College Freshman Moving Off-Campus Trend!! DD doesn't know what to do....and neither do I...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is UMW?
Did you mean UWM?

UMW - Uni Mary Washington in VA
UWM - Uni Wisconsin Milwaukee
WM - William & Mary
People really need to add the full college name, it's not always obvious.

[Anonymous]

OP here....

Univ. of Mary Washington NOT requiring any testing before move-in. We decided to have her stay on campus - move-in still scheduled for next week.

BTW...DD's twin brother is at VMI - VA Military Institute. You'd think that due to its structure there would be 0 cases...and there were...until all cadets arrived...numbers are slowly but exponentially going up by the day. My son thinks he'll be home in a month.
VMI did NOT, however, require any testing before move in.

Even with lack of testing.....if VMI is unable to contain it than I have little hope of any others....VMI has no off-campus housing, cadets are not allowed off post, no visitors, etc.

[Anonymous]

My daughter moved off campus and then school went all virtual.

But turns out she has three nice roommates and some of her friend did it too

[Anonymous]

No reason to defer this year - in fact, grading will be easier this year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No reason to defer this year - in fact, grading will be easier this year!

That’s not always true. My kids classes got exponentially harder last spring when everything moved online. Tests that would have been multiple choice became essays, papers were added to replace class discussions, The original syllabus was essentially null and void.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Off campus better for Covid times. Less virus spread and she can stay there when they close the dorms down for Covid. Or if they quarantine dorms she won’t be trapped.

Are you utterly oblivious to the term "community spread"? Off campus students bring the virus into the community and the community spreads it to off-campus students.

Best scenario is a college where nearly all students live on campus, there is frequent asymptomatic testing, and the college prohibits students from leaving campus all semester (and enforces that prohibition with suspensions or expulsions for students caught violating it). This is what my DC's college is doing. But only small and self-contained colleges without a culture of off-campus living (and off-campus partying and barhopping) can attempt that level of isolating.

Before some misery-guts leaps in to say "how awful"--no, it's not. DC and friends know that staying at college depends on all of them masking etc. seriously. They are socializing plenty but following the rules. Organizations etc. meet over Zoom or outdoors masked. No student wants to be the one who had the party that ends up getting the college closed down due to a virus cluster. They prefer being there to going home so they are trying (most of them) to earn their campus life by acting responsibly. I think all this is infinitely harder at universities with big student populations and many or most students living off campus.

Ths is thinking, colleges are not super spreaders? It is the incoming students that are brining it? Are you imagining a college that is a prison? Prohibits students from leavning campus? What like a concentration camp?

Don’t dare compare it to a concentration camp. People didn’t CHOOSE to go to concentration camps. If you don’t like the restrictions take daddy’s tuition money and go home ✌️

Ok, sure, that was a wrong thing. Sorry. But pp above is suggesting college prohibiting students from leaving once they arrive and leaving the campus. As in period, no leaving the campus. So, student decided to go, and then wants to leave, but it is prohibited. So your go home can't happen if that pp had her way. That does not sound like a voluntary option. So they have an option to come, but not to leave??? And we all know that students are safer at home, so that colleges are safe, is nonsense, regardless of why they have high infection rates. Without students coming in from their areas, there would be no college. Most students arriving do not have coronavirus, at least not that day. Most are diagnosed 2 weeks later, indicating they caught it once they arrived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Off campus better for Covid times. Less virus spread and she can stay there when they close the dorms down for Covid. Or if they quarantine dorms she won’t be trapped.

Are you utterly oblivious to the term "community spread"? Off campus students bring the virus into the community and the community spreads it to off-campus students.

Best scenario is a college where nearly all students live on campus, there is frequent asymptomatic testing, and the college prohibits students from leaving campus all semester (and enforces that prohibition with suspensions or expulsions for students caught violating it). This is what my DC's college is doing. But only small and self-contained colleges without a culture of off-campus living (and off-campus partying and barhopping) can attempt that level of isolating.

Before some misery-guts leaps in to say "how awful"--no, it's not. DC and friends know that staying at college depends on all of them masking etc. seriously. They are socializing plenty but following the rules. Organizations etc. meet over Zoom or outdoors masked. No student wants to be the one who had the party that ends up getting the college closed down due to a virus cluster. They prefer being there to going home so they are trying (most of them) to earn their campus life by acting responsibly. I think all this is infinitely harder at universities with big student populations and many or most students living off campus.

Ths is thinking, colleges are not super spreaders? It is the incoming students that are brining it? Are you imagining a college that is a prison? Prohibits students from leavning campus? What like a concentration camp?

Don’t dare compare it to a concentration camp. People didn’t CHOOSE to go to concentration camps. If you don’t like the restrictions take daddy’s tuition money and go home ✌️

Ok, sure, that was a wrong thing. Sorry. But pp above is suggesting college prohibiting students from leaving once they arrive and leaving the campus. As in period, no leaving the campus. So, student decided to go, and then wants to leave, but it is prohibited. So your go home can't happen if that pp had her way. That does not sound like a voluntary option. So they have an option to come, but not to leave??? And we all know that students are safer at home, so that colleges are safe, is nonsense, regardless of why they have high infection rates. Without students coming in from their areas, there would be no college. Most students arriving do not have coronavirus, at least not that day. Most are diagnosed 2 weeks later, indicating they caught it once they arrived.

PP from first post above. (I did NOT make the idiotic "concentration camp" comparison, by the way! That's some other person.)

To clarify: Of course students at my DC's college CAN leave campus. There are no walls literally locking them in. But the covid policy prohibits leaving, other than for an approved medical reason. If they do choose to go off campus for any other reason, they can be sent home to finish the semester virtually from there. As in, mom and dad's home, not some off-campus apartment (because there are virtually zero off-campus options near this college). Sure, a student could find a rental somewhere in the area and stay there to do virtual. The college won't care. But that student would not see friends etc. by living off campus because everyone lives ON campus. This is not like a UVA or JMU where there are tons of students already living off campus.

Most classes are available remotely due to some students choosing to stay home anyway, so any student sent home for leaving campus could still take classes, just remotely.

Your post makes it sound as if there's something wrong with requiring students to remain on campus. No. It's essential for the health of the wider community and for the health of the students. They all knew this is the deal before they ever got back to campus. If they can't hack remaining on campus they should not be at this college.

Huge universities can't have this kind of rule since so many kids live off campus, but a smaller college than can set such a rule has every right to do so at a time like this. It's crystal clear to families what the penalty is if a student acts the self-centered fool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No reason to defer this year - in fact, grading will be easier this year!

That’s not always true. My kids classes got exponentially harder last spring when everything moved online. Tests that would have been multiple choice became essays, papers were added to replace class discussions, The original syllabus was essentially null and void.

Yeah my freshman dd is having a hard time adjusting academically (at safety school). Like 50s on two assignments. She is very stressed.

[Anonymous]

Make sure she is taking advantage of office hours (which may be virtual). And joining a study group, attending TA--led study sessions, etc. Using the Writing Center for her papers.

Lots of freshmen are shy about taking advantage of such resources but they should.

[Anonymous]

What is UMW?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is UMW?

Already answered: University Mary Washington