Will students be permitted to have a car their first year in light of the pandemic?

This is an interesting question. If the restriction is based on parking space, the suggestion of off campus parking could work. If it is a matter of simply wanting to create a culture where frosh stay on campus, there could be a change. Regardless, if it’s important to you, I think you will be able to find a workaround.

With that said, make sure your son is truly prepared for this, especially if the car is a little difficult to access. My kid has had a car on campus - but in a somewhat inconvenient lot - for the last 3 years, and has had occasions when he has gone to use it and found it had a flat, was snowed in, had collected tickets (because a requirement to move for maintenance had been posted in the lot he had not visited), etc. Probably all worth enduring if it’s about a way to leave in an instant but frankly, not the hassles most of us considered at the outset.