Harvard closing for rest of semester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice, NYU also just did this.

Move-outs for the entire semester, or a temporary move to online classes?

Temporary move to online classes. Kids do not have to leave the dorms. In fact, they are encouraged not to travel over spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's sudden move will end up throwing college students across the country into a panic as all top colleges will feel pressured to follow suit.

Yes, global pandemics do tend to panic people a bit.

[Anonymous]

Y'all are crazy. The kids should be managing their moveout on their own. This is no big deal and honestly part of life.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:One kid tweeting got literally dozens of offers of accommodation. Obviously not going to take a stranger up in it but I’m certain nearby alums would pitch in to help the VERY SMALL fraction of students who are t able to go home (or take the school up in the offer to stay in campus.)

God, some of you really dumb and self absorbed. My son's college as 7,000 international students. It's not the only college, and the median income is under $40k. I'm sure they can all afford to take on extra people.

But this thread is about Harvard, where the percent of students not able to go home is small and where explicit arrangements are being made in addition to offers from the community. If your child’s school closes hopefully they will also be flexible with students in a difficult position. However, I think it’s crazy to be focused on this as some grave injustice given the freight train of covid barreling toward us. There will be lots more injustice in 11 days when icu beds start getting rationed so maybe keep your powder dry.

Exactly THIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue isn't that the students won't be able to make it happen. The issue is that there will be economic loss to them for doing so (stuff they would have saved, and/or longer storage prices, etc), not even getting to the fact that they already paid for living expenses through May.

Compare that to possible alternatives, such as a temporary shift to online that allows students to return in a month. Or gave them until the end of spring break to move out. There was NO need to force move-out this weekend.

Totally agree -- one of the Harvard parents

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:God you people are entitled and in a world completely your own. This is a serious educational, financial and social disruption that will compound stress and mental health. Even the students of means are going to end up depressed and listless; those without means are going to end up depressed, listless, lonely, hungry, and unsafe.

There had to have been a much better way, and it would have included some notice. I’m horrified.

Please tell me this is sarcasm ... because at this point I'm not even sure.

Not sarcastic in the least. You’re talking about buying books on minimalism, like poor kids can Marie Kondo themselves out of this disruption. Some of these kids pay their own way, can’t afford to put stuff out on the street, don’t have access to air bnb, can’t buy a random plane ticket, live overseas in war zones.

I live in a college town and we have a homeless shelter in town. Every college town has resources for youth. Females struggling will get assistance over males.
The college student should stop by the local government department and sign up for food stamps etc.

So you’d be OK if your residence kicked you out and instructed you to go live at a homeless shelter?

Have you never been to a homeless shelter? Ours houses honorable working people. Ours also houses those needing 6 months of cancer treatment at the local hospital
when they live far away. Our homeless shelter has folks working at Walmart, and working at all of the restaurants.

Um, yes. I grew up homeless and lived in a shelter during various points in my childhood, thanks. The idea some of you have that “go live in a homeless shelter” is an appropriate suggestion — particularly when considering that we’re talking about the institution with the largest endowment in the entire world — to international students during a pandemic is so mind-boggling to me I’m not even sure I’m talking to a real person. Like, you cannot be serious, right?

[Anonymous]

Young people are minimally at risk from this virus. Why are colleges so aggressive about measures compared to other institutions like K-12 schools and workplaces? No snark intended. An honest question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God you people are entitled and in a world completely your own. This is a serious educational, financial and social disruption that will compound stress and mental health. Even the students of means are going to end up depressed and listless; those without means are going to end up depressed, listless, lonely, hungry, and unsafe.

There had to have been a much better way, and it would have included some notice. I’m horrified.

Please tell me this is sarcasm ... because at this point I'm not even sure.

Not sarcastic in the least. You’re talking about buying books on minimalism, like poor kids can Marie Kondo themselves out of this disruption. Some of these kids pay their own way, can’t afford to put stuff out on the street, don’t have access to air bnb, can’t buy a random plane ticket, live overseas in war zones.

I live in a college town and we have a homeless shelter in town. Every college town has resources for youth. Females struggling will get assistance over males.
The college student should stop by the local government department and sign up for food stamps etc.

So you’d be OK if your residence kicked you out and instructed you to go live at a homeless shelter?

Have you never been to a homeless shelter? Ours houses honorable working people. Ours also houses those needing 6 months of cancer treatment at the local hospital
when they live far away. Our homeless shelter has folks working at Walmart, and working at all of the restaurants.

Um, yes. I grew up homeless and lived in a shelter during various points in my childhood, thanks. The idea some of you have that “go live in a homeless shelter” is an appropriate suggestion — particularly when considering that we’re talking about the institution with the largest endowment in the entire world — to international students during a pandemic is so mind-boggling to me I’m not even sure I’m talking to a real person. Like, you cannot be serious, right?

Have you not read that there is an explicit statement that students without anyplace to go can remain on campus? And that financial assistance also available for those who need it?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Force move-out of dorms by Sunday, that is insane, in light of the circumstances (or lack thereof). There is no reason not to allow more time, like by the end of spring break.

Dear Harvard: just because you are among the first colleges to do this doesn't make it an example of leadership.

You can't figure out how to move out by Sunday?

Kids have more stuff then they used to and decorated dorms.

It's Wednesday, go to Home Depot at your home, get some boxes, rent a van and drive to Mass.

It's not that complicated.

When you are 2000 miles from Boston, you are not driving to Mass. That is the point. Large numbers of students do not live in driving distance.

Kid catches a flight home. Kid stacks his "stuff" outside by dumpster. Locals will recycle. I'm sure locals have already started driving around the dorms.

Not the PP to whom you're responding and not a parent of a Harvard student, but...

Not all students have useless stuff or mere extras they can just toss out. You're ridiculous. And wasteful.

My DC's dorm room has DC's clothing (which we'd have to replace if it were all tossed; it's all that fits right now), books (still needed for this semester even if classes go virtual), parts of class projects that are under way. Do you think students all have, what?, skis and cases of beer and gaming systems filling dorm rooms? "Kid catches a flight home" and dumps books needed for class and and almost every stitch of clothes, coat, shoes? What world do you live in that you assume all college students' families live lives of wasteful luxury?

Nobody said dump the clothes... but he does not need the decorations from the room. 2 suitcases and 1 backpack should be fine.

2 suitcases and backpack will get the clothes home. It will not get home blankets, towels, laundry baskets, mattress pad, shower caddy, wastebasket, etc... Ditching that stuff is super wasteful.

(My kid attends a different school not far from Harvard. So far, not closed. Hopefully any move to online classes will not involve actually moving out. Fortunately plane tickets are cheap right now, so traveling home domestically is ok, but the logistics of suddenly, fully moving out seem rather unnecessary.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Young people are minimally at risk from this virus. Why are colleges so aggressive about measures compared to other institutions like K-12 schools and workplaces? No snark intended. An honest question.

+1. The local public schools, like public schools across the country, have no intent to close at the moment, absent a connection to a person with the virus. Presumably they will if they need to, but the situation does not apparently call for preemptive closure yet.

[Anonymous]

Oh my god, people...I just checked the Harvard statement, which includes this:

"Students are asked not to return to campus after Spring Recess and to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice. Students who need to remain on campus will also receive instruction remotely and must prepare for severely limited on-campus activities and interactions."

So those of you wailing about Harvard students facing homeless shelters and families facing financial devastation are full of it. You're just whining because of the inconvenience to your kid. It is an inconvenience, but you have totally lost perspective if you think this is a major deal compared to the impact this pandemic will have on the world.

[Anonymous]

I think this is wrong and chickensh*t on Harvard's part. It's forcing a bunch of people in a hotspot to get on trains and planes and travel elsewhere, possibly to be with people who are more at risk. It's covering Harvard's behind because the illnesses won't happen on campus, but it's just exporting the problem elsewhere to minimize liability risk. College students in dorms are young, and healthy for the most part. Keeping them all in one place is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice, NYU also just did this.

Move-outs for the entire semester, or a temporary move to online classes?

Temporary move to online classes. Kids do not have to leave the dorms. In fact, they are encouraged not to travel over spring break.

I think this makes much more sense than a move-out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is wrong and chickensh*t on Harvard's part. It's forcing a bunch of people in a hotspot to get on trains and planes and travel elsewhere, possibly to be with people who are more at risk. It's covering Harvard's behind because the illnesses won't happen on campus, but it's just exporting the problem elsewhere to minimize liability risk. College students in dorms are young, and healthy for the most part. Keeping them all in one place is a good thing.

Most of them were going to go home or travel for spring break anyway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Young people are minimally at risk from this virus. Why are colleges so aggressive about measures compared to other institutions like K-12 schools and workplaces? No snark intended. An honest question.

+1. The local public schools, like public schools across the country, have no intent to close at the moment, absent a connection to a person with the virus. Presumably they will if they need to, but the situation does not apparently call for preemptive closure yet.

Part of it seems to be because of spring break and the timing of this starting. Students will scatter and return to campus and may bring virus back with them. Even an asymptomatic person can spread this disease to older people. Those who do get sick will be living in clsoe quarters and do we all expect students will stop sharing stuff, having sex etc to prevent disease spread?

This is as much about protecting the towns these colleges are in, and the staff AND minimizing travel.

As for workplaces, many have implemented no travel policies for the immediate future. I don't think colleges can do that for students (most have for faculty and staff).