage this smaller group on campus so that they could hopefully open up to 75% density second semester?
Are the Bowdoin freshman allowed to opt for distance learning or they being “forced” to either accept the new on-campus model or defer. And if they defer there is no guarantee of being able to enroll in Fall 2021.
I have the same question, and also applies for the sophs/jr/srs in the spring. Some might prefer to stay at home, whether for safety reasons, or just a less restrictive living situation.
Sorry if this was posted but just came out. An overview and still reading for Michigan https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-arbor/2020/06/22/12-changes-university-of-michigan-students-will-notice-this-school-year-due-to-covid-19/.
Seems like no winter /fall breaks but all of December off. Still reading…
LOL
I have commented this before, but I would be shocked if any college insisted that a student return to live on campus. Now that sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Interesting that the article focuses on West Virginia University, WVU is a very popular destination for out of state students, especially frrom Pennsylvania. Apparently WVU OOS tuition is about the same as in state tuition at Pitt and Penn State.
I dont understand how Michigan can bring back tens of thousands of students but Bowdoin can’t get its 1800 kids back.
All good questions. Not sure.
In the FAQs, they did say that, if sophomores, juniors, and seniors are invited back to campus in the spring, then they can re-enroll and still live off campus. “Any student who wishes to be enrolled and remain off campus is likely to be granted this request.”
The Bowdoin announcement is a game-changer for sure. A lot of things could have gone into the decision, but I have to believe it was something drastic and intractable for them to follow the HYPSM model. I suspect it was Coles Tower which has always struck me as an anachronism for a NESCAC: At sixteen foors, clearly the tallest buiding for miles around, it houses roughly 12% of the student body. You can imagine the potential viral load if an outbreak occured with so many students living pancake style on top of each other.
Still, it clears the way or other NESCACs to follow suit.
Maybe she could make an appeal for Junior Standing?