Has anyone set a “go, no go” date for deciding whether to attend in person and some basic criteria/info to make that decision?
In short, not happy about the spike but will leave it up to the college if and how they “open up” in August. Very fluid situation but if the college allows on campus housing, my D20 will be going.
Once Bowdoin gives us the plan, students have two weeks to decide on whether to attend in person, attend remotely, or take a gap. Sounds like we will have the plan next week.
Do you have more info on the sewage test? I’d love to see that.
@ChemAM you certainly do not speak for anyone in the MIT community. Many of us (I’m in several parent and alum and spouse groups) think that it would not only be fair, but preferable, to have freshmen at home this fall.
@homerdog your idea that MIT students will just choose off-campus housing is laughable both because of paucity of same and also because of the communities built in living groups on campus which have continued online.
^Yeah, I kind of wish people would stop criticizing what other schools are doing. Most of us are barely familiar with places we’ve actually attended.
Hmmmm… Wonder what poster would be like that. Hmmm!!!
Some of us come here so we can delay sanding and priming then painting the front porch! ?. Just saying… Lol
[quote=“fretfulmother;c-22851618”
@homerdog your idea that MIT students will just choose off-campus housing is laughable
[/quote]
So much for that respect.
D19 is working 20 hours a week at a store right now. Considered “essential worker”. I am very uneasy about it and tried to bribe her to not work but she wants to earn her own money. She is super careful and has the routine down to change in the garage and go straight to a shower after each work day. One thing that makes me less worried is that she is in an office most of the time running reports and doing inventory and ordering for the store.
I think going back to campus in the fall even with many restrictions will just be a cakewalk compared to what she is going now.
A lot of kids are going to be under more restrictions on campus then they are currently at home and that will be tough. For my kid, even though she does not like the idea of the campus experience being more limited than it was last year, I tell her at least it will be better than what she has now. Which has been very limited contact with friends, and when that happens it is never in a group, always just one at a time and always with a mask.
I will say I would be very surprised if Amherst decided to only let some class years of students back, because
-
I think if that was something that was on the table, they would have switched to the Beloit model for increased flexibility.
-
They have been giving us updates (many of which I have been posting here) on the status of planning for the fall semester, and they have not said anything about potentially only letting some students come back in any emails to students.
-
The fact that they delayed the 2020-2021 Housing Selection Process from April to May/June and we have yet to hear an update on housing really makes me think they are finding/finalizing arrangements for an expansion into off-campus housing so all students can come back while putting most/all students in their own rooms.
I never made any comments about MIT and housing. That must be someone else.
@homerdog @fretfulmother I believe the person who actually made the comment about MIT and housing was @roycroftmom (not to say that I don’t agree with her, just believe in giving credit where credit is due)
And this is funny. I’m keeping an eye on CC while S19 is priming and painting our back porch!
How can schools test every student when they return if the states they reside in aren’t capable of processing those types of numbers statewide? Won’t there be a capacity issue? Think of the constraints on the system during the three week window in August/September when schools go back.
Re: testing: Tulane said they will test all students upon arrival (staggering move in to achieve this) and I think they said once a month after that. I hope they have what they need to do so.
It seems some schools are planning for this testing and have said they won’t open without a strategic testing plan. Bowdoin has said more than once that, if they cannot test often with tests that are increasingly accurate, they will not invite kids back to campus. It’s easier for smaller schools to determine if tests will be available for 2000 kids than for a larger school. I assume all colleges are in talks with local health authorities and hospitals to determine how they can work testing into their plan.
Yep, that was me. Overly burdensome restrictions will prompt students to look for alternative housing. All colleges will have to walk a fine line between responsible safety measures and rules so draconian no one wants to live on campus. Yes, I know MIT students exploring apartments for the fall.
I remain unclear why any administrator thinks the situation will be different in January 2021 than September 2020, or whether the presence of 3k versus 4k students on campus will significantly affect contagion rates, but that decision is up to them.
@homerdog Amherst is getting its tests from the Broad Institute: a lab at Harvard & MIT.
I have to look at this from each of my kids viewpoints. My D17 has one more semester and would be living off campus. Has held off getting a place. until GW solidifies plans.
She is my social one, but living off campus is helping with her stress. She is also one that needs in person classes (and hers being smaller might be) . If she was going to be a freshman this year, based on her personality we might have delayed /gapped…
My S19 would be returning on RIT. He has his own bedroom in a 4 bedroom apartment (campus owned). He is already a non social person and just hopes for a few classes on campus . He never has gone to a party. So as long as he can live there on campus, attend a few classes, and hang out with his roommates, he would be happy.
BTW what is happening is at home is similar to their personalities. My D has been socializing with a small circle of friends. She will have a job at a summer camp in a few weeks. My S has barely left the house, not having any place to really go and having a harder time finding a seasonal job. (not the type to do outdoor work). He plans online with his “friends”
https://www.npr.org/2020/05/07/852155076/how-what-you-flush-is-helping-track-coronavirus
https://www.theverge.com/21283825/sewer-systems-coronavirus-seawge-data-warning-signs-cities - this one is connected to Yale where the sewage test was a week ahead of actual case count.