So would Hamilton and Tufts be planning discounts then as well for eventualities?
I asked for more info. they are supplying everything. they also said it was "suggested’ not required. On the intent form you have the option of checking off either will pack everything or won 't pack anything.
this was the response:
You do not have to empty your room. There is even an option on the departure form to say you are not packing anything (although if the university has to go remote in January, it will take us some time to back and return things and we will not be liable for any damages.) The best thing to do would be pack as many things as possible and leave them in the room over the winter break.
Yale packed everything up for students who could not return to campus during a defined window to pack up own belongings. While it went fine for some, it was a disaster for others, so I would suggest that anyone asked to pack and provided with packing materials should do so.
At whose cost would Tufts be mailing? Last spring, students at some colleges got some pretty hefty shipping bills.
@CT1417 agreed. Bowdoin had to pack stuff up too and the clothes from 4 boys in a quad is still yet to be fully sorted ( as none have returned)
yes the school is providing all the materials. The students will just leave the packed boxes in their rooms. Somewhat of a pain, but better than perhaps having stuff sent back to the wrong person (my D20 has a roommate.) And hopefully just a precaution.
As parents we need to realize and communicate to our kids that this action is to limit liability and define who is responsible for getting their stuff home. If you don’t pack it you will be charged for packing and they will not be responsible for theft or damage.
At Amherst, the RA’s can leave their stuff in their rooms and don’t have to pack (since they are returning to the same rooms), but everybody else (even students who have are returning next semester) have to completely empty their rooms, but that has been the plan since the beginning of the semester. Also, they are completely redoing housing for next semester.
Are we sure this wasn’t the plan since the beginning of the semester?
I wouldn’t consider any Spring semester plans currently shared by schools as final.
The case count and hospitalizations trajectory make it very clear that this winter is going to a lot be a lot rougher than anything we’ve seen.
https://covidtracking.com/data/charts/us-all-key-metrics
Infections are on the rise even on campuses with the most stringent testing and distancing rules, and I am sure their administrators can’t wait for that Thanksgiving break.
While I am cautiously hopeful MIT is in a position to follow through on their plans of bringing years 1-3 on campus in mid-Feb (DS just applied to housing and formed a pod), I fully expect them to continue to reevaluate these plans as the situation unfolds.
I want DS to have that freshman on-campus experience MIT prides itself on (as limited as it would be under the circumstances), but I only want it if administration has high level of confidence they can continue to do it safely.
We know the medical cavalry is coming. The mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna (a proud MIT brain child) appear to be a major, revolutionary success, not just in fighting this pandemic, but in terms of future disease-fighting potential.
But the cavalry will not be here in time to help with the Spring semester, and we will all need to continue to make sacrifices (which is now obvious was the right approach to begin with) until it is here to hopefully make fall 2021 a bit closer to normal.
So someone from Pfizer was on CNN and said if we start soon that by “Next” winter things should be closer to normal. If we don’t continue to wear masks etc this will be a failure. Plus no one is sure if this will be a yearly vaccine like the flu shot.
So for those looking for time lines then think next Spring. Yes I know they said winter… Just a buffer. Also just think it’s more realistic. So everyone. Mask up! ??
1 Like
Well today’s Duke’s last day of classes. Latest Covid numbers - students: 11/14,117 (0.07%) faculty and staff: 19/2,029 (0.9%) A few interesting stats - only 1 on campus student was positive this week - others were off campus and/or graduate students. The majority of the faculty/staff were fully remote. The faculty and staff numbers have been consistently higher - something I didn’t expect initially. I think there was a lot of initial concern about student to faculty transmission, but that hasn’t appeared to be an issue. I imagine the high positivity rate in the surrounding area and their household exposure is playing a big role. Students have an abbreviated reading period and finals in the coming 9 days and then the semester is over. The cumulative for the semester was 139 positive students and 145,396 tests.
D had a track clinic there last (pre-COVID) fall. Nice campus. I hope everything works out for them.
One of the things I have found interesting about the Wesleyan dashboard these past few weeks is that the employee rate of positivity (which includes everybody, janitors, cashiers, contractors, etc.) has been consistently lower than the rate for the surrounding community - by several multiples. I wonder if this isn’t because of the campus-wide requirement for mask-wearing?
For Tufts, I don’t believe it was the original plan. If it was, they never mentioned it until last week.
Michigan is closing in-person instruction in high schools, colleges, and universities starting Wed. Nov 18, for 3 weeks, along with many other restrictions:
^^ Same in Philadelphia except dates are Nov 20 - Jan 1. There is an exception for clinical instruction in health sciences.
With two vaccines potentially being available next month, I wonder if colleges are working to secure a supply of vaccines for their students and staff?
College seems a reasonable location to receive a vaccine, and many people believe college students/staff should be relatively high on the vaccination list due to close living quarters, etc.
Many states have not publicly disclosed their vaccine distribution plans, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear colleges start to announce their vaccination plans sometime over the next several months.
Right. If schools were able to get tests to kids regularly then you would think they would also buy some vaccines. Not sure how they get them to students though. If they are available late spring then there are schools that don’t have all or any of their kids on campus this spring. If it’s summer, how would they get the vaccines to the kids? If it’s fall, the school would have to start with Covid rules and wait until everyone gets the vaccine on campus and until it’s effective.
For Williams, students will have the same rooms when they return to campus for the Spring semester. Everyone is in singles currently but they may have to double up in a few rooms that are doubles depending on how many decide to return for Spring. All class years continue to be invited back. Williams may also rent apartments close to campus to cover any capacity issues like Wesleyan has proposed. They are being asked to pack their belongings in their rooms in case things change. The microfridges the college provided each student will be cleaned during break in preparation for the return quarantine process.
I don’t think colleges will be able to ‘secure’ vaccines. The government is controlling distribution.
Colorado governor announced he’s secured 200k doses. Since everyone requires 2 doses, that’s enough for 100k people. Colorado’s population is ~5.7M. Some people have had Covid 19 so don’t need the vaccine. The first doses are to go to medical/first responders. Next priority is front line workers like grocery, pharmacy, day care, teachers (although not currently in school). and those living in high density like nursing homes, prisons, and those IN dorms (but not other students). Those 200k doses are going to go pretty fast.
I don’t see schools getting enough to make a dent in the herd immunity before next summer. It also will take more than a month after the first dose (dose #1, wait 21-30 days, dose #2, immunity kicks in 2 weeks after 2nd dose).