My H just got back from helping my S move.
H reported larger than we are accustomed to, student groups moving around HP (15+ students)… Almost all were masked but no SD to speak of; he also reported that many restaurants are open for indoor dining, which surprised us. Long lines at Trader Joe’s and Target and hotels very quiet. O’Hare was dead, in both directions.
https://www.chicagomaroon.com/article/2020/10/2/since-september-20-14-members-university-community/
2 get kicked out of the dorm. But it doesn’t appear they are suspended.
I wonder which dorm?
I’m actually surprised how few Covid cases there are, ten days into this session.
Had heard a rumor about the two getting kicked out of the dorm. My understanding is that the university isn’t planning to get draconian. The loss of privileges will be straightforward, such as losing residency status, and takes care of the problem.
Updated COVID Dashboard
My S told me there were plenty of ‘non-socially distanced’ gatherings, with large student groups, at the lake this weekend. Not good.
I was at the Main Quad in the afternoon on Sunday. There were certainly students sitting and talking in small groups. But they were at least 4 feet from each other and most of them wore masks. At Midway Plaisance I saw at least a couple of pick up soccer games. Most of them didn’t wear masks but I don’t know what is the protocol of soccer during pandemic. The players might not be six feet away from each other but they were constantly running though. And yesterday was quite breezy.
Do I think everyone stuck to every single line of the UChicago Health Pact? No. But was everyone flagrantly flouting the rules? That wasn’t the case either. I think every student and faculty is trying to uphold the Health Pact on campus. IMO they can slowly work to correct for some minor rule infractions.
Off campus is always the Achilles’s heel of the Health Pact. It is so much harder to monitor rules violation. The Point or even a big apartment can be a crowded gathering turning into a super spreader event. In general, however, I think most Hyde Park residents try to maintain social distance and wear mask. I was walking by Nichols Park a couple of times yesterday. Nichols is one of the largest public parks in HP. It is located between 54th & 55th and Kimbark & Kenwood. There were a lot of people at Nichols but they genuinely followed City of Chicago COVID outdoor guidelines. The big question is whether the students living off campus would choose to go bar hopping on Rush Street on Friday night and join a frat party on Saturday and essentially wreck the Health Pact. We shall see.
The College is the biggest division of the university, but - as we just saw recently with the cluster at Harris - it’s not the only source of potential outbreaks. It’s not like Harris or Booth or Law kids don’t bar hop or party.
ok predictions re: winter quarter? on the surface fall seems to be going well, so what does that mean for winter? more in person classes? increased dorm density? or is it really too soon to tell - plus Chicago numbers are rising (in general)
I don’t know how they will really increase dorm density. I think most probably signed at least a school year long lease and I can’t imagine many would say, hey apartment life is all well and good, but I really miss sharing a 400 sq ft room. I could be wrong. Maybe more in person classes, and then again more in the Spring once hopefully a vaccine is available.
@NMmom2 - Zip codes 15 and 37 are still well below the city average for positivity.
Dorm density would only increase if someone opted to come to campus from home. However, best guess is that housing won’t allow for an increase in the winter.
There may be more in-person but it would be by faculty choice not college mandate. And keep in mind that an individual faculty member can always switch the modality to remote at any time, even after the students are enrolled. The College has opted to give them free preference on this. My prediction is that professors will be allowed this choice going forward and some will wean off remote gradually or when the vaccine is widely available.
I have been tracking Illinois and Chicago COVID numbers and positivity rate for the last seven months. The numbers lately are relatively stable. Indeed the positivity rate has been trending down in Chicago after the big spike in July and August. Still the next big challenge will be the onset of colder weather and the flu season. Remember students can sign up for free flu shots.
I don’t expect the dorm situation will change a lot. Without an effective vaccine I just don’t see UChicago going the UIUC route. There may be more in person classes but I am doubtful. I would say the most likely scenario is to keep the infection rate low and just maintain the current class schedule. Then hopefully by next spring the COVID vaccines will arrive in great quantity. Maybe there will be a normal convocation in June.
Well my DD’s roommate is coming back to the U.S., she is an international student and decided that quarantining with her parents was more that she can take. 
I was thinking kids who stayed home in Fall might want to come back in winter. only possible if a) dorm density allowed to increase; b) some who are in dorms now choose to stay home in winter or move off campus. guess it’s too early to tell!
@NMmom2 - Yes, way too early. They only just opened up in-person dining (at about 25% capacity).
Also, I never saw my kid’s housing contract but I think he signed for the normal contract length of three quarters. I don’t think there is a quarter-by-quarter residential option (although there may be allowances due to individual circumstances, just like in a normal year). Per the FAQ, anyone is welcome back next quarter but the default expectation seems to be finding an off-campus apartment:
"Is remote learning a quarter-by-quarter decision, or are students making a choice for the whole year? For example, if students attend Autumn Quarter remotely, may they attend the Winter or Spring Quarters from campus?
Yes. Your choices for each quarter are separate. Enrolled students are permitted to attend Autumn Quarter remotely and Winter and Spring Quarters from campus. However, the availability of off-campus apartments may be subject to change."
Off topic but this always happens during fall quarter anyway: will an U of C economist win a Nobel this year? I am rooting for Doug Diamond but John List seems to be the odds on favorite. Grossman is a dark horse and Posner is a really long shot.
Oops, I thought the MBA students would be more disciplined than college kids. SMH 
.
People have this idea of college kids just partying constantly, but as a graduate of Booth I can assure everyone that they were serious partiers - way more so than the kids at my undergrad. They are a large division as well compared to the other grad programs (but not compared to the College). So far, Booth and Harris seem to be the bad guys, although the cluster was small at Harris. Not enough to shut down in-person. I do like this divisional approach to corrective action. Why should others pay for MBA students’ poor decisions?
And full time Booth these days cost $110k.
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/full-time/admissions/cost
I thought these MBA guys would have a better sense of risk/reward. Doesn’t anyone take the Financial Instrument class by Constantinides 
?