It’s reported that 17-21 are spreading the virus now , should Universities open ??

[Charliescar]

Just that really ??

I don’t see why schools should shut if Universities can stay open .

I think that students are far more Likely to spread the virus that students at school.

Yes, this is kids futures we are messing with, they already lost half of last year to covid and strikes

most of them will have access to their local libraries
Local libraries aren't academic libraries

At my university that was the first thing to open.
Although great efforts have been made to ensure most materials can be accessed online

Local libraries aren't academic libraries

There really is no comparison between the two. It becomes obvious very quickly how little people know about this stuff.

most of them will have access to their local libraries

Funniest post of the day!

You mean the ones that STILL havn't reopened yet?

Our village one has one rack of reference books. DS ordered some books for his A levels 2 years ago which simply never became available as he was so far down the waiting list for them.

There's no way that council libraries will have the quantity/quality of books needed for Uni courses. It's a completely different "market" than the typical council library user. Not to mention lots of specialist books in Uni libraries will be long out of print and not even available for the local council to buy if someone ordered one.

Their A level revision will have been done successfully on beds and sofas

Are you talking about this year's cohort of freshers? You...you do know what happened to A-levels this year, right?

What’s your evidence that students’ emotional and physical health would suffer if they did not return to campus?

If these were normal times, would you say it's perfectly healthy for young people to spend months on end sitting in their bedrooms, with most of their interaction done via a computer screen?

Their A level revision will have been done successfully on beds and sofas and most of them will have access to their local libraries.

As others have said, public libraries are an entirely different beast to academic libraries. If you mean using libraries as a place to study, well, if lots have the same idea, then the libraries will be overcrowded which kind of defeats the purpose. Not to mention the state in which many public libraries find themselves following years of cuts.

As for A level revision, what might be OK as an emergency short-term measure doesn't work so well in the longer term, especially for students who are new to university life and have not had a chance to build up relationships with staff and their fellow students.

most of them will have access to their local libraries.

The nearest libraries near us still aren't open - main one has reduced hours and lots of rules - I'm not sure you can study in there currently. Plus libraries here are in no way comparable to the huge univerities libaries I've encountered.

Most students will have already signed contracts for accomodation - older years probably well before summer.

Plus you still have many students who will be doing labs so will need to be on campus anyway - many subjects have no choice.

This has been on DH universities radar since March - they've liaised with staff and local health authorites made huge changes to accomodate social distancing and putting as much as possible on-line.

I can't image all the other insitutions accross the UK haven't been doing similar plus local rates are under constant scrutiny.

Christ, some of these posts, you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Maybe Biomed students could get some studying done at the Tesco meat counter?

To be fair, a huge range of books are now available online either through university libraries or illegally.

I'm a mature student but attend a traditional University (one day a week) where the vast majority are younger students.

We have an induction week in October which is reported to be 80% virtual so Universities may be open but not in person most the time.

most of them will have access to their local libraries
Local libraries aren't academic libraries

No they are quiet spaces with desks and internet access where people can study.

Academic journals are all available online as are many textbooks.

@JamieLeeCurtains

Christ, some of these posts, you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Maybe Biomed students could get some studying done at the Tesco meat counter?

Someone on another thread said that so many MNers seem to have been born already middle aged. That, or they just have contempt for young people.

They had all the fun of university life, with Freshers' Week and a real education, started their working life being supported by real people rather than squares on Zoom, met their partners through friends or other social networks etc. They're sorted now, so they are indifferent to young people having to live a miserable half-life in what should be the best years of their lives.

Not saying that some restrictions aren't neccessary. Of course they are. But some people here sound like they'd be happy for students to be stuck in their bedrooms for years on end, except maybe to pop down to their long closed 'local library'.

Academic journals are all available online as are many textbooks.

Not all.... believe me. Around half of my reading list is not available online. Plus lots of students struggle to read large amounts of text online and need physical resources.

As for study spaces. My local library aren't allowing people to do that and they are only allowing short sessions on the computer. University libraries have space designed specifically for studying with the necessary IT.

You cannot compare local libraries with academic libraries on any level.

No they are quiet spaces with desks and internet access where people can study.

This is simply not true of my nearest open local library.

Computer access is by the hour and has to be booked in advance. Priority is (understandably) given to people people making or maintaining Universal Credit claims and other benefit related matters.

There is little desk space and it is very noisy.

The staff talk constantly to customers, giving advice and directing people to shelves, computers and the toilet, discussing books, book groups, and events.

It's a modern hub.

@Egghead68

*most of them will have access to their local libraries Local libraries aren't academic libraries*

No they are quiet spaces with desks and internet access where people can study.

Academic journals are all available online as are many textbooks.

Have you been in a library recently? Most are not 'quiet spaces'. Many do not have internet access, certainly not reliable enough to serve the entire local student population.

And while much academic material is available online, by no means all of it is. Not to mention that many people find online study very unsatisfactory.

Badbadbunny best of luck to your boy, hope he thoroughly enjoys it. It was the making of my DD, despite her first year being cut short.

@IcedPurple, I remember that thread.

I think a lot of students are back in my town early to get away from their families tbh. If they've been cooped up since March with them, well ... must be hard.

It seems quite ironic why are people not suggesting retired people to stay home, with their pensions to fund them

This is pretty heartless - are you also banging up the 3% of the population (not based on age) who are exceptionally medically vulnerable? And what about the much larger ‘flu jab’ group?

Perhaps instead we could all look at what we can each do to minimise transmission? So that we all get to live (literally for some, metaphorically for all)

It’s also too late for stopping the return of students, as so many second years and upwards have already gone (many letting contract from September).

The question which is important is what will the universities do to make student life less likely to cause widespread transmission (and if you look at statements from universities it’s already a lot).

And then how to keep younger people from socialising in ways that are totally reckless. For outbreaks in that age group will spill into others, and for the sake of everyone we need to minimise the chances of that happening.

So yes, big nights out and random snogging needs to be reined in. A couple of terms - to see us through the winter virus season - when everyone has to be more careful, seems the prudent thing to do. Especially as a big second wave would be so awful for everyone

Just lock up all the young people, stop them from qualifying in anything. Good luck when you need a doctor in 10 year's time, they'll be in Sweden.

@IcedPurple exactly. It's rather pulling up the drawbridge behind them. They went to university and had fun and got a degree that will increase their lifetime earnings, and now claim that if they were 18 again they'd be totally on board with this, and not want to go out, after they've already had six months of nothing.

Most unis are doing online for this semester anyway, but PP is right, they are generally only mixing with each other so not likely to pass on to elderly relatives etc. Obviously any students that are vulnerable will have to make their own risk assessments.

@Egghead68

*most of them will have access to their local libraries Local libraries aren't academic libraries*

No they are quiet spaces with desks and internet access where people can study.

Academic journals are all available online as are many textbooks.

No they are quiet spaces with desks and internet access where people can study.

The hilarity gets better. We only have one open library within 20 miles (most are still closed)!. Better still, it's a strict queue to get in, with limited time allowed to choose your book(s) and bugger off again. All the seating, desks and computers have been barriered off out of use - due to covid you know!

So yes, big nights out and random snogging needs to be reined in

I'm genuinely curious to see your suggestions as to how 'random snogging' can be 'reined in'. Single sex housing? Guards posted at doors to ensure nobody of the opposite sex is brought in after a certain hour? Staff in bars and pubs whose job it is to eject any students suspected of 'random snogging'?

@BigSandyBalls2015

Badbadbunny best of luck to your boy, hope he thoroughly enjoys it. It was the making of my DD, despite her first year being cut short.

Thank you, we're already seeing such a difference in him - he's back to how he was before covid and that's just the excitement of moving onto campus and the next stage of his life. Best of luck to your DD too!

@IcedPurple

So yes, big nights out and random snogging needs to be reined in

I'm genuinely curious to see your suggestions as to how 'random snogging' can be 'reined in'. Single sex housing? Guards posted at doors to ensure nobody of the opposite sex is brought in after a certain hour? Staff in bars and pubs whose job it is to eject any students suspected of 'random snogging'?

Keeping nightclubs/discos closed would be a good start. Of course you can't ban "random snogging" but you can certainly reduce the excessiveness.