Parents of the Class of 2019

[design_mom]

The decision is out. They are opening the dorms and plan to resume some classes in-person on 9/21. However, the course delivery model for certain courses might change over the next few days. If you have all-online courses, they're giving you another chance to back out of your housing contract and stay home.

My son was anxiously awaiting the email all morning but did not seem as excited as I expected about it.

Three of his 5 classes currently have a face-to-face component scheduled. If that holds, he'll "have to" go back. (Or else drop the classes, which is really not feasible at this point. They're almost a month into the semester, so too late to add a new class. If he drops all three of the in-person classes, he'd lose his full-time status, which would affect his scholarship and his insurance.) However, it's possible that those classes will move online before classes actually resume.

So, for now, I guess we move ahead as though he *is* going back. But, who knows!

Edited to add: I really thought I'd feel "better" to have an answer either way... but I'm not sure that I do.

 

[bjscheel]

Additionally, I now hear that if students are from in state, they are now sending them home if they test positive and need to quarantine. Sorry, but if you want to keep campus and home cleanly separated for virus safety, then the University needs to up their game on being able to house students who test positive. Can't go home for a visit, but please go if you have the virus? That's not to say I wouldn't welcome my DD home if she tests positive. I honestly don't know how we would handle it. I would need to assess how she was dealing with it but would prefer not to expose our household if I didn't need to.

I knew DD's boyfriend's college was planning to send home positive cases if they lived within 250 miles. He went into isolation on a Sunday, tested on Monday, positive result on Wednesday and sent home. By that point he was feeling better, but he went to his dad's man-cave which is in a separate garage building with kitchenette, arcade games, large screen tv, etc. Worked out great but how many families have that kind of option available?

If we had to bring a kid home, we could potentially let them have the master bedroom so they'd have a bathroom attached. But DD would likely stay at her apartment. I think she and roommate have agreed to ride it out together if one gets it.

 

[Eureka]

DS need to test again next week (the "post arrival" test even though all his classes are online) because he lives right near campus. I assume it will be negative because it doesn't sound like he or his housemates have gone too far other than supermarkets. He's coming home at some point this weekend because the job he had toward the end of the summer mailed a check here and he wants his money, lol. But I don't think he plans to stay long from his wording in the text to me. And if he or anyone else in his house tests positive, I don't know what the plan is, to stay there or come home. Some kids from the university who live off campus and tested positive were written up as suspensions (that later got reversed) for deciding to quarantine at home and not on campus (which doesn't make sense - wouldn't they want to keep them off campus and keep those beds open?). It's still all such a mess.

 

[design_mom]

I think a lot of it must have to do with the local health department. When our school announced their back-to-campus plan they originally said that they expected most in-state students to go home if they were required to isolate/quarantine. Something like "if you can go home, you should go home so we can reserve on-campus quarantine space for students who cannot go home, like out-of-state and international students." However, apparently the county board of health has the authority to enforce quarantine and they have said "absolutely not." So far, I have not heard of any students being authorized to leave their campus-area residences to quarantine elsewhere even if their permanent address is in the same county. And they're definitely not allowing anyone out of the county.

I think that's one reason my son is ambivalent about going back. Originally, I think he thought "if something happens, I'll just come home then" but the prospect of being locked in an empty dorm room with only the stuff you can carry is NOT appealing.

The school is also asking students not to leave town unless it's "essential" and asking parents not to come to town unless it's "essential." My son's birthday is at the end of the month... but I am guessing that taking him out for a burger would not seem essential, so we probably won't see him till Thanksgiving (assuming he goes.)

 

[mom2rtk]

I think a lot of it must have to do with the local health department. When our school announced their back-to-campus plan they originally said that they expected most in-state students to go home if they were required to isolate/quarantine. Something like "if you can go home, you should go home so we can reserve on-campus quarantine space for students who cannot go home, like out-of-state and international students." However, apparently the county board of health has the authority to enforce quarantine and they have said "absolutely not." So far, I have not heard of any students being authorized to leave their campus-area residences to quarantine elsewhere even if their permanent address is in the same county. And they're definitely not allowing anyone out of the county.

I think that's one reason my son is ambivalent about going back. Originally, I think he thought "if something happens, I'll just come home then" but the prospect of being locked in an empty dorm room with only the stuff you can carry is NOT appealing.

The school is also asking students not to leave town unless it's "essential" and asking parents not to come to town unless it's "essential." My son's birthday is at the end of the month... but I am guessing that taking him out for a burger would not seem essential, so we probably won't see him till Thanksgiving (assuming he goes.)

Part of my frustration is how much Mizzou's plan keeps changing on the fly. Their original plan was to keep students local if they needed to quarantine then all of a sudden the plan was to send them home. And before school started you could self refer for a test. Once students showed up, you needed a referral.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Something like "if you can go home, you should go home so we can reserve on-campus quarantine space for students who cannot go home, like out-of-state and international students."

DS’s school has similar wording in their policy. It seems counterintuitive for them to be traveling any distance. But I also know I would want to be sure he was taken care of. I just hope it doesn’t come down to that!

 

[laughinplace199]

DS's school's policy is that if you are positive and live within 300 miles of school, you must go home to quarantine. We live 313 miles away. If he gets it, he can stay on campus to quarantine. I don't know what DD21's school policy is, but she's only a 2.5 hour ride away, so I would bring her home.

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

I can't decide if I'm envious of those of you whose kids have been able to go back to campus or relieved that DD isn't dealing with quarantine protocols and all of that.

She told me when we talked over the weekend that she's hearing from her mentor in the RA program and the professors in the living-learning community where she's an RA (without the resident part) that they're being told to prepare for classes to remain virtual for the rest of the academic year. Which probably shouldn't come as a surprise - San Francisco is on their own ultra-strict reopening timeline so there's no certainty that the city wouldn't step in to stop plans to reopen, and there's probably no economic or student-retention advantage to opening for second semester after being closed this term - but still kind of did, and kind of (seriously) sucks. She's not sure if she's going to try to stay out there for the spring if campus is closed or not. She wants to, but knows that it might not be the most financially responsible decision since with everything still closed out there, there's little chance of her finding a job to help offset the cost of rent.

@Colleen27 — are you and your daughter feeling a little relieved that she ended up not going back for fall considering the wildfires and wildfire-caused poor air quality in the Bay Area? We sure are. My daughter would have moved in to her dorm at Stanford last Thursday for Fall Quarter—she was so disappointed at first to not be going back, but seeing the photos last week of the apocalyptic looking skies and ash everywhere In Palo Alto and poor air quality (she has asthma and struggled a bit during Frosh year when there smoke from wildfires in the area and it was not nearly as bad then as it is now), we are having that “sometimes things happen for a reason” feeling.

Also, I got a chuckle over your “RA (without the resident part) comment. My daughter was also an “RA without the residence“ for a Stanford summer program in August that went remote delivery—it was so strange to be an RA without the residence hall lol, but she still did tons of work engaging her residents online.

 

[Colleen27]

@Colleen27 — are you and your daughter feeling a little relieved that she ended up not going back for fall considering the wildfires and wildfire-caused poor air quality in the Bay Area? We sure are. My daughter would have moved in to her dorm at Stanford last Thursday for Fall Quarter—she was so disappointed at first to not be going back, but seeing the photos last week of the apocalyptic looking skies and ash everywhere In Palo Alto and poor air quality (she has asthma and struggled a bit during Frosh year when there smoke from wildfires in the area and it was not nearly as bad then as it is now), we are having that “sometimes things happen for a reason” feeling.

Also, I got a chuckle over your “RA (without the resident part) comment. My daughter was also an “RA without the residence“ for a Stanford summer program in August that went remote delivery—it was so strange to be an RA without the residence hall lol, but she still did tons of work engaging her residents online.

She went back to SF even with the campus closed so she's still there in the middle of it all, though at least she's in an off-campus apartment and better able to stay indoors when the air is bad than if she was in a dorm and had to go to the dining hall for meals. Fortunately she doesn't have any health issues that would make the poor air quality especially hard on her, and she says so far in the city it hasn't been bad... I guess the "marine layer" (a.k.a. fog) keeps a lot of the smoke suspended well above ground/breathing level a lot of the time in SF proper. It is still enough to be holding back some of her planned non-resident RA activities, because they've been talking about meeting in Golden Gate Park with the students from the Bay Area as a socially-distanced mixer and study session to help the group connect with one another and with the university - the program she's an RA for is a freshman living-learning community with ~20 members, and they would normally get pretty close over the course of the year so she's trying to find ways to help preserve that aspect - but they've decided to hold off on that until the air quality improves.

She sent me this picture from her apartment window the other day, and said the street lights stayed on most of the day because the smoke was dimming the sun so badly. This was taken at about 10am her time.

 

[yeahdisney]

Well -leases for next year 2021-2022 are going to start October. What are you guys thinking?
Both our kids are not in their paid for college rooms- both kids have all online classes.

 

[bjscheel]

Well -leases for next year 2021-2022 are going to start October. What are you guys thinking?
Both our kids are not in their paid for college rooms- both kids have all online classes.

I would think surely 2021-22 classes will be in person. How many colleges can afford to be online a second year?

Do their leases have to be done in October or is that just the first possible date?

 

[mjkacmom]

I would think surely 2021-22 classes will be in person. How many colleges can afford to be online a second year?

Do their leases have to be done in October or is that just the first possible date?

There are rumors that spring will be virtual, I think my daughter has to sign this week. I believe there are over 8000 students in off campus housing.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well -leases for next year 2021-2022 are going to start October. What are you guys thinking?
Both our kids are not in their paid for college rooms- both kids have all online classes.

They weren’t refunded housing with all online classes? What about dining?

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm pretty sure my DD will be in some sort of University housing. If she gets an apartment, she'll likely stick with University housing. Nobody off campus was let out of leases when it all went down.

Honestly, it's just too early to mentally commit. Even if it's possible to sign something, I'm sure she'll wait. University contracts don't get signed until February I believe.

 

[soccerdad72]

Our son is struggling a bit with some of the online classes right now. The main issue he's facing is his roommate - who tends to be pretty loudly playing video games online while he's trying to pay attention to live lectures for his classes. Sounds like he had to have a couple conversations with him about trying to keep quiet, at least while he's "in a class".

As far as next year goes, he's scheduled to be on his first Co-ops this summer and next fall, so we'll have to figure out housing around that, as he's not sure where he might be for his co-ops.

 

[mom2rtk]

Our son is struggling a bit with some of the online classes right now. The main issue he's facing is his roommate - who tends to be pretty loudly playing video games online while he's trying to pay attention to live lectures for his classes. Sounds like he had to have a couple conversations with him about trying to keep quiet, at least while he's "in a class".

As far as next year goes, he's scheduled to be on his first Co-ops this summer and next fall, so we'll have to figure out housing around that, as he's not sure where he might be for his co-ops.

Having a roommate during this mess really would be rough. Has he considered watching his online classes elsewhere? I mean, he shouldn't have to, but it's an option. Mizzou had an issue with some students having online and in person classes but up against each other, and students didn't have time to get from a classroom on campus back to their dorm or apartment. So they set up an app that identifies open spots around campus available for doing online classes.

Sounds to me like the roomie needs some headphones.

 

[soccerdad72]

Having a roommate during this mess really would be rough. Has he considered watching his online classes elsewhere? I mean, he shouldn't have to, but it's an option. Mizzou had an issue with some students having online and in person classes but up against each other, and students didn't have time to get from a classroom on campus back to their dorm or apartment. So they set up an app that identifies open spots around campus available for doing online classes.

Sounds to me like the roomie needs some headphones.

There's a study lounge down the hall from him. I think the problem was he would be in the middle of a class in his room when the roommate would start getting loud. The problem isn't the noise of the game, it's that his roommate is talking to others online while he's playing. I know my son has headphones for his computer, but I think he's so loud he's hearing him over the headphones.

 

[mom2rtk]

There's a study lounge down the hall from him. I think the problem was he would be in the middle of a class in his room when the roommate would start getting loud. The problem isn't the noise of the game, it's that his roommate is talking to others online while he's playing. I know my son has headphones for his computer, but I think he's so loud he's hearing him over the headphones.

So frustrating.

 

[mjkacmom]

There's a study lounge down the hall from him. I think the problem was he would be in the middle of a class in his room when the roommate would start getting loud. The problem isn't the noise of the game, it's that his roommate is talking to others online while he's playing. I know my son has headphones for his computer, but I think he's so loud he's hearing him over the headphones.

When ds17 is on Xbox in his room upstairs with the door closed I can hear him yelling, drives me nuts!

 

[yeahdisney]

DS private catholic dorm fills immediately, around 300 spaces for men. Freshman year he did not even have the choice to have a shared 4 bedroom(all gone). He had to pick a shared bedroom. And they are still charging.

DD has an apartment off campus and lease could not be broke. Both rooms sit empty.

DS would rather stay at his dorm then go to apartment. But if we wait, dorm will be filled. If we sign, we will have to pay.

Last year they had enough parents call back last March that wanted their students to return last year in April because they were doing poorly at home online. They told the dorm they needed the structure space/time.

Therefore This year the dorm said they plan on being independent, providing food and the students wouldn’t need to leave the building and they will stay open even if the school closes all in person- so everyone pays.

This year they did skip the second payment since he is not there this semester. And they said it was because many students called to discuss them not coming back and cost.

I did ask if they gave any thoughts for 2021-2022 like backing up sign up. But they plan on going forward.
It annoying me to give $15000 for nothing for the private dorm.