I hope all schools will give at risk staff and students, or those who aren’t comfortable coming to campus, the option to work remotely from home. That’s what Purdue is saying right now and I think that’s reasonable. It may mean more remote courses but that’s OK given the situation.
85% of epidemiologists feel comfortable sending their kids to school either this summer (30%) or in the fall (55%). Are they selfish and at fault for putting teachers lives in danger? The few who were interviewed specifically about this question understand it’s a tricky question but a vast majority came down on the side of sending kids back. Even if this question was a K-12 question (that’s not called out but I kind of assume it is), that’s a lot of kids all together with teachers. I still think high school is harder to figure out than college with large high schools having very high density and no way to keep kids in one classroom with the same ten kids all day. At our high school with 3000 kids, only sending 1500 or 1000 kids per day will still be crowded and kids will move from class to class seven times.
Compare that to colleges where kids will enter a classroom building that is likely not crowded, sit in a classroom for a short time with masks, and then leave.
What will these medical professionals not do for a year or so? Go to weddings, concerts, sporting events. And shake hands.
This article should provide some prospective. Of course they acknowledge that everyone has their own risk assessment to make. Still, almost all of the 300+ epidemiologists polled will send their kids to school. Does that mean they aren’t concerned about the teachers? Maybe it means they assume teachers who are very high risk will make the decision to not teach.
I’m not some outlier on this back-to-school issue.
I will be teaching on campus this fall and definitely prefer it to the online classes we had in the spring, but I am also very lucky because I do not have any underlying health concerns and I teach in the humanities, so it would relatively easier for me to pivot back to online classes. I cannot imagine trying to design a plan for a chemistry or microbiology course that may or not be live and would to have a plan to move to online classes only if things get worse with the virus during the year.
My institution is still working out the details, but it looks as if we are going to have a hybrid approach where classes will be a mix of online and F2F instruction, but students will have the choice to have all their classes online if they choose and will have the recorded classes available to them. Another issue is international students as it is not clear that they will necessarily be allowed to return to the USA by the fall, so we need to find ways to ensure that we have a plan which allows for the best experience for them as well.
The administration has not finalized all of the details for the fall, but there has been discussions about not requiring anyone who has an underlying condition or is fearful of returning to the classroom if they do not feel safe…this would make a lot of sense, and I am hopeful that this can be done.
Dorms will have reduced capacity and dining services are going to be radically different, but they are working hard to use shields and spacing to make the dining halls as safe as possible, and there has not been a final decision on fall athletics.
The details are still fluid at this point, but we are approaching a point where a specific plan needs to be presented to the students, faculty and parents, and I am glad I am not the one making the final decision with so many moving parts…
It certainly seems, from the tenor of many posts here, as if some posters want professors to be forced back into the classrooms, regardless of their conditions. Pardon me if that does not include you.
^^^ @homerdog - I honestly don’t understand your point except that it has something to do with winning an argument. That’s not what CC is about.
Virginia Tech makes an official announcement about the fall:
I’m trying to show that it’s not evil to want your kids to go back to school. There’s no argument to be won and everyone can make their own decisions. Yet, I seem to be the punching block for faculty who think I want some boutique experience for S19 to the detriment of faculty and staff.
Already, some have found that link “helpful”. Any info that helps some posters decide what’s best for them seems like a good thing to post. Maybe the vast majority of us don’t need to be living scared. As long as we take precautions, we can still do most of the things that bring us joy and keep us sane. We don’t know if/when there will be a vaccine.
@sylvan8798 thank you. I thought I said multiple times that those with underlying conditions should be able to teach from home but sometimes that gets lost here.
If they choose not to do their job, as defined by the employer, they must resign or be fired. They aren’t required to work in person, but they won’t be paid unless they do their job. Accommodations does not mean the employee gets to dictate the terms and conditions for employment.
People make those decisions every day, before and during covid. Someone with immune system issues may not feel safe working in a day care or hospital or even retail even if they really want to. Every job can’t be done from home and it is up to the employer to decide if the job can be performed, as the employer defines it, remotely. I can see a college deciding it is fine for a history prof to teach remotely but not a dance professor or nursing professor. It might be fine to have office hours online but not the course.
Colleges are running a business. Everyone can’t work from home
^Yeah, I don’t agree with that.
Which state are you in? I’m pretty sure schools are Phase 2 in Massachusetts.
Was just talking about this with my D last night. We’ve been noticing that around us the college students seem to be distancing pretty well. Most of D’s friends are pretty much staying home or maybe getting together for walks, picnics, small bonfires. D wears a mask if she needs to go in somewhere - though she really does. It seems high schoolers are making MUCH different decisions here, especially seniors. I’m not sure if their parents feel their senior year was ruined so they are letting them do what they want but THAT’S the group I see as having parties, distancing less, etc.
D wants to go back to school and is willing to do what she needs to so that happens. I think she’ll feel that way at school as well.
@citcuitrider - but that’s the reality. But i do think most colleges especially the smaller ones, will work with professors to accommodate their needs. In the private sector this won’t happen as much. NY times had a piece recently on employees who were called back to work, didn’t go and now no longer can collect unemployment benefits.
Some on this thread are over stating the risks of returning to campus, others are understating it. The truth lies somewhere in between.
If schools are open in the fall, my kid will be there. However, I don’t want to pay full room and board to have my kid taking classes online in his dorm room eating a boxed lunch. What I want is as much transparency as possible.
Hypothetical for a Monday morning in June: You are the president of private College X. You are of the mind that you can replace any faculty member who dies, retires, or leaves within a day or two (the truth of this not relevant, as you will base your decision on your opinions).
Knowing that students and (paying customer) parents want a normal college experience for themselves/their children, do you say “Everyone to the classrooms! Man your battle stations!” or do you try to implement some kind of accommodations as best you can for faculty/staff who may have concerns about their own well-being?
@wisteria100 I think to the extent that non-profit colleges and universities can distinguish themselves from the mean by treating their employees with empathy and fairness, it should be encouraged.
It’s fine that you want your kid to go back to school in person, I think most of us do. But when others said they don’t want to for x,y reason, you should respect their wishes instead of continuously arguing why they shouldn’t feel the way they do. This is getting really old.
I am curious, all your concerns/worries/complaints and wanting the perfect college experience for your son – do they come from you projecting your feelings onto the matter or do they come from your son?
If it’s the formal, I suggest you should let your son deal with it as it comes. You are not going to college, he is. Just support him. It’s good to know what to expect but dwelling on it isn’t going to give you the answer you want/need. You seem to not want to hear/accept any resolution unless it is aligned with what YOU want.
If it’s the latter, then tell your son to suck it up and deal with it. Whatever comes, take it with dignity, and have respect for others while doing it. It will do him a world of good. If not, don’t go to college. It’s that simple.
Sorry to be blunt, but someone has to.
This is a new communication from Rice. Looks like they are getting some large structures/tents for extra classroom/study space. Also getting some open sided tents and asking kids to bring portable chairs. I assume these open tents would not be used for classrooms as much as outdoor gathering space (hard to take notes, etc sitting in one of those chairs). I suspect each residential college will end up making individual plans for more outdoor seating. My D says it’s come up in some meetings/zoom class she was in for her college. Luckily the weather at Rice is fairly conducive to being outside - at least after August and when it’s not raining.
Major decisions about dining and orientation week won’t be communicated until July.
Dear colleagues,
In last week’s update on our university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote about the importance of physical distancing, keeping six feet apart when possible and reducing the number of people who gather in the same place at the same time. This week, let’s look at the way these requirements will affect how we use physical spaces on campus.
We are mapping out the maximum density for every gathering space on campus. The survey, which will be finished later this month, will be available online and posted on entrance doors. This information will be used to set limits for each instructional space, which the Academic Restart Committee and the Registrar will then use to decide if some changes will be made to the fall course schedule.
Reducing population density will require us to use spaces in non-traditional ways and increase the number of large venues on campus. That’s why we are now purchasing four temporary structures (50 x 90 ft.) that can hold 50 students and an instructor. They will be located on the open field next to Hanszen College and across the street from Herring Hall. These structures will be lighted, cooled, heated, and ventilated, they will have audiovisual capabilities and they’re designed to withstand hurricane force winds. They can be used not only for instruction, but also for academic lectures in the late afternoon and student meeting and study spaces in the evenings. They should be available for use by the start of classes.
Much has been written about the benefits of spending time outside during this pandemic. We are fortunate that our climate allows us to be outdoors for much of the academic year. So we are also purchasing five open-sided tents (40 x 60 ft.) and placing them adjacent to academic buildings. Exactly how these structures will be used and scheduled will be determined in the coming weeks. And in order to make best use of all our outdoor spaces, we will ask students who have portable chairs to bring them when they return to augment those already around the campus. We will also purchase a number of lightweight, portable camping-style chairs for student use.
We will need to reduce population density in our research labs and office buildings for the fall semester. The first phase of the reopening of research is underway and we will probably institute some adjustments for the next phase in July. The population density in office buildings will be reduced through a variety of work policies and practices that are now being developed by our Human Resources Office in conjunction with supervisors. These alternatives include working from home, alternative work schedules and part-time arrangements.
The Dean of Undergraduates and her staff are currently evaluating how population density will be addressed within the residential colleges, including procedures for dining and Orientation Week activities. Details on this will be communicated to new and returning students in early July.
The intent guiding all of this is to prioritize our community’s health and safety while we provide the best possible intellectual and social environment in delivering our mission. As always, we seek your questions and suggestions to make this achievable.
Kevin Kirby
Chair of the Crisis Management Advisory Committee
Vice President for Administration
That is what we all face
Don’t think colleges are going to give discounts. This sets a bad presidence for them going forward. I know I am alone in this opinion but I truly feel we are a partner with the college. Also my sons a senior and he wants to be done also…LOL. Maybe I would feel different if he was a freshman. His educational experience has been nothing less then fantastic. Teachers/professors teach. We paid for the teaching that goes on and the history of it at his college. I just don’t think that will just fall off the earth because of the pandemic. They have had the summer to make changes. His school is also technically advanced in some areas.
Well… We should all know in a few weeks if not sooner. I bet all of our experiences will look more similar then different.
Bottom line is that everyone - student, parent, teacher, administrator, staff wants to be safe and each has options on how they do that because I don’t know of any school that has said "everyone back on campus now - no exceptions. Students have several options to choose from: some on campus classes, some online, or all online, gap year, or transfer. Teachers as well seem to have options to teach in-person or online. I’m not sure I’ve seen any school say “all teachers must be on campus and teach in-person”. Seems like the group with the fewest options are service staff in dining halls ect. Seems that their options are most limited.
So on the hierarchy of options it seems students have the most, then teachers, then staff.
I know this thread is almost all parents, and that’s probably what is causing this massive disconnect, but posters need to remember that to the organizations that will set the rules for the colleges and decide whether they are open your child’s health is nothing but a statistic.
Their main concern is containing community spread so the local healthcare system is not overloaded. If college kids are a significant driver of community spread the school will be dealt with. Colleges are not sovereign states.
I mentioned this a few weeks ago: A neighbor who is connected to the governor said that college will be totally about academics and there will be little to no fun. It’s a pandemic. Students that can’t live with that system will quickly find themselves back home.
Cities and states will not risk their resident’s lives and the economy so your kid can relax in the cafeteria, play a non revenue sport, party, or whatever.