Sounds like the LAC where my daughter is attending =). Despite the restrictions set by the school (they call it gates), my daughter is still enjoying her stay on campus.
From RIT:
Our most recent wastewater surveillance samples detected the possible presence of COVID in parts of Riverknoll and Greek housing. Out of an abundance of caution, we will test impacted residents from those units starting this morning. Individuals needing testing will be alerted via text and email.
People still have to go hither and yon, not seeing how that’s any worse than going anywhere else.
Well, obviously I agree with CircuitRider’s point, that I am particularly focused on college students since this is after all “College Confidential” PLUS this specific thread is about School in the Fall, not “workforce in the fall” (or “military service in the fall“). But, even if I were to focus on 18-22 year olds who are not going to school, I would still say that they can be the last to be vaccinated, as long as our more vulnerable are vaccinated, and life can and should go on for them, and I would still say that’s an age where I expect them to have glorious wonderful experiences and appreciate the beauty of youth, regardless of what they are doing. There is no reason a 20 year old in the workplace can’t have a glorious time!! I spent plenty of time working hard waitressing to pay my rent at such tender ages, and reveled in the joys of that age, despite any pressures or hard work. (Yes, the sourpusses can point out that there are many young people who are in abusive relationships, whose mother is dying of cancer, who got fired from their job, etc). But as the wise John Cougar Melloncamp pointed out in the seminal work, Jack & Diane:
“Hold on to 16 as long as you can
Change is coming round real soon, make us women and men.
Oh yeah, Life goes on,
Long after the thrill of living is gone”.
Ha ha I wouldn’t say the thrill of living is gone even at my advanced age (!!!) but yes, I do look forward most to these kids getting back to what they ought to be doing socially—making new friends, appreciating old friends, enjoying romantic relationships whether brief or steady, their first or their fifteenth, flirting, hanging out, staying up late, dancing til dawn, whatever. I do think the social changes demanded by covid are easier on older people who have had their turn at being young (even the elderly—my poor mom is pretty lonely but she definitely feels worst for the kids).
So I will happily see all the more vulnerable vaccinated before the college aged people, but still think if that’s the case, we can probably get back to living pretty normally at that point.
Bravo.
You are correct, this is in fact a thread about school this year and your points are spot on.
“So I will happily see all the more vulnerable vaccinated before the college aged people, but still think if that’s the case, we can probably get back to living pretty normally at that point.”
Again @EmptyNestSoon2, you might think college normal-ness can return under these conditions but I doubt colleges will. I am betting they will want students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated before classes and campus life resume in pre-pandemic form.
I absolutely agree. The communal living is an issue and spread within the community. Remember, some colleges actually stayed closed this semester because of the demand of the community (not just the elderly community, the whole community). I also believe that college kids will be fairly early for receipt of the vaccine (at least those living on campus)
It depends on how you define “normal-ness”. One of the weirdest outcomes of this whole experience may well be that is has ruined forever the idea of casual, loosely enforced mask-wearing during cold and flu season.
The Residential experience isn’t needed to receive a college level education though. Almost every college in the country have commuter students who have their own place or stay with their parents.
When Vaccines are rationed, what would be the medical or societal rational of prioritising an LAC over a prison or a large housing project or even a gym chain or the theatre industry?
An LAC might be a bad example, given their low infection numbers. But, there are a lot of universities with gargantuan off-campus student populations that could fall under the heading of super-spreaders, if they should continue to roam, out and about in their individual communities at-large.
Online or year round education provision through higher teacher recruitment would limit congregation of students in an area. And i don’t think that that adults should be rewarded for bad behaviour. There isn’t an innate reason why the 18-30 age group shouldn’t have the same infection rate as every other group. Given them masks instead of limited vaccines.
It’s a little late to start introducing Moral Hazard into the equation. And, innate reason or not, we should follow the data.
The data shows that the hospitalisation and death rate is disproportionately on low socioeconomic and POC ( black, native American and Hispanic in particular) communities, groups less likely to be in college.
^You’re not wrong. But, the data also suggests that the virus is being spread disproportionately by asymptomatic carriers who happen to be living in college towns. I don’t see this as something where there has to be “both sides” to the issue.
The same thing applies to the common cold and flu but we give yearly flu shots to the high risk groups and basically assume the healthy young adults will only get mild symptoms and tell them to self care. Unless its different in other places, I never had a flu shot during school and college though classmates who had asthma and other pre existing conditions could get them through their own heath plan.
Personally honestly, I think it is a complete abomination that my elder parent in assisted living is not tested twice weekly, but my 2 healthy college athletes are. In fact my parent has only been tested once since March because of some mild symptoms. But yet I evaluate my kids colleges based on their testing and response and wonder what faulty logic I have bought into on that front.
We give yearly flu shots to all, not just the high risk groups. The flu shot is recommended by the CDC for all it just so happens that only about 50% of the US population takes this advice. I am thrilled to see so many colleges requiring them this year.
I just saw it on TV that Duke, Rice and Cornell are doing very well. All of them test their students few times a week.
Amusingly ironic, @oldfort that one my phone, just below your post with the good report from those schools was an ad for hospital furniture!
And that uptake pattern illustrates a cultural attitude that runs counter to a policy of prioritising 18-22 year olds in a covid-19 vaccine roll out. If the young, fit and healthy are not bothered about getting a flu shot probably because they are not scared of getting that ill then why wouldn’t or shouldn’t they also be the last to get a covid jab?