LA county colleges

[socowonder]

Or maybe they announced it because they believe it to be true. Just a thought.

[1NJParent]

I actually don’t think politics is the major factor that colleges in LA aren’t inviting students back on campuses. The decision was made by the county health department. A number of privates in the area consistently said they’d open, at least partially, if allowed by the county. I don’t believe there’s a statewide prohibition. Stanford was going to open for fall and winter quarters but it scrapped its plan at the last minute mostly on its own.

[lkg4answers]

Last year thousands of kids chose schools without having the opportunity to visit them. Some students still haven’t stepped foot on the campus they are attending.

I live in LA and although restrictions are easing I doubt that the board of supervisors will open colleges and universities to tours before May 1. LMU is tough as it is gated but one can walk around some of the other campuses to get a feel of the size of the campus, what the buildings look like and the surrounding neighborhood. That said, without students on campus it is tough to get a feel for the vibe.

USC has a couple of webcams if that helps. Tommy Cam - About USC and Hecuba Cam - About USC

[Twoin18]

@1NJParent

I actually don’t think politics is the major factor that colleges in LA aren’t inviting students back on campuses. The decision was made by the county health department. A number of privates in the area consistently said they’d open, at least partially, if allowed by the county. I don’t believe there’s a statewide prohibition.

It’s the tone from the governor that sets the context within which health departments and school districts decide what to do (as well as the governor’s statewide rules like restaurant closures, quarantines and travel bans).

If the governor says “it’s really dangerous and you must stay at home whenever possible” as opposed to “it’s critical for the economy that we open up as soon as it’s safe” then that provides a very different context within which health departments formulate their rules.

[homerdog]

Right. I’m not getting the CDC suggestion that school can be in person safely. They MEAN if kids can stay six feet apart and no one seems to be clear about that. Many colleges (and certainly many K-12) can’t spread kids out like that. Our high school goes 50 percent at a time and I guess that’s considered “open” but it stinks. It’s synchronous for the other 50 percent at home so that means even kids in the classroom open their laptops and watch the zoom class that the teacher right in front of them is teaching! At Bowdoin, the only college I can speak to specifically, they don’t have many classrooms where they can spread kids out enough so it’s just fine to say students should go back to school but it’s not ideal or it’s impossible at many places if we need to keep up the distancing.

[ucbalumnus]

@Twoin18

Although he might decide to open up more to try and regain popularity, my gut feel is that he will attempt to shore up his base by continuing to take a hard line on restrictions, especially if most of the population remains unvaccinated through the summer.

Enough people have given up on trying to stop the virus, so it probably does not matter what restrictions there are or not. The only things that will slow the virus will be vaccine availability if it accelerates (and people actually take the vaccine), and nicer weather encouraging people to do things outdoors instead of indoors. The politics only matters for people assigning blame based on their pre-existing partisan leanings.

[Twoin18]

@ucbalumnus

The politics only matters for people assigning blame based on their pre-existing partisan leanings.

And the key question is what does Gov Newsom think is the best action to take to improve his own recall election prospects (which might be as soon as this coming November). He’ll certainly want to assign the blame to anyone but himself. Which is why doubling down on his prior actions being correct seems quite plausible to me.

[bookworm]

Homer dog, I truly hope your child will see the campuses prior to committing. My son and I only visited the campuses where he was admitted ( tho he had seen 2 places before). So, wherever your DD is admitted, there are many of us who will help with details.

[lkg4answers]

I agree with @bookworm. There are many of us who can help with details. I have been on tours at LMU, USC and UCLA so can help with those schools. I have been to Cal Tech but have not been on a tour.

[AshleyB_101]

Hey, guys! Yeah, I’m a bit confused on the policy for colleges in LA county and also its impact on making friends. I’m a transfer student and I’m new to LA. I’ve downloaded this app called theDorm App and made a few friends on it but I am looking to meet more people since I pretty much new to the area. Anyone know of any other tools to meet people? I pretty much exhausted everything lol

[lkg4answers]

What school are you at? Have you looked into joining clubs on campus? What about study groups? Have any activities been planned by your RA for your hall or dorm?

The policy in LA County is that you must wear a mask indoors or at large outdoor events but there is nothing preventing people from gathering or having meetings. The LA County guidance can be found here.