To think what's happening to student is discrimination against poorer young people.

[Feelingconfused2020]

Students are young, in many cases just 18 yet many are being asked to isolate in a room for 2 weeks with issues around access to food and no real friends or family around them (because they've just got there and live with strangers) arguably prison is a safer place as at least food supply is guaranteed. In Scotland they've already been told they won't be allowed home at Christmas which is beyond absurd.

So what is going to happen? Inevitably families with enough money will encourage their young people to drop out and take a gap year. Those who can't afford to do so will be stuck at uni. The poorest suffer most, as covid seems to prefer.

It's not ok for Nicola Sturgeon, and other leaders, to stand by and let this happen, there will be suicides, there will be incidents related to mental health issues.

The governments all needed to have predicted this would be an issue, they should have put more strategies in place as they have in schools.

I am so cross for young adults in this country, they have been completely disregarded by all our governments.

@yearinyearout

Like everything else, these problems are easier to overcome if you have money, or parents with money who can help solve it. PP up thread organised an online shop for her child. Not everyone can do that.

Students with better off parents get a higher loan (about 9k as opposed to 4k for students on the lowest rate, depending where they are on the scale) so I'm sure they can order their own online shop if it's access to food that's an issue.

P.S. I am not in any way underestimating the shit that ALL students are going through at the moment

Do you mean students with less well off parents?

Erm, surely it's discriminatory to all students?

How can it be in Scotland, an 18 year old hairstylist is allowed to go to a pub, while an 18 year old student is locked in their room?

Apologies yearinyearout I've just seen your correction. My phone was slow to update

@larrygrylls

Minty,

In nearly every decade GDP per capita has risen. We invent more, we manufacture more efficiently etc.

There are issues with inequality both by class/job and geographically. However, I would assume our children will end up, on average, richer than us.

Good god, where have you been?? www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/18/children-born-1980s-become-first-generation-worse-predecessors/

It's very well known that for all the apparent improvements in education etc, etc, the economy has been transforming into what's termed the "rentier economy" since digital tech and the internet really took over. Not that tech is the cause: the biggest problem is control over land and housing, which is almost inaccessible now to anyone who has neither owned before 2000 or parents able and willing to bankroll them.

@tttigress

Erm, surely it's discriminatory to all students?

How can it be in Scotland, an 18 year old hairstylist is allowed to go to a pub, while an 18 year old student is locked in their room?

They are not locked in their room. They have been asked not to go to cafes or pubs for a weekend because that will cause infection to spill out into the local communities. They can socialise with students in their accommodation. It's short term. Infections will either go down and they will be able to mix with the wider community again or they will go up and there will probably end up being herd immunity among students.

@tttigress And again, students in Scotland have been asked to avoid hospitality venues (pubs etc) for ONE WEEKEND to try to stop the huge waves of covid running through the halls of residence (172 positive in one Glasgow Halls - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54268780)

This was the students in Edinburghs response to not going out to pubs and clubs last night... Parties

Universities are doing their best in ever changing rule sets - most started off with online tuition and were in the process of adding in more face to face tutorials and practicals when the rules changed.
They are doing their best to try to limit the spread in halls of residence with 500+ teenagers.
And the teenagers are doing what teenagers have done since time immemorial - thought they were immortal and gone partying as they take their first steps into adulthood.

It’s common sense and nothing else, lots of students infected, they have been asked to not go to cafes or pubs so they don’t spread the virus into the community, how is this worse than prison? The drama on here is beyond belief sometimes.

In some cases they shouldn't mix with other flats etc. It really depends which uni because some had already cases, some haven't.

Tbh I feel more sorry for the academic stuff.

There are issues with inequality both by class/job and geographically. However, I would assume our children will end up, on average, richer than us.

It has been widely accepted that this younger generation are likely to be the first for who that is not necessarily going to be true. And that was being said long before the current recession or Brexit.

This was the students in Edinburghs response to not going out to pubs and clubs last night...

Small groups of 5-7people.

Not the massive parties people want us to think students are having.

@MintyMabel aye but it also shows they aren't all locked in their room starving and neglected...

Students will party for freshers pandemic or no pandemic its really not news. Certainly not worthy of the stupid headlines that are being published. The stories of starving students locked up and abandoned are bullshit, the vast majority are getting on with it, being a student and its a very small minority crying on their (not so) terrible internet just to appear in a news story.

aye but it also shows they aren't all locked in their room starving and neglected...

Nobody has suggested they can’t move about the halls. It’s that they can’t go out. And you have no idea whether they were starving or not.

The governments all needed to have predicted this would be an issue, they should have put more strategies in place as they have in schools.

In this case, it's nothing to do with the government. It's up to each university to sort it out.

Nobody has suggested they can’t move about the halls. It’s that they can’t go out. And you have no idea whether they were starving or not.

Why would they be starving? Nobody has suggested that and I'm sure they would if there was a problem .They can have food delivered. If they can't sort that out themselves the University or their parents will help.

@yetmorecomplaining

In Edinburgh most of the Universities have now organised testing to be done on site at the halls. There is also always postal tests too. If they can't get a delivery slot they should talk to the student accommodation people who will be able to help, its really not rocket science (though is also much less dramatic for headlines).

What has caused the outbreaks are mostly parties in flats at the halls, which were expressly forbidden but hey freshers week... nothing to do with who they are sharing with.
In Glasgow there was a huge party during freshers week with 50+ in one flat and similar in Aberdeen and St Andrews (though those were off campus... most of the attendees were living in halls).

Again my only direct knowledge (via child) is Edinburgh but the staff there couldn't be more helpful, supportive and responsive.

Sorry but these comments are really annoying me. Yes, some teenagers got it wrong and had parties. But not all of them. My daughter tested positive after her Flatmate went out for lunch with an old school friend and was then contacted through test and protect. This idea that blame should be pinned on kids is ridiculous. We arrived at Murano St in Glasgow on 12th March and immediately had to go out and buy hand wash and sanitizer- there was nothing in place in the accommodation. Not every student has parents/resources to try to close gaps caused by uni’s basic failings.

@Pixxie7

I would have more sympathy with them if they would acknowledge that they are part of the problem rather than thinking of themselves as victims. I acknowledge that many are doing their best in difficult circumstances but when their on the news sayings things like people like us don’t go to bed at 10 pm’ and having big parties I am afraid it goes out the window.

Brilliant. So a few teenagers who failed to be media savvy have allowed you to feel completely comfortable with lazy stereotypes

Sorry but these comments are really annoying me. Yes, some teenagers got it wrong and had parties. But not all of them. My daughter tested positive after her Flatmate went out for lunch with an old school friend and was then contacted through test and protect. This idea that blame should be pinned on kids is ridiculous. We arrived at Murano St in Glasgow on 12th March and immediately had to go out and buy hand wash and sanitizer- there was nothing in place in the accommodation. Not every student has parents/resources to try to close gaps caused by uni’s basic failings.

12th March? Are you seriously saying that universities have failed because they didn't provide your child with hand wash and sanitiser on 12 March?!

I agree with the OP. The poorer ones will fare the worst, they're all being screwed before their adult life has barely started. with lectures and tutor groups online (not even live, according to students I know) it seems to me that the only reason for getting the students back at all was to cover accommodation costs. Our local university has built loads of accommodation recently, they need to pay for it somehow and will have iron clad contracts with the property developer promising income. Developers don't build out of the kindness of their hearts. Overseas student numbers are down making matters worse too. These young adults are expected to get into massive debt to pay for this, no reduction in fees either despite huge reduction in available service, and they'll be paying for covid too once they're working and paying tax.

@notasportymum

I agree with the OP. The poorer ones will fare the worst, they're all being screwed before their adult life has barely started. with lectures and tutor groups online (not even live, according to students I know) it seems to me that the only reason for getting the students back at all was to cover accommodation costs. Our local university has built loads of accommodation recently, they need to pay for it somehow and will have iron clad contracts with the property developer promising income. Developers don't build out of the kindness of their hearts. Overseas student numbers are down making matters worse too. These young adults are expected to get into massive debt to pay for this, no reduction in fees either despite huge reduction in available service, and they'll be paying for covid too once they're working and paying tax.

Firstly, universities were hoping (and still are) to provide some face-to-face teaching as well as online. Even if this can't happen before Christmas it should be possible the following term. Secondly, a lot of the accommodation is private anyway and nothing to do with universities. Some universities don't own any accommodation. They accommodation that you think is been built by your local university is quite possibly private.

Also not sure why you think private property developers would have "ironclad" contracts with universities that they will provide them with tenants? Why would universities want to do that? Do you think they have contracts with all the landlords in your city?

The more I hear about the way the students are being treated at Manchester Met the more I am think that the Universities and private rental companies have massively overstepped their authority here and are being wilfully aided in this by the police.

Modern accommodation blocks like the ones shown in Manchester are organised into self-contained flats and are functionally no different to a block of flats. I very much doubt that anyone has the legal authority to stop an adult from leaving their home just because someone else in their block of flats had tested positive for Covid. If the police were aiding private security to prevent people from leaving their homes in a block of council flats in London, their would be outrage.

Modern accommodation blocks like the ones shown in Manchester are organised into self-contained flats and are functionally no different to a block of flats. I very much doubt that anyone has the legal authority to stop an adult from leaving their home just because someone else in their block of flats had tested positive for Covid. If the police were aiding private security to prevent people from leaving their homes in a block of council flats in London, their would be outrage.

They will be fine people if they don't isolate when asked to. Universities can probably chuck students out anyway.

Many of them are not really adults. DD went at 17 and we know plenty at that age and a few who went at 16. In Scotland, for Scottish students, that is technically possible. DD is now 2nd year, thankfully, and in a private rental with lovely friends but it is very tough on all those who are just leaving home for the first time.

@Belladonna12 the accommodation I'm talking about is on campus and yes the university and contractor are financially entangled.
the students I'm talking about were given deadlines to pay for their accommodation, the universities waited 24 hours to then tell them the whole thing would be online. coincidence?
I have no doubt universities like everywhere else want to get back to normal, get the students in and provide live lessons. But you're not telling me they expected that to happen in September? Everyone else saw this coming a mile off.

the accommodation I'm talking about is on campus and yes the university and contractor are financially entangled.

How do you know what is involved with regard to their contract? Why would the contract state that the University must provide a private landlord with tenants? If a private company is building on University land they will be paying University money not the other way round.

the students I'm talking about were given deadlines to pay for their accommodation, the universities waited 24 hours to then tell them the whole thing would be online. Coincidence?

Are you talking about privately owned accommodation? If so then it is a coincidence.