Schools need to accommodate students with health conditions. I hope there is a virtual option for that reason. Ditto for faculty and staff.
Harvard has also announced the spring semester (beginning Jan 24) is in person.
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CMU just announced remote learning for the first two weeks. Students welcome to come to campus but almost no in person classes. All are required to have boosters when eligible and baseline testing in January. Clarkson University fully in person and on time with classes starting next Thursday (Jan 13). Requiring boosters and a negative test before arrival.
The 5C’s are starting classes online for the first two weeks and then will reevaluate. Students may still move into their dorms on time if they want. Claremont Colleges will begin spring semester with two weeks of remote learning - The Student Life
Many UCs (UCD, UCI, UCSD, UCSC, UCM) pushed the start of in person classes back until the end of the month. It sounds like they are concerned about potential staffing shortages making it difficult to man the service (dining commons, library, food services, etc.) and business needs of a university with in person classes.
ETA: UCLA and Berkeley also pushed the start of most in person instruction to the end of the month. Just waiting on UCSB now.
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Princeton is starting in person, as planned on Jan. 23rd.
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As you probably know by now, U of R has made the last minute decision to go remote for all of January, with students “sheltering in place” (stay home if they can, in dorms if that is the only option). This is despite vaccination/booster mandates.
There are a number of colleges where the spring semester doesn’t actually begin until January 24 or 25 (Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Bowdoin). I think those schools are hopeful that this wave will have peaked before that time…and havent changed their start dates.
I read the University of Rochester letter. They are being cautious, and no where does this say the expectation is this will last forever. But the county in which the school is located has a ton of cases. I have no issue with a school being cautious at this time.
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I’m glad that Harvard’s in person since I can’t stand remote learning, but I really wonder how it’ll work out. I have covid right now and it’s like a pretty bad flu, certainly not “mild” as some believe, although I think that because I’m vaccinated I’m getting over it faster. My symptoms have changed pretty dramatically over the past 24 hours. But I could see the virus just blazing through everyone on campus if people aren’t careful. I’m definitely glad to be sick at home instead of sick in my dorm room.
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Mild is medical-speak for doesn’t require hospitalization. Not really a helpful description for the general population.
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yeah, unfortunately covid being described as “mild” in those terms has definitely led some people to believe that the symptoms are always going to be mild. I’ve seen too many people compare it to a common cold.
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Mild Covid means…you can breathe on your own. It does t mean you are going to feel terrific or have mild symptoms otherwise.
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Yes but it is still true that a lot of omicron is what we would all call mild too. S19’s Covid really was mild and only lasted three days and he even ran 25 total miles in those three days.
Our H did end up testing positive. D and I got negative PCRs. Even H’s Covid wasn’t bad. Two days in bed with headache and stuffy nose and fatigue but then on the mend pretty fast after that.
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Well if it wasn’t bad for your family then I guess the rest of us don’t have anything to worry about. 
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same with my dad - he said he had common colds that were much worse
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I’m just saying that not all cases that are “mild” are just shy of the hospital. Many really are mild by definition to us not in the medical field.
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USC is now moving in-person to the 24th. (Was the 18th). School starts the 10th.
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UPenn is instituting a requirement to wear two masks or an KN95 or N95.
Masking remains a key mitigation strategy in our efforts to minimize transmission during this virulent phase of the virus. Beginning January 7, all members of the Penn community in campus buildings will be required to double mask or to wear a KN95 or N95 mask. We will also increase the availability of masks across campus.
https://coronavirus.upenn.edu/content/public-health-guidance
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If Omicron is so mild, then why are hospitals overwhelmed? It is not mild for everyone, clearly. Universities sit inside larger communities that include vulnerable people, and there are also vulnerable students, faculty and staff.
I sometimes live in Cambridge where mask wearing is ubiquitous, and most wear masks outside too. That may help with the impact of students returning from family gatherings and planes, as will the relatively late start date. Schools like the UC’s have already started and are delaying in-person, as well as staggering arrivals, because the post-holiday surge is still in full force. The schools that start in person are generally starting late in the month.
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There is still Delta present and most hospitalizations are from cases that started weeks ago as it takes a bit generally for the virus to develop to that stage of illness.
It’s certainly not mild for everyone but for highly vaccinated populations it’s mostly mild.
Omicron is extremely contageous. It’s already everywhere. Communities outside of colleges are already infected. College students aren’t the reason for spread, a highly contagious variant is. No one is hiding from this. Colleges are making decisions for their particular campus. I’m glad to see many coming back in-person.
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