The students are the ones being asked to personally sacrifice the most, not the admin or faculty. Whether and under what conditions they are willing to do so is vital to resolution of this matter.
I don’t see that. A vulnerable older professor who might get infected is being asked to sacrifice more.
I just think Harvard should know what the students would decide to do if class is online. Wouldn’t the college want to know how many kids wouldn’t show up? Wouldn’t they want to know what the kids do in other situations like an October start or a Jan start? What if a huge majority of kids said they’d prefer to start on campus in October with the understanding that, if that doesn’t work out, then the only option is online. Would Harvard consider that instead of opening in August and having an onslaught of kids taking leave of absences?
So do I, but what the students say they’ll do might not match what they actually would do. I’m not saying they’d lie; I’m saying that people are often bad predictors of what they’d do in hypothetical situations.
@“Cardinal Fang” I agree with that and it’s probably too early to survey students. Ideally, it seems that schools should be planning a menu of options and then wait to see how things are in two months. Then survey kids with possible options.
In the latest Bowdoin news, they just moved registration from mid-June to July 9th. They are also seriously considering having freshmen register online. That’s never been the case. Freshmen register with their advisor when they get to school in August.
I’m guessing that they want more time to either (a) decide if kids just register for two classes that will start online in Aug and then hope that it’s looking better by October to welcome kids back and they can take two different classes or (b) the college wants to only offer classes that would work best online and will have better virus info by then - no art, no dance, no classes with labs would then be available for fall. I think it’s a smart move and doesn’t hurt anyone at this point.
Disagree. The support staff – who lose their jobs if all online – have the biggest personal sacrifice. Gardners, maintenance, cafeteria workers, security, library, shuttle bus drivers, et al, are not necessary in an online scenario.
I’ll tell you what our son will do: he will do whatever it takes to make the best of his freshman year at MIT, in whatever format it happens, and will trust MIT to make the best possible decision under these impossible circumstances.
Bring on that [fire hose](What does “drinking from a fire hose” mean? | MIT Admissions)!
Is he bummed his college experience might start online? Of course he is. Who isn’t? Get in line!
But my hunch is that HYPMS did not have their yield suffer too much (even though most of their admits had better financial offers elsewhere; full tuition merit at Vandy in son’s case), and that overwhelming majority of their current students will not transfer out from their institution.
Oh I don’t think students will transfer away from HYPSM, but they won’t donate, either. That will cost the colleges far more in the long term
A graduate won’t donate because, during a global pandemic, classes went online for a semester or two and they missed out on their precious social lives? That seems pretty shallow. But maybe not surprising.
CT is home to several expensive universities and with state finances precariously in the red prior to CV-19…With very expensive out of state tuition helping fund UConn and with Yale and other schools helping in large parts to fund city budgets…this highlights the issue of keeping students and their families happy and to keep the money flowing in…CT Governor today-
What is within reason is up for debate, and the unions are there to protect the workers from being abused or taken advantage of (at least not more than they are already).
It may be one or two semesters out of the 80 or 100 that a professor will teach in a career. Similarly, it is a job, year after year, for the support staff, not all that different than such a job in a non-academic setting. Such a disruption is inconvenient but manageable for them generally.
For students, it is their only time in college, and losing most of the benefit of one eighth to one quarter of that ( while still paying a lot) is rough.
I think what needs to be avoided is the “all back to normal or nothing” attitude. Any school that plans on allowing students back on campus must have a sound mitigation plan and the option for distance learning. The “all or nothing stance” will devastate many schools.
@“Cardinal Fang” I don’t see that. A vulnerable older professor who might get infected is being asked to sacrifice more.
Many vulnerable Americans around the country may or may not feel safe at their jobs. Should an entire population continue to stay home until there is a vaccine? Really? I’ve also seen vulnerable Americans who are essential workers working every day risking their lives to put food on the table. Professors can take a leave.
@Bill Marsh Governor Cuomo is not treating upstate NY any different than downstate at this time. Last week he said the state would all open at the same time so that people don’t travel to other parts of the state. (this was ridiculous because that ship sailed already. NYC people fled to upstate, ADK, CT, FLA, Cape Cod, ME during the first few weeks of the pandemic) The next day he said upstate would be treated differently. So far, nothing. Nothing has happened. Rural areas and parts of NY with very low numbers are suffering with an extreme closure under his leadership.
Gov. Cuomo is doing a great job and has shown great leadership during this pandemic. He has a well thought out plan for upstate and downstate, with upstate opening first.
He had no choice but to close the entire state…too much back and forth.
You’re not, by any chance, suggesting this is an entitled demographic? 
@amsunshine I don’t think that’s the point but I do think that schools considering their students would go a long way. Some schools have students on their Covid-19 task forces. At least keep the students updated on how the research is going on options for fall. Sounds like the Harvard kids were surprised by the press release. Other schools are having town halls with their presidents and the students on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
As I said above, I also think colleges would want to know what students prefer as an option if on campus in August is not possible. What’s their next choice? Push to Oct? Consider a Jan opening? The college can consider the students’ choices or at least listen to them.
Colleges that put their students first are the ones with serious alumni support. Students aren’t blaming their schools for the virus. They just want to be considered and it seems like there’s only upside for that for the colleges as well.
I think a survey is nice to make people feel they are heard.
However, I can’t imagine much less than 100 percent of the students voting for class in the fall, on campus and they’ll agree to anything in terms of testing, tracking and distancing at this point.
Perhaps they didn’t want to deal with a survey that might lead the students to concluding they were ignored.
Hard to say.
@privatebanker i think the main question on a survey would be “if we cannot be on campus for in-person classes in the fall, here are our other options. Please put them in order of preference”.
Exactly. I learned from our HR VP years ago, ‘be careful what you ask for’. If you ask the employees for their opinion, some/many will be offended when you don’t adopt their pov.
And of course, Harvard College, which the author of the editorial likely represents, is only ~1/3 of Harvard University. The Grad/Prof schools comprise 2/3rds of Harvard, so discussions of Fall has a lot different implications than say, a LAC (without grad/ professional schools).
Do you have evidence for this? (Yes, H’s giving rate is only ~20%, but perhaps it has nothing to do with where they put their students, but just that H is richer than Congress.)