School in the 2020-2021 Academic Year & Coronavirus (Part 1)

All students back at Elon as well. Combination online and hybrid courses, details of which courses not yet released. Outdoor classrooms. Masks required.

Test kit mailed to house and results sent directly to school. Staggered move-in with health check-in prior to being allowed in dorms. Asking students to bring only 2 additional people to help with move-in.

Plan on random testing during the semester:

Elon will test students, faculty and staff weekly during the semester per three methods:

Random selection of students, faculty and staff who are potential contacts of someone who has presented with symptoms and warranted isolation.

Random selection of students, faculty and staff who have not been exposed to a sick individual but who may participate in higher risk groups or in classes, organizations or residential areas where cases have occurred.

Random selection of students, faculty and staff from across the main and Greensboro campus (based on a stratified simple random sampling model with proportional allocations from campus buildings as well as student or employee status).

I am a full paying parent for my 2nd son so I am dug into the refund policies of UC Berkeley which are very different than ASU.

In any case, this is a good discussion regarding how tuition insurance works with COVID-19.

Worried About College This Year? What to Know About Tuition Insurance

https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/debt/tuition-insurance/

MODERATOR’S NOTE: A reminder that all posts need to be directly related to schools and COVID. I deleted a couple of posts. Thanks!

So if I am understanding this it really only covers for a “complete” withdrawal from college, correct. So no taking classes at home…

It’s interesting but if schools have hybrid class’s etc and you can take classes online, what am I missing here besides a medical alignment that prevents you from continuing your studies. But if only $100/$10,000/semester that seems reasonable enough for the “just in case” situation.

BTW we called grad guard for renters insurance last year. We got a better deal through State Farm… Not hugely better but still better.

It’s not the state rules either; it’s the virus that’s making it hard!

The current outbreak in MLB (Miami Marlins) resulting in postponed games does not bode well for college athletics. If professional sports, with millions to spend on testing/cleaning/protocols can’t operate safely, I don’t see colleges being successful.

Lots of D3 conferences have already cancelled. The only reason D1 hasn’t cancelled yet is money. And I bet those teams will string everyone along and won’t cancel and schedule for spring. I bet they will postpone for a month until everyone gets on campus and then cancel if they need to.

Vanderbilt just posted a new update, and they STILL appear to be promising in-person classes. Unbelievable.

https://www.vanderbilt.edu/coronavirus/2020/07/27/return-to-campus-update-for-july-27/

Although I am not sure what proportion of students they can actually fit into their classrooms while adhering to the 6ft distancing required by their protocols:

https://www.vanderbilt.edu/coronavirus/faqs/classroom-protocols-2/

It is certainly an interesting thing going on with D1 college football, isn’t it? The MLB doesn’t have fans in the stands from what I’ve seen and heard, correct? (I glanced when my DH was watching a game recently and noticed the cardboard “fans”).

At FSU, they have been selling season tickets for football. I have no idea how they are thinking their season is going to go better than the MLB with no fans in the seats.

I like Ithaca College’s plan of only letting students from states not on the quarantine list to be on campus.

Couldn’t this be considered “profiling?”

decided not to post

The quarantine list is re-evaluated weekly. How’s that going to work?

I think that MLB and the NBA will be the test cases for the NFL and college football. If the former cannot make it work, the latter likely won’t be able to either. Makes sense that D-1 football is still waiting because they have more money to make it work. It just doesn’t make sense for the smaller divisions to go forward with their seasons. Trying to institute the safety protocols would add additional costs where the money isn’t there is a normal year.

Tough situation because you need to allow for some planning but you also need to be able to know the situation into which you are opening/playing. That applies to sports as well as schools (both colleges and K-12).

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My son’s college is offering a quarantine dorm for those from restricted states. Charging students $100/week to stay in a single with bathroom and kitchenette. They are also providing food. Students utilizing the quarantine dorm need to arrive two weeks early, can drop off all of their personal belongings in their permanent housing and then take what they need for their two weeks at the quarantine dorm which is off campus.

Meanwhile, students from nonrestricted states are asked/encouraged to quarantine at home for two weeks before moving in. Seems to me the kids staying in the quarantine dorm for two weeks ahead of time will actually be safer to be around than the ones who are merely being “asked” to quarantine at home. Because we know full well not only will not all of those students quarantine at home, but I’m guessing they will at a minimum still be around their families who are not necessarily quarantining either.

Can you even imagine the outrage if back in April colleges had said no students from NY, NY, CT could attend?

@TheVulcan - Why always so negative about Vanderbilt? Yes, we all can’t be MIT, but Vanderbilt has put in a tremendous amount of effort to try to make this plan work and has many well regarded scientists and medical experts on campus who are part of the planning. While there is certainly a good chance that things will fall apart or problems will arise, they are significantly de-densifying campus in addition to developing many other safety protocols (e.g. sending test kits to all students prior to arrival on campus). Other schools, like UGA and Alabama have hardly done any similar planning, so it’s confusing why you take regular opportunities to put down Vanderbilt.

I’m thinking of the parties and last get-togethers before heading off to college.

I do not follow every school and do not pretend to have a complete picture. Vandy in particular is of interest because it was on the short list, is close to us geographically, and a friend is headed there.

I am surprised at Vandy’s plan (and appalled at the tone and tenor of Purdue’s April announcement, while I am at it), and that colors my perception of them as potential places for our younger to apply to down the road.

Publics are, frankly, a different story, for a number of reasons. They are more beholden to local politicians, and less able to withstand financial shocks than rich privates are.

A fairly accurate 10 second summary of in person instruction this fall;(

https://www.tiktok.com/@speechdude/video/6852739888089943302