If you read the article, people with second homes and vacation homes are being turned away and are upset. I’m sure things will change and smooth out with time but this is what is happening now.
I did read it, and I get it. But certainly for some proportion of students their off-campus housing would be their only available home.
Lots to think about for the students plus the colleges and communities for the Fall…even if classes are online only.
Colleges are unlikely to resume in-person classes if community transmission is still around in the surrounding community.
Online classes wouldn’t be ideal for first year students (or any student). I spoke to my S the other day about his online classes. He told me he was fine with his classes and he was still able to work with his classmates on projects and problems via video.
My S20 was watching CNN last night and they had a piece about colleges in fall. They discussed BU’s options and what other schools might do.
He was OK with the idea of being on-campus starting in January but he wants that to be the beginning of freshman year. Next summer would be 2nd semester freshman year. He would take several online classes at our local CC this fall and transfer the credits in January. He doesn’t want his first semester to be online with the school he’s planning on attending. Different perspective. I kind of liked it upon further thought. That might work for underclassmen but not sure about upperclassmen.
My D who will be a soph at an LAC said she would rather have two in residence semesters starting in Jan than an online Fall semester. It would be a little tricky with no opportunity for an internship the following summer, but no solution will be perfect!
What if every student, faculty, college staffr coming to campus for freshmen year – and even returning students – HAD TO TAKE A COVID TEST! They pass, they get remain on campus. They fail, they go back home – The Ellis Island method.
So-- WHEN will be accurate testing be available to all?
Seems like a lot of legal entanglements.
What is pass and fail criteria? You had it and have the antibodies (if that works) or you don’t have it and are “clean”?
So if you’re banned from campus can you disenroll and transfer? Defer? Right now I bet a lot of colleges would say “you failed your test…no problem…we’ll enroll you today”. My son already got an email from UMiami asking if he would reconsider with more financial aid.
Given the economy and supply chain disruption I wouldn’t count on a test being available on a large scale any time soon. JMHO.
I’m done debating travel restrictions based on the virus. Any student with a car will be able to drive back to their off campus apartments come the fall, and a huge percentage will, like it or not. By then my son will officially be an EMT so he won’t be stopped anyway. People are going to move about the country. If the state, city, or a university wants off campus students to stay home they better start buying out their apartment leases…
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Last warning. I just deleted quite a few off topic posts. Please don’t make me close the thread.
My D20 also expressed that she would rather just start as a first time freshman in January, with no online classes in the fall. It would give colleges/unis enough time to offer voluntary early retirement and/or disability time off to faculty and staff that are immunocompromised/over 65/or other high risk groups - plus hire new faculty/staff. Both school semesters could be offered one right after the other, with no breaks, ending in late July or early August. In doing that, there should be enough time for classes to be taught in full, and it would also reduce student travel, and thus reduce chances of spread. Those were just a few of the ideas my D came up with. They are by no means perfect, but I found them interesting.
How soon after exposure does a person test positive? My D flies to campus. If she is exposed in the airport or airplane, will she test positive later that day, when she arrives at campus? (legit question, I don’t know) Or could she pass the test, but then still come down with symptoms a few days later? Would there be follow-up testing?
Pretty sure my DS would prefer this too. The issue is that students do not want to have less on-campus time overall. My freshman son said that if next semester is online and he goes abroad one semester (fingers crossed) junior year, then he has only four more semesters on campus! And he’s only a freshman.
Perhaps they can have a limited online, at-home “fall-mester,” with students taking just two classes and paying 1/2 the semester tuition. Then, come January, everyone comes back to campus, takes the additional two to three classes to complete the first semester (fewer classes would help with social distancing), and pays the other half of the semester tuition. Perhaps speed it up, since students will be on a limited schedule. Start right after the new year, and end mid-March. Then have just a one-day break before starting second semester (to encourage staying in place), which would go until end of June. Internships could start after fourth of July and be abbreviated.
FWIW, I don’t think preference can be determined for all students. I know my kids would rather be online vs having to wait. Ideal? No. But, equally, they don’t want school dragged out, either.
Not really. Dartmouth houses ~90% of all undergrads on campus. It’s mostly the grad students – who are adults in any state – who live off campus.
That’s why the plan in my post #632 would work for most students. It combines the approaches.
“Maine colleges plan for how coronavirus could affect fall semester”
Another, similar, option would be to make the second semester a more normal spring semester, with the catch-up over the summer. Actually, students can DIY this way, if schools are online in the fall. Those who want to do full time online in the fall could. Those who want the online “fallmester” could do that, with catch-up in summer.
@xyz123a just an FYI for when you share a link. If you see fbclid in the url, you don’t need to include the portion after that. The same goes for other social media such as twitter. Your link without the facebook click id is https://www.pressherald.com/2020/04/15/maine-colleges-plan-for-how-coronavirus-could-impact-fall-semesters
@momzilla2D Good idea. I like any idea that does not reduce the students’ total amount of time spent on campus. I think that should be the goal. Also, with the plans we are describing, the schools still have a cash flow.
However, at semester system colleges, summer session is usually shorter than a fall or spring semester, with a full time course load being fewer courses or credits.