The Career Services office can give him a list of recent alums working in various fields, living in different places, working at different companies, attending different grad programs. (They won’t give it to YOU but will give it to him). Alumni volunteer to be mentors, and agree to have their information distributed to current students.
The Alumni Relations office can give him a list of alums living in the town/area where the college is located. They won’t give it to YOU but they will give it to him.
Faculty contact information is in the directory which your son has.
He needs to be proactive, but right now there are all sorts of ways to figure out his low cost logistics which won’t require a parents help. Give him a budget and he can work this out.
You may think that nobody wants a stranger living with them right now- but you’d be surprised what people will do for a small amount of cash when they have either lost their job or are about to lose their job. I’ve got a neighbor who just had a baby- they decided that their live in babysitter is “high risk” and don’t want her living with them for now- the woman is effectively homeless since her own country has closed the border… the whole neighborhood has pitched in to offer her housing, odd jobs for cash, running errands for the older folks who can’t get out, lending her a car, etc.
People are being kind. And having grown up in a college town- people living in college towns are quite empathetic to students who get stuck.
If the room and board was initially paid by a grant, then you wouldn’t get a refund unless it is a state grant that can be refunded to the student I would think.
There are internet providers right now that offer free internet to students in need.
This is the list my son’s school gave their students.
If your son can’t petition to live on campus, could he rent an Air BNB room by the month? Might that be cheaper than an apartment lease which is usually long term and requires a security deposit?
And nobody wants to deal with this crisis, schools and universities closing, businesses closing, people staying home and practicing social distancing, but here we are and we need to do our best to keep this from getting worse.
My kids are both students at public state universities, they have to finish the semester with online classes.
One is in pharmacy school in her last semester of classes, she is missing out on working interactively with the Sim Man.
The other one is a music student and won’t get to sing in his choir ensembles and get face to face instruction in voice, piano and other instruments.
But I’m confident they and their instructors will make the best out of the situation.
There are many students right now who can’t complete their student teaching, internships, clinicals, etc and are about to graduate.
Is it possible for you to get satellite internet at home? I’m sure it’s more expensive than cable internet, but it’s got to be cheape than renting an apartment. It would allow your college student to come home, and your HS student to connect from home. And satellite internet is available pretty much everywhere.
I don’t think we have any of those sources of internet service, no satellite, no nothing. There are two players in the internet field up here, and that’s it. They just aren’t interested in providing better service, for any price. Good to know what the rest of the country has though!
You don’t get satellite internet through a local provider. If you can see the sky, you can get satellite internet. Google the term and educate yourself.
@granolakrunchr So sorry this is happening to you and your son. You seem reluctant to name the school, but if you could at least name the general geographic area, someone here may know of resources you could pursue.
Your son doesn’t need to rent an apartment near his college (and buy a car? Really, that is NOT the school’s responsibility). He needs an apartment near a computer connection, and that could be just about anywhere for the next 2 months. THOUSANDS of sublets available around the country from THOUSANDS of college students having moved home. You may live in the boondocks, but there must be a city in your home state or a city near his college that has a room, with computer access, and the ability for him to get some groceries and stay isolated.
He doesn’t need a car as he can’t go anywhere. You are making this much more complicated than it needs to be for him to finish his classes for this semester.
And I don’t understand how you have computer access to post on CC but he can’t have it to access his classes. Many schools are posting the lectures so that students can watch at any time. Maybe service is better at 10 pm or 7 am at the library parking lot?