this college might be able to reopen and stay open: Colby College
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Anonymous
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https://bangordailynews.com/2020/06/30/news/colby-college-will-open-its-campus-this-fall-despite-coronavirus-but-with-many-restrictions/
Their plan seems thorough. I assume they already have the tests on site and the staff/labs to process them 3x weekly. |
Anonymous
| What if a student doesn’t have a smartphone? Bowdoin University? |
Anonymous
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So few colleges have the isolated location AND money to replicate their plan.
If / when FDA approves and colleges can get batch testing up and running it staying open will feasible in far more places. Fauci was hinting that is coming — but he doesn’t speak for FDA. It really is the best solution until there is a treatment or vaccine. |
Anonymous
Colleges can issue a smartphone — same as they did with spots in spring for those who need them. Personally I think Cornell is also strong. |
Anonymous
| It’s one tiny school in a location that is freezing cold in winter. Not relevant to the majority of students. |
Anonymous
Entirely relevant to the students who go there. And to other small colleges in isolated locations or with campuses that are self-contained, and where most or all students live on campus. Sorry but large universities and schools in urban areas stand far less chance of having anything like a real return to campus than schools that small and self-contained. Your huge university is possibly out of luck for the coming semester. |
Anonymous
Gap year, I guess. I mean, that's the least difficult obstacle for a college. The VAST majority of college aged students have a smartphone. Not impossible to help the phew who don't and truly can't afford it to get one. |
Anonymous
So individual testing, maybe 3 times a week, the first couple of weeks, and then move to batch testing each dorm weekly? Meanwhile all the students on campus (and faculty and staff) agree to basically not leave campus much and to inform the college of any out of state travel or travel to high spread areas (like 15 states so far....) |
Anonymous
| Nice. There are 4000 colleges in this country. I’m glad the elite few can afford this sort of arrangement. |
Anonymous
| First flaw is that students have to be tested before they get there. Testing of healthy non-essential workers is not available in many parts of the country at the moment. My son is leaving for school in a few weeks. He will be in touch with his school soon to let them know that MD will not test him currently and also the results would take a week which does not meet their 3 day requirements. |
Anonymous
I’m in a college town in NY; testing is readily available and zero cost for all. There’s still an issue with turnaround time, though. I got tested on a Tuesday and results only showed up Saturday. Unless that improves, it will leave the school using rapid tests, which have a higher rate of false negatives. They are closing the campus and have published detailed plans outlining restrictions. |
Anonymous
Vassar College also is apparently planning to do ongoing asymptomatic testing. Not sure of specific frequency yet, but throughout the semester. We only hope they can source enough tests. And like Colby, Vassar will close the campus--students can't leave and no visitors can come. The Vassar campus is in a large town but is self-contained (as in, no parts of it sprawl across streets in town, really) and I think all students are in college housing, so no off-campus apartments etc. to increase spread to or from the community. Agree on the test timing being an issue for the initial test students are supposed to get done at home before leaving for all these colleges. A test fine three to five days before move-in date (what we were told) likely will not get results back in time. I'm sure colleges do not mean it's fine for kids to turn up untested or without results, so we're going to ask if they really mean that they need results that are no more than five days old on the move-in date. |
Anonymous
| Above should be "a test DONE three to five days..." |
Anonymous
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Colby’s plan could easily fall apart. Not sure how they will prevent students and faculty from leaving the area if they want to. It may work though given the isolated location of Colby. That is a lot of money they are putting into testing. Also I wonder how their faculty feels about in person teaching
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Anonymous
| Bates is also opening. Lots of changes and testing etc. (Didn't read it all). But they are going to try. |