Although nothing is final yet, D19 and some of her friends are talking about going back on campus /renting near college even if classes are online in the fall. A number of them seem to feel that the motivation to work will be higher if they are physically around other students, as well as feeling that even only a partially reopened city is better than home for some kind of student vibe. D19 is thinking also that if classes are mostly or fully online she will look for a job or internship to take up the time slack. We are quite amenable to this idea - accommodation cost was always in the budget, and she really did not enjoy the experience of isolation online learning at home brought her.
I have zero expectation by the way that any college is going to be able to fully enforce social distancing between students outside of the classrooms, and young adults seem the least amenable to following all the social distancing rules. So yes taking a calculated risk by sending her back too. That said, we have close family in town to help if she does get sick, which also makes a difference. The flip side is that she might hang out with her younger relatives but may have to remain isolated from her grandfather, who is in the high risk category.
A lot of the cotton masks I see have pockets sewn in to add filters - which I guess is what they are saying they have inbuilt? But I donāt know if that is to add to protection for you.
Without some type of clinical study, a company canāt make the claim that the mask protects the wearer. There is some good data, and lots of anecdotal evidence that cloth masks do protect those around you.
If you are at-risk, or someone you live with is at-risk, itās best to talk with your physician about what type of mask you should use.
Bowdoin only hosting freshmen for fall and S19 is trying to figure this out. Some of his friends might take a gap semester and hope to be able to go back in the spring. Bowdoin has said, though, that they wonāt be able to guarantee return when you want to come back and might have to wait an extra semester. Not good. Impossible to plan.
So he and some other friends are thinking of renting near Bowdoin but thereās just no inventory. They donāt have to be near campus, really, because they arenāt even allowed on campus. That means they could find a place anywhere, really, but it would have to be short term since they might go back in Jan. So thatās hard too. Ideally, they could find a family that has a second house thatās available for them to rent from mid-Aug through Dec. Maybe an airBnb would take their offer if they have no other renters and would maybe give them a break on the price if they offer four months in advance. There is no good answer. He really does not want to stay home and do remote class but D21 is up for it since he could help her with calc in the fall. Lol.
Thanks for the info. @milgymfam. So it sounds like those Brooks Brothers masks may be good for sitting through class or walking on campus for students, but Iād need to get some kind of N95 mask and maybe a shield for Dās travel to campus (if they return). Iām definitely feeling sad for our kids and worried about the upcoming school year. I think S19 is mentally preparing for a school year that is not very fun, but D17 hasnāt quite had to face what senior year will be - especially since weāre still waiting on the plan.
So , as announced today: Mississippi Stateālike most if not all the rest of the SECāis starting slightly earlier than previously announced and ending by Thanksgiving. (Iām still unclear whether finals will be before Thanksgiving or online afterward, but commencement is the day before Thanksgiving. Of course, itās quite possible for someone to walk and still not really graduateāmost places, final grades are due from faculty after commencementāso they could do that either way.)
@elena13 2 cents: When D19 got on a flight recently she used an N95 mask. Sheāll do the same on the return. On a regular basis we use cloth. Mine tend to be 2-ply mainly but 4-ply where the pocket is. Those blue/white disposable ones are much easier to breathe through, but we donāt use them unless nothing is clean. Weāve used carbon filters in the pocket for doctor appts.
When we donate, we give the normal disclaimers about the mask protecting others. Practically, the effectiveness also varies by material, secure covering of the mouth and nose, etc. We have a senior in the home, so we might be overly cautious, but Iām on the second hand of Zoom funerals, so it is what it is. Weāre blessed to have the Georgia mountains so close.
Internship has started and itās session 1 finals week. Seems to be working with the various time differences. Houston isnāt looking promising right now, so hoping they get it together over the next 6 weeks.
@homerdog But if he takes the fall semester off and goes back in the spring, wouldnāt that still be online at Bowdoin? Like only seniors would be on campus for spring?
Middlebury will be on Campus for the fall term. They will be there straight from September to November, go home for break, and take the finals online from home. They are supposed to quarantine at home for two weeks before coming to campus, test as soon as they arrive, and quarantine in rooms until the first negative, and limit contact until they get the second test a week later. There is staggered arrival, etc.
D19 is happy and nervous, and, of course. Sheās been spending a lot of time online with her college friends, partly because all of her closest friends have joined her in her activism group, and partly because they are planning sleeping arrangements for next semester - she plans to room with last yearās roommate.
Last week she baked some 170 cookies and sent them to some 20-something friends from high school and from college. She knew that she did well when one of the moms asked for her recipeā¦ She bakes a lot, though as the weather got hotter she bakes less. Still, weāve had bread, muffins, cake, focaccia, and cookies.
Sheās doing an online internship - a team of colleges students from the USA are working with a group of students in Irkutsk develop a game to teach younger kids about the UNās Sustainable Development projectā¦ So she and her team in the USA meet with the Irkutsk team a few times a week, and work on stuff. The Irkutsk team speaks English, but were very happy when D19 spoke with them a bit in Russian.
I donāt know yet whether Iāll be teaching in the fall, and in which format.
@homerdog that is a bummer for your son and I donāt know what Bowdoin is thinking evoking a plan like that. But maybe they are onto something and are leaning to safety. I have been up in Maine a few times lately and literally there is nothing happening with the virus there. Maybe near Portland, some cases. But the rest of state has people wondering what the fuss is all about. Too much fresh air and pine trees and open space, less crowded urbanization.
Tufts is going back 9/8 thru 12-15 and asked no travel for Thanksgiving. Plan for lots of testing, mask wearing and quarrantines if needed. In class, and online hybrid model when needed. Stay home if you want too.
Denison is going back a week early, in mid-August, and then ending classes a week before Thanksgiving, with exams to be taken at home online. International students have the option of doing remote, but S19 is going to fly back and do his classes live to the extent he can. Itās a very long flight from Japan, but I think heāll be OK so long as is careful. He has been happy with the remote classes over Spring semester and also with the classes and virtual internships theyāve made available this summer, but staying up all night every night to deal with the time difference is getting a little old and he misses his friends. He runs track, which is a pretty safe sport, and at least they will be able to get together for practice every day, even if any actual meets are likely to be put off until the spring. Itās still really kind of shocking where we all were a year ago and where we are today.
S19 checked latest revisions to his schedule. Two of his classes will be online (the prof for one sent an email saying their class of 30 couldnāt achieve social distancing with the space), 1 is a hybrid (some in class, some online), and 3 are in-person. He wishes all were in person, but happy if it stays this way without further changes.
Hi everyone, itās been a loonnnnnng time since Iāve been on here. Itās good to see your names. It sounds like everyone is doing what they can to get through these very strange times. A 4 week old puppy fell into our laps needing a home in March so weāve been distracted with Louie who, while a lot of work makes my heart very happy (especially now that the chewing is settling down a bit ; )
D19 is of course home. We went down to UCLA last weekend and found an apartment for next year since so many students were shut out of university housing due to needing to reduce capacity. Sheāll be living with 5 girls total off campus in Westwood. Only 15-20% of the classes will be in person, but we really want her to continue on āadultingā skills and gaining more independence. Being with roommates all going through the same things will be good for her. They donāt start until 10/1. Sheās getting a spread sheet together of things they need and who can bring what so thatās a good project. Sheās also taking one class this summer to knock out a GE and trying to enjoy some downtime after an academically strenuous Spring quarter. I really enjoy having her here on many levels, but it will be good for her to get back to LA.
Such a strange time but Iām hoping the things that have and are happening in 2020 will make us more resilient, stronger, smarter and kinder with a more just and equal nation.
@homerdog I wonder of Bowdoinās unusual plans are mostly caused by the 4 year on campus residency? Iām not in the LAC world but are schools with similar high percentages of on campus students, in addition to low surrounding housing, making the same types of calls? It is very tough though, Iām so sorry for your son. I wonder if the whole gap uncertainty is also mostly driven by housing. If they could get housing density back up a little, could kids come back in spring, for example? (unknown, I knowā¦just musing). My Dās school (LMU, LA) is going to re-evaluate housing later for spring, for now pretty much only freshmen get on campus singles, the rest are either looking for off campus now, or waiting a little longer to see which returning students (if any) get on campus housing. My D is off campus so it doesnāt apply to us, but I thought that was interesting and perhaps slightly hopeful that they will re-look at housing and density for spring. Or I suppose it could go the other wayā¦the housing assignments are only for fall because maybe no one will get to be on campus in spring!!!
@crknwk2000 , sounds like a good plan! I do think off campus living even if school is all online can be preferable for many, including my D. Of course, it isnāt preferable financially. And yes, planning it out will be something to do in the meantime! My D is going back to her LA house in two weeks. It doesnāt feel like much has changed since she came back in March, but we all know how to live this way nowā¦masks, sheltering in place, planning and limiting grocery runs. So itās time.
@TS0104 Yes. Itās housing. They only have 1850 beds and that only works if the usual 150 kids or so are studying abroad. And of course that includes double and triples. I asked itās also about class sizes, dining, and available class space. If hundreds of kids defer and then want to come back, there will be a bubble of those hundreds of kids and the total enrollment could be something like 2300 instead of 2000 and the campus cannot handle all of the above for that many students. Itās complicated.
@homerdog sorry it sounds like housing isnāt an option at Bowdoin or even around the area with the lack of inventory. I remember when we were both thinking about Grinnellāthatās why I always remember you. Never could we imagine weād be where we are right now. Again, i hope that this builds resiliency and strength in our kids and in our country, but I know thatās no consolation right now for all these kids. Hang in thereā¦