Having a roommate in college was a learning experience: how to get along with someone else who isn’t exactly the same as you.
What do you suggest, @1NJParent ? Armed guards surrounding the campus? Identity checks everywhere? Many campuses have a layout open to the surrounding community which is not easily curtailed
Purdue’s president was on CNBC this morning. New information was every student will be tested. They hadn’t officially announced that before but he said they have figured out the logistics of testing everyone.
He was also asked about off campus students congregating in bars and parties. Mitch answered by saying that there is a symbiotic relationship between town and the university, that they are working together, and it is in everyone’s best interest for businesses to enforce mask wearing, social distancing, etc… at their establishments as well.
The W Layette mayor is working to pass stricter ordinances than what they have on the state level. The businesses in town want/need students back and don’t want school to shutter again either so hopefully they’ll be in compliance too.
@roycroftmom I suggest nothing of the sort. Colleges have to rely on their honor codes and penalties associated with their violations. Unless colleges can temporarily take over nearby apartment complexes or hotels, I don’t see how they can control the spread of the virus.
Strictly enforced rules regarding mask wearing, social distancing and restricted building population density within a campus boundaries for everyone entering is sufficient. Key workers have been doing that since March.
^That’s assuming all colleges students everywhere will follow the rules. It’s abundantly clear not all of them would.
Then campus police can kick them out and ban them until they promise to comply. My hospital does that. If drunk people in accident and emergency at 3am can be convinced to put their masks on before the medical team agrees to see them then college students can to access campus facilities.
^Colleges don’t have enough security officers to enforce this type of rules. By the time rule violations are brought to light, it’d already be too late.
All safe members can enforce the rules and only involve security if a situation becomes too dangerous. The A&E rules I mentioned are enforced mostly by junior nurses and clerical staff.
^So you expect students themselves to enforce these rules?
No, I expect the staff to. Give the library receptionist a box of disposable masks and alcohol gel. Tell them to decline entrance to anybody who declines to use them. All other staff on duty can confront anyone who removes the PPE within the building. Also give permission to any security guards patrolling in person or manning security camera booths to kick any rule breakers out- done.
Colleges that are inviting most if not all of their students back to campus this fall are going to be sending those kids home before the end of the semester.
Do we not all see what is happening across the country? Months ago people were concerned about the second wave - we can’t even get out of the first one!
Northwestern campus police is doing a good job of breaking up large gatherings and making sure rules are being followed. They are actively patrolling the popular areas and I’m seeing them more near off campus housing as well. It’s only a smaller number of students currently on campus but I don’t see why this wouldn’t continue into the Fall quarter.
Some of the private schools say they are going to do regular and pool testing, however the vast majority of state funded schools will not. And state schools are where the far majority of students attend.
The graph was of Florida cases by age group is a striking image of the sharp increase in cases that will occur among college students in 6 weeks. If governors make the call to revert their state’s reopening phase (recommending school goes online), will a lone university in that state be excluded from that direction because their pool testing indicates lower cases at that institution?
Not all campus facilities are guarded. Even the ones that are guarded can only do so at entrances. There’s no way to keep off-campus students away from on-campus students or from each other at all public spaces or even private spaces (such as dorms) on campus.
People being allowed outdoors on a campus doesn’t really matter because of the open air, the virus has much lower odds of transmission. But all buildings will have staff who perform whatever services that department provides.
^What colleges have staff guarding all buildings?
How many college buildings have a reception? All of them, in my experience, or at least has somebody whose desk could be moved to close to the main entrance and they perform their normal duties in addition to liaising with visitors.
I mean, it wouldn’t be difficult for a manager to look at their team and redeploy someone to guard the entrance everyday.
@msdynamite85 – Your proposal might be possible at schools with larger, newer buildings, but I am trying to visualize how this would work at my child’s school. Absolutely now way with the residences, and also not possible with many of the academic buildings. They have these massive wood doors and no space inside to set up a desk. The dining halls are one place where I could see there being enough staff and clear sight lines to allow monitoring, but I suppose students will need to remove masks to eat anyway.
Also, a student could remove his mask once he is past the ‘guard’.
Obviously this will all vary by campus and type of building.
Most buildings at my university and graduate school did not have any sort of reception. There was security at university entrances and receptionists in various offices and the library, etc., but that was it.