I read this ranking of covid dashboards and was really disappointed. Like all ranking systems you really have to inquire about the data sets. Why was Holy Cross given an A when there were only athletes for winter sport on campus compared to other institutions who navigated welcoming their entire population back and maintained transparent reporting testing etc? It is based in a lot of subjectivity imho. Read it with a grain of salt is all…
1 Like
Thank him for his service to others please. But yes I would be concerned about exposure in your home until his test results come back. Can he wait a day? ps I hope he is one of the first in line for a vaccine as a emergency responder.
1 Like
Exactly. Why not include Wesleyan? You all did so well too!
All you have to do is request a review on Twitter and include a link to the dashboard. I did that and he reviewed the school a few days later.
1 Like
I saw that re:Bates pushing start date back on campus.
Be aware that the testing timeline still leaves risk. If he got infected 0-2 days before the test (i.e. Monday to Wednesday), then the viral load may be low enough to give a false negative on a Wednesday test (whose results you will see Friday or Saturday or even later).
In that case, he would likely not be contagious on Wednesday, but could be contagious by the time you see the test results.
2 Likes
I’ll be working from home, my wife will be off for winter break and S22’s school is remote. We’ll all stay home. We’re very cautious normally. We may have him re-tested a few days after his return.
I got tested every two days leading up to TG. Before that it was every three days. always negative so no need to QT . My father came to MA to pick me up and he was tested prior to arrival. so no need to QT fro any of us. back in nY entire family tested before TG…all was good.
2 Likes
A test 4-5 days after the last higher risk event may be more likely to catch an infection from that higher risk event.
However, if the result (that you would probably get 2-3 days after the test, or 6-8 days after the higher risk event) is positive, then everyone else in your household is at risk of having been infected if he has been back home since 2 days after the higher risk event. But if everyone is staying home, or only going outdoors well away from other people, then you would not be putting anyone else at risk.
Well I’m finishing up final grading and my observations are these. For undergrad, it’s a u-shaped curve. Students either did very well or bombed abysmally. I designed the course (online with some synchronous and asynchronous components) to reward sustained engagement rather than a couple of high-stakes assessments. I assigned less reading than I normally would, but I gave reading quizzes. I had weekly discussion boards and a few free-standing writing assignments requiring citation (no exams). My employer has a pass/fail option. In the gen ed required course, I am dealing with student who tried to game everything and do the least amount of work possible. Out of a class of 23, I will probably fail 3. Many will get D’s and C’s. The Zoom classes are in no way shape or form equivalent to in-person instruction. I don’t think I could identify my students (if I didn’t know them pre-Covid) if I saw them in the flesh.
I’m on sabbatical in spring and I thank God. I hope I never have to teach online again. I am teaching a course in late summer and I chose to teach in person. I may have to wear a mask in the classroom but I am willing to do this now instead of trying to teach online.
15 Likes
@NJSue Thank you for posting your observations. Our son is in his third year and not enjoying the online portion classes. He understands that the school and professors are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Also, he is grateful that some of his classes are hybrid - though he only had about 3 hours of in-class instruction and 12 hours online.
I pass on reports from other people to him to let him know that he definitely is not the only one frustrated by the situation. Unfortunately, 3 semesters out of 8 is quite a lot. Hopefully fall 2021 will be much better for everyone.
1 Like
Purdue just announced in person graduation for next Spring in the football stadium: Purdue to hold spring commencement at Ross-Ade Stadium - Purdue University News
8 Likes
Interesting article about what it’s like for students holding out on campus in December from the Williams Record:
1 Like
The Amherst Student (student newspaper at Amherst College) recently posted the following statement: “Faculty will vote tonight on delaying the start of spring semester classes from Feb. 3 to Feb. 15, per the recommendations of the Committee of Six and the Committee of Educational Policy. Check back on our website soon for additional coverage.”
The Committee of Six is a committee consisting of some professors and administrators, including the President of the college. It may not be official yet, but If they are recommending that the return of students be delayed by 12 days, then the return of students will be delayed by 12 days.
1 Like
Interesting. Williams’ first day of classes is February 17th.
In a town hall last night, CU Boulder announced they will not be requiring employees to get vaccinated. The reasoning is that the vaccine was approved under an EUA and therefore still considered experimental.
No word on students.
I imagine it’s going to be much easier to require vaccinations of students than staff. I haven’t heard of any company/college/business intending on requiring covid vaccines for employees…for the very reason you state, they don’t yet have full FDA approval, only EUA. Not to mention they are going to be in short supply for quite awhile.
yet, at least in our county, “educators” are on the list soon to get the vaccine. I reached out to a friend who is in local government and asked what that means exactly. She did some digging but couldn’t find any details. She thinks there aren’t any details yet on that since this is all just happening now and plans aren’t really set in stone. I guess it could mean that K-12 and college faculty would have the option of getting the vaccine sooner than the general public but no one has said it will be mandatory.
Yes, here teachers are relatively high on the list and I think there’s zero chance the union will agree to a mandatory covid vaccine.
2 Likes
but the real question is this -how many teachers will take it? What the district might be able to do is require them to come to school to teach at some point. Up to them to take a vaccine but I suppose more will do it if they have to go to work.
2 Likes