I haven’t seen many places explicitly telling students to return as scheduled - just telling them the dorms will be open and they’ll have a place to stay if they do come back. I’m guessing a big piece of that is so that people who live far away aren’t scrambling to change their travel plans, but if students are allowed to return at any point over a two week window, then that eliminates the need for students to travel while they’re sick. If you’re sick now - please wait to come back until you’re well. If you’re currently well, come on back to campus and get settled in and your chicken soup supply well-stocked before it’s your turn!
My D’s school is requiring students to return between 1/15-1/17 (and indicate specific day and time so they can be tested before being allowed in the dorms), even though classes will be online through 1/23. Many unhappy students, as they’d prefer to just be home that week, rather than trying to attend class from their shared dorm rooms.
5 Likes
I’m sure this will be tricky for some roommates, especially if one has class when the other is sleeping and/or when they verbally have to participate in class. Hopefully it will be a short term situation!
4 Likes
Yep. D20 has a friend who is in a forced triple…she drew the unlucky straw and has a top bunk and no desk. Should be interesting!
4 Likes
This is the disconnect between many posters. I’d venture that are many fewer of these types of students (excluding immunocompromised students) at the majority of the LACs and universities being discussed here.
2 Likes
Totally. Which I imagine makes it even more difficult for the rare student there who does have these things to contend with – at least here there’s plenty of company. One of my kid’s friends has a family full of Type 1 diabetics, and I can’t remember if it’s two or three new grad babies this semester in my department.
2 Likes
I apologize for the inaccuracies. I didn’t realize that Amherst had offered an informal January term in prior years. My D visited several NESCAC schools in 2018 and 2019 and was particularly interested in schools that offered January terms (or in Bates’ case a spring equivalent). I checked her spreadsheet, and she hadn’t ticked off January term for Amherst, my bad. I hope that Amherst continues to see manageable (and diminishing) numbers.
1 Like
Top bunk AND no desk? That stinks. When I was in college we actually bunked our desks, which I’m sure was totally against the rules, and it wasn’t possible to sit at the upper desk, but at least I had a place to put my things that I could reach from my bunk!
Last year when my son’s school was doing a hybrid program with half the kids onsite at any given time, there were some teachers who deliberately required all group work to include some kids in person and some at home in each group. I guess that was an attempt to make them feel like one class. Apparently it was only awful for the one kid whose headphones broke during school and had to work without them for a day. The rest didn’t have any complaints about not being able to focus on their independent zooms. I think it might have actually been less distracting than having a bunch of in-person groups all talking at the same time. In any case, there were plenty of complaints from the students about other of aspects of remote/hybrid learning, and I didn’t hear any about that, so it must not have been a huge deal.
NU released their arts calendar today and they are resuming shows with audiences at the end of the month (vaccines and masks required). Whoooo hoooo!
Purdue announced a change to their covid testing today. Highlights:
- While you could be infected, it is possible that you will not test positive for Omicron until three days after symptoms begin.
- If you test negative before Day 3 of symptoms, you may be instructed by PPHC to retest within 48 hours if symptoms persist.
- Do not go to class or work until cleared by PPHC.
Individuals who are fully vaccinated and boosted:
- If you experience a high-risk exposure but are not experiencing symptoms, contact PPHC and follow additional instructions. PPHC will schedule a test for three to five days after exposure. Testing sooner than three days after exposure may not provide an accurate indication of infection.
- If symptoms develop, refer to the symptomatic testing guidance above.
Individuals who are unvaccinated or vaccinated but not yet boosted:
- If you experience a high-risk exposure but are not experiencing symptoms, stay home and away from others, contact PPHC, and follow additional instructions. You will likely be instructed to quarantine for five days and scheduled for a test on Day 6 after exposure. Testing sooner than five days after exposure may not provide an accurate indication of infection.
- If symptoms develop, refer to the symptomatic testing guidance above.
3 Likes
My kid has type 1 and your posts are appreciated. They have been very isolated these last two years and have often felt left behind, despite being a resilient, uncomplaining sort of person.
5 Likes
This is weird (though understandable if you simply want to penalize people for not being vaccinated/boosted). If as some have said, unvaccinated people are more dangerous to others because they may carry (and transmit) a higher viral load, it seems unlikely that it would take 6 days rather than 3 days for this to manifest in the form of test result that gives “an accurate indication of infection”. If anything the unvaccinated person would presumably test positive more quickly than someone who is boosted.
@DeeCee36 is your D’s friend in this situation as of 2nd semester? Or has it been since the beginning of the school year? I wouldn’t be complaining about meals to go, but I would be complaining about this!
Since day 1. Her school normally only guarantees housing to first years, but because of the situation last academic year they extended that to D20’s class this year, as well. So there are lots of forced triples. Thankful my D isn’t in one.
I do think they are trying to get more students to get vaccinated without mandating the vaccine. IMO they should have just made the vaccine mandatory. Lots of chatter on our parent board that they don’t have enough testing capacity right now either.
2 Likes
The problem with Covid testing seems to be getting worse. I ordered a testing kit for a family member from Vault Health on 12/23 based on @DigitalDad’s suggestion and received it a week later on 12/30. However, another kit I ordered for a second family member on 12/29 hasn’t even shipped…
1 Like
Neither of the two we ordered (one on 12/31 and one on 1/4) have shown up. The earlier one says it shipped but the tracking at UPS shows only a label was generated, facility has not received package.
On the other hand, my neighbor has ordered numerous (basically, as soon as the telehealth appointment is complete she goes online to order the next one) and they have all showed up within 48 hours. 
My daughter’s replacement kit arrived yesterday, a week after ordering it on 1/3.
If you’re in an “bind” and need either a PCR test or an AntiGen test urgently, we can arrange for you to pick up (or I can overnight one to you) from the extra ones we have.
Dito for my daughter, she ordered hers after she had her telehealth “collection” appointment (miraculously still negative after multiple close exposures), and there was no delay in receiving the replacement.
Thank you for your offer. We found an alternative, so it isn’t really urgent.
1 Like
I’ve deleted several off topic posts that were becoming debate. Please stay on topic.
1 Like
On the subject of “Colleges” 
… here Barnumbia’s reasoning (this week’s notice):
The first two weeks of classes (at both Barnard and Columbia) will be remote.
The reasoning behind this decision is two-fold:
(1) to allow for a natural staggering of students back to campus to reduce initial density and testing and isolation space demands; and
(2) to make it as easy as possible for students who are testing positive during this surge time to access class.
After this two week period, we expect in-person teaching to fully resume
They’ll be PCR testing twice a week until further notice, and will make N95s available if one has no other access.
They also encourage off-campus isolation, for students who live close enough:
The College can provide private car service at no cost, gift cards for food for students on a meal plan, and other support so that residential students can isolate off-campus safely.
3 Likes