Overheard on the Amherst campus:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/colleges-coronavirus-success.html?searchResultPosition=1
College of the Holy Cross is Jesuit affiliated: https://www.holycross.edu/faith-service/jesuit-tradition , so probably not in direct competition with University of Notre Dame if the latter needs to search for a new president if the current one leaves in a COVID-19 scandal.
There is also a Holy Cross College that is affiliated with the Congregation of the Holy Cross: https://www.hcc-nd.edu/section/about/ .
There is also a University of the Holy Cross that is affiliated with the Marianites of the Holy Cross: http://uhcno.edu/about/about.html .
@circuitrider My D is actually acquainted with the student who spoke about the “psychological toll” at Amherst. D says that opinion is definitely in the minority; most students on-campus are happy with their decision to come to campus.
The same person who would take his place on short notice if he tragically died suddenly.
As a Northeastern parent, I watch their dashboard closely. There has been a consistent trickle of cases with around a 0.06% infection rate with testing every three days. What is notable is that there are generally 5 times as many cases for off campus students than those living in the dorms. Northeastern is now asking off campus students to isolate in the dorms on campus rather than stay in off campus housing. So, with a city campus, spread seems to be coming from the community to the campus rather than the opposite. Northeastern does have doubles this year but no triples.
My second year son is very happy to be on campus with 3/6 classes in person. Two of the online classes are one credit classes so 3/4 core classes are in person. The most vocal parents on the boards are those with unhappy freshman who are socially isolated. It appears that some first year students have signed up for the online meet and greets and the dorm and floor online groups and have found their people while other students have not. Weather has been good and reports indicate that many students are spending a lot of time outdoors throwing frisbees and kicking balls around.
Pitt is at 39 active cases in isolation. The number is trending down but not quickly. It seems a couple new cases are found every day so some kids get out, and others go in. Son woke up with a fever and headache earlier this week. Went for a test and was negative. He feels completely fine now but it was scary while waiting for results.
Pitt has had some classes in person now for two weeks. I have no idea what the percentages are but it seems that labs are in person. Son hasn’t heard of any regular classes that are. Both his roommates have one in person lab. Son is in mostly in big lectures this term and all are still remote.
It sounds like there isn’t much partying going on, but there is socializing. Son is getting together with friends to play football, basketball, and soccer. They have also had people over to their apartment to watch football on the weekends. I doubt either type of activity includes mask wearing. If anyone does come down with it, there will probably be more contacts than there should be.
@“Cardinal Fang” At ND, sure, the Provost or other lay person could step in on a temporary basis. Father Jenkins had generally been expected to step down after his last 5 year term, but the Board renewed for an additional 5 years. Speculation was that his term was renewed because there wasn’t a suitable Holy Cross priest leader waiting in the wings.
I found the quote more amusing than anything else. A few hundred pages ago, when I said the NESCACs had “monastic” historical roots, I got a lot of blowback. But, the point is these are not party schools in the traditional sense and people do not generally apply to them for their athletics, Greek systems and noisy weekends.
@ultimom glad things are going so well for NEU. And you are right, city of Boston is in the red zone now as of a couple of days ago. Meaning highest risk for covid as measured by MA DPH. So NEU heavily tested students probably are a lot safer and more protected on campus than off.
I think Rice, situated in Houston, is having a similar experience. They have required off campus kids who come to campus to test weekly. They are now asking off campus kids who interact with on campus kids to test as well, whether or not they come to campus themselves or not. Apparently contact tracing is showing some issues there. Off campus kids who test positive are given the option to isolate where they live or in the isolation dorm.
I’m not sure that’s the message you want to send…“We can’t replace him because we draw from such a thin talent pool”.
@EyeVeee And that is precisely the challenge for ND – since we are in Indiana, ND chatter and gossip is rampant bc it is the #1 choice for a lot of high achieving kids from the region. Congregation of Holy Cross does not spin off a lot of brilliant minds or great leaders every generation. Father Ted was an icon, Monk Malloy was beloved. Father Jenkins is often seen as a bureaucrat. There aren’t a lot of options if he were to step down, so I’m guessing there will be a lot of counter-pressure from the Board to keep him in there.
Having a difficult way forward isn’t a reason to avoid or ignore the correct path. The decisions he made are unacceptable in this environment, given his institutional vigilance toward the virus and the number of people he is leading through this pandemic. Find another bureaucrat.
Agree, but there is also a feeling on campus that the restrictions are too strict, and because there have been no student cases since August, they should move into a new phase like most peer schools are.
And if any kids had been sent home for mask violations they should be invited back and given another chance!
This begs the question whether UMass is a peer school of Amherst College?
I was referring more to other Nescacs and lacs where almost all live on campus so a kind of bubble can be created
@circuitrider Wisteria is not referring to UMass; she is referring to the other NESCACs and liberal arts colleges that have loosened restrictions.
Amherst students are still not allowed to go to dorms other than their own, dine indoors, or leave campus (though this one should not be lifted, due to the presence of many off-campus UMass students; everybody agrees with Amherst’s decision to ban off-campus travel). In the Zoom meeting, somebody brought up that other NESCACs were doing well and were lifting restrictions. President Martin continued to argue that the plan is working so well because they aren’t lifting restrictions, despite the fact that the other NESCACs are still doing very well after lifting restrictions, even with all students back on-campus. Though most are just happy to be back on-campus, some students feel cheated because it was heavily implied in communications from the President prior to the start of the semester that if things went well, restrictions would be lifted, and that just hasn’t been happening.
It’s quite possible that Bowdoin and Amherst will be the two NESCACs without all students on campus this spring. I don’t know what they know that other schools do not or why they seem more conservative in their approach. Maybe it has to do with the towns they are in and they get pressure on that front to make the decisions that they are making. Also, these two are two of the three NESCACs with the biggest endowments and I think they think they can afford to not get room and board money so they can continue their fall policies. I just wonder how many students are going to remain happy enough while seeing the other NESCACs doing more. I also wonder how it will affect their recruiting for next year’s freshmen class. Would someone choose to go to those schools instead of Williams or Middlebury where everyone is on campus? Maybe fewer will make that choice now. I have a friend whose son is being recruited at Bowdoin to play a sport. They were only allowed to walk around campus and I mean around. Not on campus. Just walk the perimeter of it. And the coach wouldn’t meet in person either. How can someone commit somewhere ED when that’s all they get to see and can’t meet anyone in person? It’s got to be an issue.
I’ve got to think this is going to hurt Bowdoin and Amherst in next years admissions. Why apply to the colleges that can’t figure out how to have all students on campus? If I had a kid applying for next year I’d be looking at the schools that had everyone back, had in person classes, and still had good numbers.