Why are we okay with students being locked up in their dorms?

[JKRowlingIsMyQueen]

I just heard about the students in Manchester who are not allowed to leave their dorms.

Why on earth is this allowed to happen? So the rest of us who are not students are allowed to get pissed in a pub, get on a plane and travel abroad and back etc., but if you are a student you are not allowed to LEAVE your dorms?

What science are these kind of rules following? The science of Boris needing more ammo to blame young people for spreading the virus?

I'm losing hope.

It’s completely illegal.
Private security guards telling people that they can’t leave their building is not ‘self isolating’

I'm not ok with it. I think it's terrible the way 18 year olds have been shafted. I hope they all vote with their feet come the next general election.

I also can't believe they're talking about holding them hostage this Christmas. I was 17 when I went to uni. My friends daughter has just turned 18 last week and is now supposedly trapped in halls. If she gets sick (and scared) they will be going straight to get her and, in the words of her father, fuck the government and fuck any fines. Which is exactly what I would do if it was my child.

It's ridiculous. They're picking on one group.
A lot will be home sick now they're making it like a prison.
They will send them nuts. Who wouldn't it send nuts? They were so eager to take their money then announce we're keeping you in prison. I'd be booting that door down if my DC was there. No way are you keeping them in those conditions.

I'm not okay with it.

I'm not sure if people really realise the extent to which students were lied to.

Yes students were told that lectures will be online, but they were also told that smaller groups would be face to face. That now isn't the case in most places. Either universities have only just realised that seminars etc aren't feasible to be done socially distanced, or they lied.

This.
I made a point of logging onto webchats where my uni were discussing and giving us updates on their plans for this academic year - we were told again and again, lots still face to face, campus open as normal (but distanced)... you NEED to be here. Students who explicitly asked about if they needed to move were told yes, no alternatives - have to be on site.

I think I have 9 hours of face to face teaching now my timetable's out (they were only released yesterday) over the course of the entire first term - 3 days where I need to be on campus. The library is still only operating click and collect, study spaces closed - there's nothing there even in terms of places to work when on campus if you're commuting in!

We were also promised lots and lots of training on how to use all the interactive features for online learning for both our collaborate thing, and teams... what we have actually had is a printed format thing asking such gems as "have I created a good area in my accommodation to study?" and "am I ready to manage my time to learn in a blended way?" That is IT. No training, no IT support, the software only works on one fucking browser (and it's not the default one for either Windows or Apple) and we've just been left to it - no indication of when work is going to be made available - so you're constantly logging on and refreshing to see if there's anything there for you to get done as well.

Disability and mental health support services have been shite as well - I spent two months trying to get clarification on the campus face covering rules (I have very strong exemption reasons), and we still have no indication of what has been put in place in terms of one way routes, restrictions on entering buildings etc... and a big reason behind my anxiety and panic attacks (as with many people's) is the fear of doing covid rules "wrong" and being called out on it.

I'm not okay with it. A single room is not a household, nor a residence. Furthermore, someone who has only just left home (whether this year or a few years before - tho' I imagine the latter won't have wanted to be stuck in halls of residence with a bunch of freshers) is going to be suffering social dislocation (along with dealing with the possible learning curve of life skills like budgeting, shopping, cooking, cleaning).

I'm very glad my children aren't this age, but if they were, I might be discouraging them from university and encouraging them to try something else, at least for a while. I've got two degrees, but no matter how interesting I found my subjects, I equally loved other aspects of my education - people, independence, travel, sport, other skills - all valuable, and all available without the academic subject knowledge!

No I am not ok with the way students and young people have been disregarded and scapegoated throughout this pandemic so far. Disgusting

@RiotAndAlarum

I'm not okay with it. A single room is not a household, nor a residence. Furthermore, someone who has only just left home (whether this year or a few years before - tho' I imagine the latter won't have wanted to be stuck in halls of residence with a bunch of freshers) is going to be suffering social dislocation (along with dealing with the possible learning curve of life skills like budgeting, shopping, cooking, cleaning).

I'm very glad my children aren't this age, but if they were, I might be discouraging them from university and encouraging them to try something else, at least for a while. I've got two degrees, but no matter how interesting I found my subjects, I equally loved other aspects of my education - people, independence, travel, sport, other skills - all valuable, and all available without the academic subject knowledge!

Trouble is, there's nothing else at the moment.

My son was in two minds. He got offers from Unis. But he also applied for a number of trainee accountant jobs to get his professional qualification alongside working. He actually got a job offer which he was considering accepting and had other interviews. Come June/July and all the jobs were withdrawn. He also had a few weeks of work experience lined up for August which was also cancelled. So, basically, he had no choice, but to go to Uni, other than simply stagnate at home for another year, and then try to fight for a trainee job with twice as many students (his year and the following year). Uni is basically his only option other than spending a year in a supermarket and hoping to get something next year. It's really between a rock and a hard place for them. They WILL remember how shoddily they've been treated and it WILL come back to bite the government in years to come.

I agree user

Dd is now doing a foundation year and ds1 a masters

Purely because covid locked down any other choices for them

I don’t have university age school but can see that there’s not much out there for a gap year. Jobs or travel so I’d do the same and start university

It is just dreadful the way students are being treated and I despair at the extent of the venom and hatred being shown, openly, against a whole demographic.

I think back to my first year at uni and what a lifeline it was to have contact friends from my course that I didn't live with, to get out of the house to lectures, and seminars, to have lunch/coffee out with people I didn't live with, to have visits from friends and family from home and to be able to return home for a weekend.

I was a pretty resilient and independent teenager but that first year was really tough, you have no idea who you will be living with and no choice about what type of people they are. Some might be lovely but some might be dreadful bullies or just plain anti-social and you can't avoid them if you are sharing kitchens and bathrooms.

I am so glad I don't know anyone at uni this year. I fear for the mental health of those students. We might find we slow covid but have an outbreak of suicide, self harm and mental health issues.

The situation in schools is that when there is a confirmed case the school ha e to speak to a government body and they decide how to proceed. They will question the measures in place, like masks in corridors and then they decide who has to self isolate. I imagine it is the same for universities so whilst they might be doing the on the ground locking up it probably isn’t their decision. Also those comparing with blocks of flats this is totally different. Many of these halls will be catered so the students could have been sitting next to anyone in hall at meal times hence not easy to only isolate close contacts.

I don't understand why the NUS is not being more vocal about student scapegoating and rights. Gavin Williamson is giving a statement at 12:30 in the Commons.

Many locked down halls aren't catered! Lots of students have been struggling to even get online delivery slots.

It’s horrendous. I work in HE and considering leaving as I don’t want to be associated with an institution that claims to put students first but treats them like prisoners. It turns out it’s all about money (surprise surprise).

Gavin 'hair product' Williamson speaking now in Parliament. He seems to think it's all fine, people are 'working hard' and 'monitoring'.

A bit vague on Xmas.

Williamson's just chatting bollocks now.

what a load of bollocks, even he doesnt sound like he believes it

I am not surprised this happens in places like China but in the UK? Unacceptable.

exactly

same poor 18y olds shafted again - A levels and now this

It turns out it’s all about money (surprise surprise).

Unfortunately, that's how things are in HE these days. That's why I decided to leave the sector myself.

At least Late Green (Shadow Secretary) is asking the right questions.

But he won't answer them.

He'll just waffle on in his Les-Dennis-Does-Mavis-Riley voice.

What did anyone expect when they started charging tuition fees?

If I was paying for my child to go to university and for their expensive accommodation, I would be close to rioting in the street at this point

BBC Parliament channel live, BTW.

God how did GW ever get into politics? He just comes aross like a particularly dim estate agent.