I selfishly wish my son’s school would do this.
Since the list is half the US population, only schools with a very localized student body would be able to do this. Very few people would travel from California to attend Ithaca college, so it may work for them. Presumably they ran the numbers and will only be excluding a few students. Those excluded can probably find better alternatives.
I’m not a doctor but have done alot of reading on this. The mask is there to predominantly not spread the virus from the person wearing to others and to prevent expelling droplets from the person wearing to the air. Don’t worry about cross contamination since the focus is on is the wearer has the virus. Also, surfaces are not a vector of transmission, so don’t worry about taking it off and sealing it or rewearing it multiple times.
The mask as been proven to reduce spread of Covid to others, so that’s why we wear them. I’m going to give my daughter a package of surgical masks I bought at Costco. She’s used to wearing it because she has to wear at her restaurant job. She wears a new one every few days and keeps the used one in her purse, then tosses it when it gets too worn. it’s not going to be a big deal to wear it in class. Just like at home, I’m sure she won’t be wearing it walking around outside when she can social distance. I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal for these students at college.
Confined spaces where alot of people are close together and breathing into the air for extended periods of time, with poor ventilation are the real vectors for spread of Covid 19. Wearing a masks reduces spread, but it’s not perfect. It’s a tool we can use, along with social distancing and hand washing.
I think the mask will reduce transmission of the flu also, since that is also mostly spread through coughing and droplets. The best protection is to get the flu shot, which myself and my family get every year.
Regarding Ithaca, my son is at Hamilton in NYS. They’re allowing students from the quarantine states to come to campus, but, as of now, they need to arrive two weeks prior and quarantine, most likely in a hotel. The students aren’t allowed to leave the hotel room and must have meals delivered. It’s affecting over 350 students at Hamilton. The College can house a number of these students but not all. There are parents on the parents FB page from these states who are at a total loss. They can’t afford to send their kid two weeks early and pay for a hotel. In fact, there are rumors that some hotels won’t take people who need to quarantine. Hamilton came out a few days ago stating that students from these states can opt to stay home and study online for the semester. There’s an incredible amount of angst right now.
@homerdog wrote:
So, that is your definition of a “pod” or a “family”. It basically, means being able to congregate in hallways and common rooms without masks.
I guess, my next question is which schools are permitting this?
[quote=“Knowsstuff, post:11072, topic:2088334”]
S19 says the problem is he usually has multiple study groups because the students in his classes don’t overlap.
According to their website, only ~40% of Ithaca’s 6200 undergrads are from NYS. So how difficult this policy will be to pull off depends on where those ~3700 OOS students live.
Not bragging anymore then others telling about their schools plan. My wife and now son went there. I was on campus a lot since we were dating at the time. Went to games, studied in the law library and was at the bars. I went to Wayne State in Detroit. If quoting please use the @name people can respond or quote function. People were having concerns and the last thing I posted from Michigan actually addressed their concerns and had a way to talk to your children about the fall semester. I thought that would of been very useful for many here. I think them, Purdue and actually a lot of the Big Ten have solid plans. Sorry you felt differently.
Presumably the remaining students are largely from the surrounding states within easy driving distance of Ithaca, which are also not on the quarantine list. Ranked number 8 as regional university in the northeast, so it shouldn’t be too hard to implement.
Makes you feel warm and cozy… Huh? So no larger room or classroom to use for group study projects? That really is a shame.
I posted the newsletter we got yesterday from Michigan. It went over their rules plus how to talk to your children about what school will be like in the fall. Many have concerns here but I guess some didn’t appreciate it. Oh well. ?
Thanks to the input to my question about studying and family units. It’s interesting to me actually. It seems the larger schools VS smaller schools really have different outlooks on this but also larger schools have a lot more space/buildings to go to spread out.
Well looking at the list of states, I am going back to Detroit today and drive through Indiana from Chicago so looks like I am good. Hope it doesn’t change this weekend. My wife said it’s OK if I stay there to isolate… Lol ?
Week one in the books for Purdue’s summer start. Many local parents posting on our parent FB group that they are seeing 100% compliance with mask wearing in and around campus. Some pictures are circulating from inside classrooms and in dining hall lines with all the precautions in place as well. Looks like rules are being enforced and followed. Student reports sound positive too. Good to hear/see!
The University has denied class entry to any students without negative test results on file and have them working remotely in their dorm until they are cleared by the Protect Purdue Health folks. Professors were told that there will be no attendance requirement for summer term and Fall semester and that they can’t use an attendance component towards any kind of grading boost. The release said they want to encourage sick students to stay in their dorms, get tested, etc… All courses, even the in person ones, will be recorded so students can keep up without being present.
RIT has not said what the kids from those states should do. We have a tentative plan in place now for my son to stay with my brother for 14 days in NJ prior to going to NYS. this would satisfy NYS requirement.
@circuitrider a few colleges seem to be saying kids can take their masks off in their rooms even if they have a roommate or roommates. That would be a family. Bowdoin is saying each floor in a dorm is a family (they are small dorms so it would be maybe eight kids since they all have singles.). Not right away but eventually, when testing has been done consistently for a few weeks, those floormates will be able to eat together without socially distancing. I assume the only other place they could be would be on their floor without masks but that’s still nice. There’s a common room to hang out in.
I also agree that, on small campuses, with testing twice a week, things could open up a bit. Bowdoin’s last town hall said just that. They described it like a flower. Pretty tight at the beginning until they get a handle on any positives but then opening up slowly if things go well. Testing happens as soon as you get out of your car and then you move into the dorm and stay on your floor with a mask for the most part until the next day. Walks are actually allowed but with social distancing. Positive cases isolated the next day when results arrive.
They are moving some gym equipment into tents so kids can work out. And there will be tents to eat in and study in. Maine is nice for the first couple of months of class. After that, it seems they are hoping that these dorm pods will serve as a group that can be inside together. If things roll along with few to no cases, kids will be allowed to go on hikes and bike rides etc through the outdoor group. I’m sure they’ll have to follow any Maine rules and wear masks but that will be a good social outlet and one of the reasons kids go to college in Maine. I’m really rooting for the Maine colleges. I think this fall does seem experimental but we will see how it goes.
FWIW Bowdoin is not telling kids to quarantine at home before they come or for 14 days when they arrive. Local authorities don’t think that is necessary if everyone is tested on arrival and then twice a week as long as masks and social distancing occur. (The floor pod family thing doesn’t start right away.) Basically, testing five times in the first 14 days keeps the kids from having to isolate because they are catching the virus with the tests along those two weeks I guess.
I’m in PA and our school district has given zero information about what school will look like in the fall. I’ve already told my son that he can have a work group with some friends. We have a very large screen porch that would work well when weather permits.
Our school did not go pass/fail in the spring, but grades for that last quarter were weighted less.
I am hoping for cheap, fast, every day testing. As soon as a college could procure enough tests, they could dispense with a lot of the restrictions because infectious people would be found and quarantined each morning. Fingers crossed to have this by spring.
Some posters have scoffed at the thought of kids remaining apart from their romantic partners while at school. Do they think kids are justified in breaking the rules, and all will be well even if the virus spreads? Or is it that the rules are useless because kids will break them and cause outbreaks, so everyone should just stay home?
My view is that distancing rules are necessary until there is a better way to control the virus. I think most students living on D19’s campus will follow the rules out of respect for the community and the Honor Code. I also think that it is a difficult way to live (which in my mind is not negativity but realism). For that among other reasons, D19 will likely stay home, but I understand and support different decisions for different families.
My son’s college in NY is asking all kids to get a test done, if possible, two weeks before they move in and is requesting that they also quarantine at home for the two weeks prior to arrival on campus.
For those coming from states that are on NY’s mandatory quarantine list, the college is requiring them to arrive at least two weeks early and will quarantine them in off campus apt/studio and will provide them with food. The college will bear the cost of the food and housing. If parents of these students want to travel with them and stay with them for the quarantine period, they will need to find their own housing for themselves/student. I’m glad the school is allowing these students to come back and paying for their quarantine.
While we are from out of state, fortunately our state (MD) is not on the NY quarantine list but we will abide by the request and make sure our son remains at home for the two weeks prior to moving in. Some parents are complaining on the parents’ FB page that their kids need to work right up until school starts b/c they need the income. While I understand that, at some point people need to make some concessions if they want their kids back on campus.
At the moment, his college is still planning for hybrid learning, but I have no doubt that they may end up shifting to an all online format. My son has already indicated that he is ok if that happens, as long as he can continue to live with his friends. He will be living in an on-campus townhouse with seven friends (two kids per room, two bathrooms and a full kitchen). If he’s going to be online either way, I would also rather him be living with his friends, than home in his bedroom.
Sorry I’m not following. Testing doesn’t work without isolating. A negative test doesn’t guarantee you aren’t infected. You still need to isolate for several days because you could be at a point in the infection cycle before the test picks it up. The tests are only really accurate for detecting infection once you start exhibiting symptoms which could take up to 14 days after exposure. While the test won’t be able to tell if you are infected, you will be infectious and capable of spreading the virus. That’s why you need to isolate for 14 days regardless of your test results.
Just reporting what I know. Bowdoin is working with the experts and I’m not privy to all of their thought process on this. The kids will be wearing masks and are in singles and food is just to go for the first two weeks so there shouldn’t be any spread since they are masked up all of the time. So it’s not perfect isolation but it’s not a free for all. It’s masks in the dorms until Bowdoin decides they have a series of negative tests for everyone. Classes are remote. We are only talking about 500 students here, not thousands, and testing twice a week with results back in less than 24 hours each time. They are spread out over a campus that holds 1850 students. In a way, I think the college sees their plan as everyone “isolating” as a group on campus.
If you think testing without isolating doesn’t work then what do you think of other colleges’ plans that are hardly testing or testing irregularly? There will be thousands of kids walking around who could have the virus.