@CADREAMIN Thank you for sharing information and the opportunity to talk about what’s going on at USC w/ the coronavirus. I’ve been following the thread for admissions because 4 years after my DD applied to USC, my DS is hoping to follow in her footsteps. Your presence then was quite calming while we waited for a decision, and it is now.
My daughter is a senior* now, living in an apartment, and planning to spend spring break in Hawaii. I might be encouraging her to come home if she was living in a dorm, but since we are in Seattle, the current epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, Hawaii is probably the better destination for her break.
Looking past spring break, I am wondering for the first time whether USC will hold graduation this year. I have the sense that there’s a lot of wisdom, and some good sources, on this board.
*She has loved USC. Fantastic professors, programs, opportunities, support, friends for life.
@evergrngranite13 My USC DD is a sophomore but I have a college senior as well. She is in Claremont and was told to pack up her stuff and plan on not returning to campus but a final decision will be made in April. Her school will make a decision soon regarding commencement. I feel for all of them but especially seniors. She now has to pack and say goodbye to her friends in the next couple of days. She does not handle change well and definitely not unexpected change.
From: Charles F. Zukoski, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Date: March 11, 2020
Subject: Notice of Extended Period of Remote Instruction
USC is now extending our period of remote instruction until Tuesday, April 14. This is an extension of our previous March 30 deadline. Students who are leaving campus for Spring Recess, may not return until at least Monday, April 13. This is in step with evolving national health guidelines designed to slow potential transmission of the coronavirus by those who may have been exposed either while traveling or at home.
All of our decisions are intended to ensure the health and safety of our USC and broader community, especially in light of the World Health Organization’s announcement today classifying COVID-19 as a worldwide pandemic. Please note that these dates may be adjusted again as circumstances change and if so, we will do everything we can to give you as much notice as possible.
In the next 24 hours we will be issuing further information for students, faculty and staff. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this very difficult period.
University of Southern California
3551 Trousdale Parkway, Suite 102, Los Angeles, California 90089-4019 • Tel: 213 740 2101 uscprovost@usc.edu • www.provost.usc.edu
So, should parents prepare to move students out of dorms over spring break? Marcie123, can you disclose who told your college senior to "pack up all her and plan on not returning to campus?
So now they can be home (or wherever), just not at USC for a month…guess this concerns dorms or on campus housing…the apartment students we know plan on hanging out there.
I do like that they are stair stepping the plan, and giving kids a chance (even if unlikely) to finish the year properly and at least hold graduation. Time will tell.
@evergrngranite13 Good luck to #2 and thanks for the kind words. Hawaii sounds dreamy. Anywhere away from the internet and news seems like a great place to be frankly.
My daughter’s flight on Friday to FL is via American. Thankfully, her return is via SW. Haven’t rescheduled it yet though, as they keep changing the return date scenario. It seems almost daily now that they do so. May wait even longer to see what date they settle on. Ugh. Are they not factoring in the reality that many have to fly and change flights… possibly repeatedly? USC needs to get a handle on how they wish to finish out this semester…
I agree @WWWard. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do as I was planning to go to USC this weekend to pick up my daughter and a few friends to go to San Diego for spring break week. (I’ve rented a house). Not sure how this: “Students who are leaving campus for Spring Recess may not return until at least Monday, April 13” changes things. An RA told my daughter that travel in Southern Cali does not apply, but I’d like to see some FAQs or an update on USC Covid-19 website.
@WWWard I don’t think they will end up going back this semester frankly.
“According to Zukoski, online instruction may be extended through the end of the semester. USC will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.”
While it’s hopeful that they are leaving open the option for kids to return this semester, it is certainly making planning difficult.
It’s just all really sad. I understand the need, but wow the disappointment for particularly seniors and senior athletes in spring season sports - Pac 12 just shut down competitions, which will impact any NCAA competitions ahead of those. An abrupt and unexpected end to your last year of college is just sad for them all.
@Isoinfo I would be inclined to take anything valuable out of the dorms while you have the benefit of being there. Jewelry, computers, anything super senitmental, that kind of thing. It may be a pain to get them later. They won’t disappear, just thinking logisitics or limited access later…Maybe this will settle by May, but the coordination of leaving stuff in dorms then having to get it later - can’t wrap my head around all that. So just thinking it through on here!
Yes… it is all just a big sad mess with mounting questions. When to go back… for school or work or both? She has no choice but to… at least to pack, exit her sorority and arrange for storage. She is also planning to start an internship after the semester ends in L.A.
Also… how does she and others in SCA coordinate film production, sound mixing, editing, etc. for pending short film productions if not there? All the creative and performing arts schools are impacted unfairly. Not all classes can be fully transitioned to remote access.
Athletics are especially hit hard… and so unfairly. So are the bands, cheer and dance squads, etc. It has a ripple effect that is hard to fully fathom. The entire college experience is being crippled, and I feel so badly for the seniors most of all… as this is how it is all coming to an end.
This is so unbelievable. All of it. My daughter is having a similar experience at Interlochen. She boards there and it’s an international school. We find out via a livestream with the president at 4:00pm today what the plan is. They are in the middle of rehearsing their spring shows, and getting ready to graduate. I’m so sad by the thought of my daughter missing graduation at one of the best arts schools in the world, she worked so hard, and now I’m sure we will hear they are cancelling their wonderful spring performances and closing the school. And arts performing arts classes online? We have film, theatre production, dance, visual arts, voice, orchestra… most of these seniors took additional core classes during summer and added them onto their sophomore and junior years to make room for all arts classes their senior year. Since Interlochen is an international boarding school, we have the same issues as colleges have with Covid-19, and spring break is scheduled to start next Friday. We have to do what we have to do for the safety of everyone involved, and have to stop the contagion, but it’s so devastating for all involved in situations like this.
I thought this was a nice perspective from a writer named Graham Couch, reflecting on losing out on March Madness and the NCAA tournament, but his feelings apply to so many things across the board (that I added in parentheses, don’t want to misquote him) whether athletics, arts, senior year, performances, social events, just plain socializing, and many many more ugh.
"Can’t we just squeeze the NCAA basketball tournament (insert graduation, performances, events, the college semester, etc) in and then all go into our coronavirus quarantine bunkers?..
…Our health and welfare is what truly matters here. I think we all get that. But the fear of losing something that excites us, while not life or death, is not trivial. That emotion should be respected. And when the news comes that the tournament (or any other important event) won’t be played at all, that disappointment should be respected by those who don’t share it."
It’s a lose lose for so many students in so many different aspects. Hugs to all. Stay well.
Here’s the whole article, I thought it was sweet and not just about basketball.
Good advice @CADREAMIN! Thanks. Anyone have advice about storage units/companies at USC? She’s living off-campus next year, so I’m encouraging her and her future roomies to line up a unit while I’m there to help with a rental car for transport. This is truly a crazy situation. And it’s certainly not fair to the students in SDA and SCA whose performances are being canceled. I have a senior at Grinnell, where they have already decided to go to online classes after spring break until the end of the year. I thought it was a little extreme when they announced it, but in some ways, it’s easier because one can make plans.
@Isoinfo USC Housing offers a solution. They will deliver packing materials, and then come when scheduled to pick it up and store it… and then deliver to wherever on a scheduled day in August. We’ve used them, and it’s fairly efficient and cost-effective.
My old college roommate, who lives in Alhambra, CA, was gracious to allow my S to store his stuff in his house/garage in the past and also this coming year. Another friend offered the same. This saves storage cost.
@CADREAMIN last year we used Clutter. We had a bad experience as they lost several boxes and a TV. That said, they processed our claim quickly and we received a check within a couple of weeks.
I think she’s going to use campus storage this year. She’s coming home tomorrow but not bringing everything. She won’t be packing up her kitchen stuff.
Omg! In all of this, it just realized my house is about to explode with two college kids returning unexpectedly. And a husband now working from home so the office cannot be the usual dumping ground!
I went ahead and signed up my daughter for USC Storage. Doing so now let’s us control the pick-up and delivery options. Usually, they start to run out of days and time slots. It may be different this year with so few likely remaining until the end of the semester. The good thing about them is that they do all the work… pick-up wherever, store it and delivery to wherever. And you can basically change dates or even cancel up to like the last 48 hours. I just like the convenience of it for her. But that all being said, who knows what lies before us all. Who knows what additional changes USC may be forced to make. It’s that unknown factor that’s the worst. Indecision and just not knowing what is on the horizon drives me nuts lol.
She was set to fly from L.A. today with three friends. Their plan was to arrive in Orlando, spend 6 nights / a week at Disney. But Disney announced that they are closing the parks on Monday, so all her friends cancelled. Instead, I am driving to Orlando from Tampa, getting a hotel for two nights and taking her myself to Disney for just Saturday and Sunday. We of course plan to be as cautious as possible… but I just cannot stomach her main spring break plans all being torn asunder. Just deserves at least a partial victory. And I refuse to live life locked away from the real world. Soon… we all may have few options… as more and more potential escapes for social interaction or leisure may become unavailable.
