Yes, everyone she knows has formed a pod, and yes her roommates want one with her- they had one last semester, but the third moved off campus and my daughter took her room. She is very conflicted as she doesn’t like breaking the honor code, and she is anxious about Covid, but she also thinks it’s just too much to ask. She’s a people person. She needs hugs and time with people unmasked.
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I bet Haverford didn’t make pods officially allowed but they much know that’s what kids are doing. I highly doubt she would be kicked off campus if she formed a pod. Most LACs in the NE are using much bigger offenses for that. If, for some reason, a pod is found out, I bet they just get some sort of warning.
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She hasn’t heard about a second dose yet.
I believe they had already given out (or at least have enough kids in line) all the shots. I know some people will complain about this but I think the hope was the kids would be able to walk to get it and no one would have to drive today because of the storm.
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I’m confused as to what your D expected. She “thought she could be unmasked with her roommates” but is also concerned about Covid. So, it seems she knew they formed a pod last semester and planned on that but is just worried about the honor code? I’m sure all of the kids at Haverford believe in the honor code but they are still making pods. If they are testing twice a week, that’s still pretty darn safe if they are careful in every other way.
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I agree with the decision. I just hope they all get an appointment for the second dose. Where I live they give you the appointment when you get the first dose.
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Yes, she’s worried about the honor code. I would say that it’s given less weight on average than she was expecting, but she takes it very seriously. She doesn’t think the pod is any less safe if it’s against the rules than if it’s allowed, but she hadn’t realized it was against the rules, and now wonders how many Covid rules are casually broken. She has a pretty severe anxiety disorder and the whole thing just threw her for a loop- she’ll figure out what she wants to do and be fine, but it is stressful in this moment. They test every two weeks, btw, not twice per week; same as last semester. I actually think the administration has their head in the sand and doesn’t realize the extent to which pods are being used.
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How would anyone know if flatmates didn’t wear masks in the common room? I would just keep a mask in my pocket and if the unlikely odds that an inspector comes by, everyone puts their masks on and “ extra” people hid in the cupboard with the vacuum cleaner. This is a case of following the spirit of the law not the letter. If families in a home can be unmasked together then 4-5 self contained flat mates should as long as there is no mixing outside of that.
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I probably am confused, but if your D is living in a traditional apartment, wearing masks in the kitchen, dining, and living room is a bit silly and not supported by science. I’d call/email the school and nicely ask for clarification. That sounds like a general rule that isn’t meant for apartments.
If she’s in a dorm room they call an apartment and the shared space is open to everyone, then it makes sense.
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It is an apartment. It has three bedrooms, a small eating area, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It’s campus housing, but they were originally private apartments that the school bought at some point. She has clarified that the school expects the apartments to be treated the same as all the single dorm rooms. If, for instance, she wants to cook/eat, there is not enough room to social distance in either of those spaces, so she would have to wait until her two friends weren’t around to cook (masked) and eat (alone). If she wants to put on some makeup in the bathroom mirror, she should be masked. She does her zoom classes at the dining table because she has the smallest room (less than half the size of the other two), but now she’ll have to either do zoom masked or do it on her bed. Etc. Yes, this is actually what the school wants and has as their rules. They were already not allowed guests, and haven’t had any.
I find it difficult to believe that your school’s admin is unaware of what’s going on, i.e. pods forming. It makes me think the school wants to absolve itself of any liability whatsoever if a student gets covid from a pod member, so admin can say ‘well that’s your fault, you broke the rules’. Its stance of ‘you are breaking the honor code if you take off a mask in your own apartment if the roommate is in the kitchen’ is super lame. Unless these kids all have their own bathrooms and separate entrances, they are in fact living together and are defacto a pod already. I really feel for your daughter.
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I was surprised at just how quickly my daughter adapted to wearing masks everywhere outside her dorm room. It’s pretty far down on the lists of restrictions that bothers her. Now she’s in a traditional dorm, so I’m not equating it with the previous poster’s daughter who is in an apartment - just saying if the only holdover in Fall 2021 is mask wearing, we’d be ecstatic.
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I would be ecstatic too if everything was normal except mask wearing fi they can have in person learning for my son to start in the Fall. We are looking at colleges that have traditional dorms (hallway of double rooms with shared bathroom for the hall) and suite type dorm rooms (e.g. two bedrooms with 2 beds each, living area, mini kitchen and shared bathroom). If the schools are going to “de-densify” then the traditional rooms become singles, and I guess the suites are one bed in each bedroom. If that the case with the suites, I do think it would be a bit too much to have to put on a mask anytime he’s out of his bedroom.
I wanted to add that part of her feelings are probably because all of her classes are remote. It’s not the school’s policy, but a large number of classes the teachers chose remote. I think the only things keeping her from packing up are her dance performance group and the promise of a quicker-to-come spring at school than at home, where she can be outside with friends and have crew practices. Hopefully it warms up early and she can have those things.
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Big hugs to her- I have rule followers. I follow rules, but sometimes rules make no sense. If they share and apartment, they are probably sharing the same ventilation. If one of them gets Covid, I assume they would all isolate. Even with masks they could give it to each other. I would wear the mask in common areas, but not even sharing the kitchen makes no sense.
I think a lot of kids had buyers remorse in the Fall and now some areas that didn’t struggle in the Fall are getting hit. Now those kids are having to go remote. I hope it will get better soon.
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@milgymfam I’m so sorry for your D. That sounds stressful and isolating, lonely, and depressing.
I have a rule follower, and a fairly anxious kiddo myself, so I completely understand her conflicted feelings.
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I am so sorry that your daughter is having a hard time. I’m a Haverford alum who was a big rule follower and a member of Honor Council, so I understand her dilemma. It’s easy for me to say this with the benefit of hindsight, but if she and her roommates trust each other, they should form a pod. Mental health is vitally important. I’m a pretty active alum and am dismayed to read about the college’s unyielding policy (and the bullying threads). I’ve been considering reaching out to someone in the development office whom I’ve known for years. Feel free to private message me. Your daughter’s in my thoughts.
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I am sorry she is having a hard time. I agree with others she should form a pod with her housemates. Are faculty going home to their families and wearing masks in common areas of their home and waiting until the kitchen is less crowded? I really doubt it. It’s not fair to ask the students to live like that unless everyone in the community is being asked to uphold the same standard.
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I don’t understand the rationale for these restrictions. It would seem reasonable to treat each apartment as a pod - the residents therein will be breathing the same air all day.
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I haven’t talked to her since she got the vaccine except through text. She didn’t seem to know anything about the second dose but based on chatter from other parents I think it sounds like they will be contacted. This vaccination event was last minute and they were scrambling to get them out (and to get the kids out of the cold where they had to wait). My daughter’s vaccine was administered by another students she knew. I think they used kids who are part of the campus EMS (paramedics) to administer.
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Amherst is another school with strict mask mandates. Masks can be off only when alone in your room, while eating or while showering or brushing teeth. Even if you are with members of your pod, masks are to be on. Walking to the hall bathroom- masks on. And this is with testing 3x per week