Last update from my S21, ‘How can I use your prime video credits to rent a movie?’. The other day he was stating how they figured out how to use the projector in a class room, so hopefully this is a group watch…
Well, yesterday I got the dreaded call from my son… “Ummm…Mama…where’s my Covid Vaccine card and copy of our insurance…I have to go get tested, someone tested positive for Covid”….That someone is his best friend’s roomate who joined the Saddle Tramps (a mini fraternity/spirit org type thing at Tech) and apparently half this org is all Covid positive. My son literally has only been hanging out with the same 4 people, his best friend and two other girls from our high school (all 4 were in marching band together). They all were masking, staying away from the large gatherings and activities at Welcome Week and generally doing their own thing.
All of these kids are vaccinated but apparently this roomate is not feeling well and parents came and picked him up to take him back home to quarantine. So my son, his buddy and the two girls all went to get PCR tests yesterday. None of them are feeling any symptoms. My son is staying in his friends dorm room, decided not to go back to his own room and alerted his roomate.
Now what? Now we wait for the test results and hope they are negative. I’m leaving for a 4 day trip out of town and my pilot husband is also away at work this week. If the tests come back positive, game plan is that s21’s buddy’s mom will drive to Lubbock and either put our son’s i
up in a hotel or her son and my son will go stay at their family’s home in Lubbock. I’m so eternally grateful that S21’s friend’s family is looking out for my boy like he’s their own.
My anxiety level is pretty much through the roof right now.
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The college doesn’t have a quarantine system for the kids? This makes me wonder about my son’s school.
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Why wouldn’t he just stay at school? Surely they have a plan in place that doesn’t involve sending all positive kids home?
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Texas Tech’s quarantine policy (the best I can decipher from the communications and received chatter on the parent facebook groups is 1)If a student is NOT vaccinated, the school will not provide any accommodations for them and they will have to isolate/leave campus/quarantine on their own
- If a student IS vaccinated and tests positive, the university will provide an isolation room, but I don’t yet know what the details on that are or where it is. I plan on making as many phone calls as I can today to find out.
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Oh no that’s so stressful, I’m so sorry. I’m just waiting for that call too. UCF says that if you’re an in state student and need to quarantine you have to go home but they have space for OOS students. Hopefully everyone else is negative and stays healthy!
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How many rooms to set aside for quarantine/isolation is among the most difficult decisions a college has to make for COVID preparation. Few colleges have sufficient capacity to accommodate all infected and potentially infected students if there’s a large outbreak on campus.
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One of my sons tested positive last September. Although there was a quarantine dorm, it was the pits from what we had heard, so I booked him a hotel (I made sure they allowed under 21s to check in) and he double masked and Ubered over (it was only about 10 minutes away, kept the window down, etc). We are 5 hours away and wanted him to quarantine near home, so we booked a one-way car rental and he drove himself back the next day. This minimized any contact with others. Also, he only had mild symptoms, and of course it would have been different if he had been very sick. Anyway, just some options to think about.
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Thank you for this, it’s along the lines of what I’m thinking to do as well if his test does come back positive
Wow, very different from other schools across the country. There are quarantine/isolation spaces set up, testing is obligatory and so of course are vaccines. I hope your son is negative now but I also hope the university gets its act together to support students with quarantine/isolation. Thank goodness for the buddy’s mom! That does sound like a good solution.
The joys of living in Texas…our governor refuses to allow mask/vaccination mandates or take science seriously….the public schools are “encouraging” everyone to get vaccinated and wear masks, they’re trying to incentivize it but holding drawings for gift cards, extra dining dollars even scholarships if you submit proof of vaccination but other than that it’s a free for all.
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I know, and I’m so sorry your governor apparently wants the citizens of his state to die. Bless all of you living through this.
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For those who swore kids don’t ever do laundry at college: It does happen!!
My S has FaceTimed me twice to ask me about laundry sorting. He has washed his sheets twice and his comforter once.
And…:.when I reminded S that he has tons of clothes (seriously, he took a ton, including 13 pairs of shoes that I know of) so why was he washing already? He said he likes to keep up with it.
(Most of my large SUV was filled with his clothes. We live 11 hours away from his school and he wanted to bring most of the stuff he likes.)
So anyhow.
Back to regular programming.
But yes, some college kids DO laundry, regularly, including sheets, towels and comforters. 
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If my son washed his bedding shortly after arriving to college I would have to assume that he or one of his roommates puked on it. Not saying that is the case for your son!
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My S likes things clean. He changes PJs every night, puts clothes in laundry after wearing them even a few hours, and showed me his piles of clothes And sheets via FT.
He was CO of his hs JROTC unit and likes things a certain way.
He even showed me the writing assignment he completed last night for his honors seminar. Classes start this week.
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So far my son is doing laundry on Sunday like he did at home. He is not using a comforter yet, but he did wash his sheets today after two weeks of sweating in 90 degree heat and no AC 
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1st Laundry day here. But she is not washing the thin comforter she sleeps on top of nor the cotton blanket she uses to wrap her self like a mummy.
I’m jealous of those getting meaningful conversation from your kids. I haven’t a clue if my kid has done laundry - but considering he moved in with just a carryon and it’s been hotter than hell - I hope so! I’m getting the daily proof of life - but little else. He’s promised to ft tonight so perhaps I’ll get some more meaningful color on how it’s going.
Poor guy!!! Ugh!!!
The only reason he has FT me is Bc of laundry questions.
So maybe I will sabotage him some so that he continues to ask me, hahha. Just kidding!!!
He has asked me to send pots and pans, and now they are looking at plans for LD weekend.
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