The Mid Semester College Report: how's it going in this brave new world?

[MarzNC]

So Duke Univ. in NC is finding 5-15 cases every week for about 6000 undergrads. The total since early August is about 100 cases, including employees.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article246504680.html

" . . .​

The university hasn’t seen big spikes in coronavirus cases this fall and is still offering in-person classes and students are still living in dorms on campus. ​

​

Duke’s comprehensive COVID-19 testing program has been a key part of the strategy to curb the spread of the virus. Duke, which required students to get tested before coming to campus, has completed more than 87,000 tests since August. ​

​

Duke is doing about 15,000 tests each week and averaging between five and 15 positive results a week, according to Schoenfeld. There’s no indication that is about to change in a significant way, he said.​

. . ."​

 

[Brownski]

So Junior has determined that his spring semester is going to be conducted 100 % remotely but the school is asking for a medical reason with a doctor’s note for him to cancel his housing. Seems somewhat scammy to me.

 

[Warp daddy]

So Junior has determined that his spring semester is going to be conducted 100 % remotely but the school is asking for a medical reason with a doctor’s note for him to cancel his housing. Seems somewhat scammy to me.

Thats nonsense , if he was living off campus in private housing like SOOO MANY upperclassmen do its a damn non issue.

 

[wonderpony]

I started a spreadsheet to track Cornell's cases. The students are doing maintaining Now the staff and faculty are testing positive as much as the students. I have a feeling that it is mostly staff, who tend to live outside of Tompkins County because housing costs are so high here. The surrounding counties, including Camp's (and Greek Peek's) Cortland County, are showing a rise in cases.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html#map

 

[Brownski]

Thats nonsense , if he was living off campus in private housing like SOOO MANY upperclassmen do its a damn non issue.

I get the impression that they want me to pay for the room and board whether he uses it or not

 

[Warp daddy]

Stick to your guns , students can move off campus . Check your student handbook to see IF this policy has changed and now requires new resident students to live on campus for a period of time before allowing off campus housing , but i seriously doubt it .


My son was in what was a 5 yr Pharmacy program back in his time and my grandson was in the now 7 yr Doctor of Pharmacy program , both lived off campus for several years . They had started in on campus housing program .

 

[MarzNC]

So Junior has determined that his spring semester is going to be conducted 100 % remotely but the school is asking for a medical reason with a doctor’s note for him to cancel his housing. Seems somewhat scammy to me.

Hmm.

For my daughter back in the summer, it was pretty easy to get out of her UNC housing contract when the opportunity came up to get a bedroom with private bath at a private student apartment complex right next to campus. I did suggest she had a stronger case since she has parents over 60 and her father was in a high risk category due to a complicated medical history. All the person wanted to confirm was that she would have a private bathroom at the apartment. She was going to be in a single in a dorm suite, but would have had to share a bathroom. Email was sent on a Tuesday late evening and the answer came back before 8am the next morning.

 

[MarzNC]

Are any of the NY colleges going to have a spring break?

Colleges scrapping spring break amid travel concerns during coronavirus pandemic

An increasing number of colleges and universities are canceling spring break amid concerns about travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

abcnews.go.com

The UNC system has decided to start the spring semester about two weeks later in Jan, then no spring break, with graduation about a week later than usual in mid-May. That's not too much of a surprise.

Only reason I cared was because my daughter's college, UNC Asheville, had come up with a different plan that was announced a few weeks ago. UNCA was going to have a 4-week January winter session. That's normal for a few colleges, but isn't standard in NC. The plan now is that UNCA finishes the fall semester on Nov. 20 and starts the spring semester on Jan. 19. There will be three 4-week summer sessions in 2021, which is what happened in 2020 as an adjustment for the pandemic.