Why is everyone so mad at the colleges for their plans?

[Anonymous]

Maybe this is only happening in the college parent group I’m in, but it seems like most people are furious at the college for their response plan and the fact that they’ve had to make adjustments since their original plan was announced.

It seems so irrational to be mad that the college had to respond to our failure to flatten the curve. Be mad at the people who wouldn’t do their part, am I right? The college is just trying to figure out how not to have an outbreak.

[Anonymous]

I am with you, OP.

[Anonymous]

I agree too. I see our DC's college working extremely hard at this. DC's small LAC has an excellent plan in place and the type of location that could make it work IF students fullly participate in the masking and staying on campus that is required by the plan. The colleges are doing their best but parents must accept that plan details will have to change, and none of us can expect the virus to behave as we want it to so our kids can go back to campus. I actually would rather DC's college just do the whole semester online again, because even with this college's better-than-most chances....it's still a long shot that colleges will remain in session on campuses, I think.

Longtime friend who is a longtime senior staffer (not a professor) at another college says she predicts that many colleges now making return plans will end up not going back, or if they do, the semesters will end up cut short as spring was. She says student behavior is simply not going to dovetail with what is needed to make any campus a haven from the virus.

It's very telling that a report is being published with a subtitle saying that colleges will be the next cruise ship/nursing home/meatpacking plant scenarios of rampant spread, even despite colleges' precautions. Article about it in the New Yorker today.

[Anonymous]

They need to lower the bill for this year.

[Anonymous]

The parents on our parents group are mad that the university is releasing their plans in bits and pieces when others have released their plan in full all at once months ago.

They told us in early June that they intend to bring students back and will offer housing, and they have released the updates for housing and assigned housing, they updated the health center layout and protocol, they have established what formats classes can be held in and what size and spacing requires what format, etc. I think they’re being smart and assessing everything using current data and research, others think they should just “make a plan already.” I am perfectly content to wait to hear how often students will be tested and what options will be open for lunch, but apparently that’s asking too much from some people.

[Anonymous]

We are mad because we still have to pay full price for a not as expected experience. We understand the issues the schools face, but can’t they give us some kind of break since they hey will not be using all of the facilities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They need to lower the bill for this year.

They don’t have to do any such thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are mad because we still have to pay full price for a not as expected experience. We understand the issues the schools face, but can’t they give us some kind of break since they hey will not be using all of the facilities?

They’re also incurring a lot of new costs to implement virtual learning.

[Anonymous]

It's the same thing over on the K-12 schools boards, OP. Each school system has had to utterly re-invent itself, and for some weird reason, people are outraged. Personally, even it's obvious that their plans are not perfect, I'm grateful when I think how much thought and care has gone into their plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are mad because we still have to pay full price for a not as expected experience. We understand the issues the schools face, but can’t they give us some kind of break since they hey will not be using all of the facilities?

They’re also incurring a lot of new costs to implement virtual learning.

They have been overcharging and spending wastefully for years. They can suck it up for once. Tuition has way outpaced inflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are mad because we still have to pay full price for a not as expected experience. We understand the issues the schools face, but can’t they give us some kind of break since they hey will not be using all of the facilities?

They’re also incurring a lot of new costs to implement virtual learning.

They have been overcharging and spending wastefully for years. They can suck it up for once. Tuition has way outpaced inflation.

The students are welcome not to attend, if they decide it's not worth the cost. No problem there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are mad because we still have to pay full price for a not as expected experience. We understand the issues the schools face, but can’t they give us some kind of break since they hey will not be using all of the facilities?

They’re also incurring a lot of new costs to implement virtual learning.

Yeah. I don’t know about all schools, but ours is going to have an online version of every class, even if the class meets in person. So professors work double?

And the buildings are going to be cleaned more and doubles are turning to singles in some apartments. I heard they had to buy more buses so they didn’t have people packed into them at popular class times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are mad because we still have to pay full price for a not as expected experience. We understand the issues the schools face, but can’t they give us some kind of break since they hey will not be using all of the facilities?

They’re also incurring a lot of new costs to implement virtual learning.

They have been overcharging and spending wastefully for years. They can suck it up for once. Tuition has way outpaced inflation.

The students are welcome not to attend, if they decide it's not worth the cost. No problem there.

This.
Choose a different school if you don’t like the plans or the tuition.

[Anonymous]

I am mad at DC's school (NYU) because they do not communicate with parents. At All. I have read about NYU's plans through DCUM, news reports and NYU posts on Facebook. NYU emails the students on their student accounts, which aren't checked regularly becaue students are not in school. Seeding an email to the student's school account does not always work well to get info to the student or the people who are paying. And they have the teh student's regular email account, and the parent's email accounts. The biggest joke was when I read that NYU was studying the NY state guidance on reopening educational institutions, and one of the top goals was to establish good communication with students and parents. It has not been done and complaints about the lack of communication are ignored.

The timing of announcements has been terrible too. DC goes to Tisch in the Film and TV program. The program sent out a message on Thursday July 2 at about 4P, which basically said don't bother coming back because classes will be online as much as possible, and you should use your own equipment (the message actually said phone cameras) for film projects- not ours. Students will not be allowed to use Tisch equipment and TIsch won't be charging the typical fees and insurance for the equipment for fall, but students are expected to pay the full tuition. Then the school was closed for the 3 day July 4 holiday weekend, and no questions were answered until Monday. A big reason to attend a film program is to learn how to use professional equipment. Without the opportunity to use Tisch equipment, it makes no sense to return, or take production classes. So this message was essentially telling Tisch students to stay home, change your plans and change your schedule all of which require interaction with school counselors and staff. You bet I'm mad Tisch made this important announcement and then all staff and counselors disappeared for 3 days.

[Anonymous]

I really feel for a lot of these administrators. This is extremely tough stuff. They have bloated salaries but are earning them now. Many slacs outside the top 40 could vanish from the planet.