Students returning to university ?

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

Not sure how I feel about this one.
Various friend's children are returning to university next week. From their perspective I can see why they would want to return and why their parents would be happy for that.
I'm concerned about the potential impact on the spread of the virus. We live in a city with one if the highest student populations in the country and our numbers went through the roof when students returned after the summer. Regular stores of police breaking up parties (stating fact, not judging..... pretty sure I'd have been partying too at that age) and whole halls being quarantined.
I know students were tested before coming home at Christmas but even if they are tested before returning, it's not to say that they aren't still incubating at the point they are tested.
Happy to debate - just made me feel a bit nervous about a repeat of the post-summer rise in numbers

My niece has gone back to kent uni. I’m not happy about it.

Why are they going back? They were all told (apart from health related courses) that it was online learning only. There's some kind of review about it mid feb, but they've been told more likely end of March. This is based on the government decisions so I assume that's a nationwide thing?

DS has been told when he does go back he has to test negative before he goes back, then they are doing more covid tests when they arrive at uni.

My son went back before lockdown. He is a final year and very much sees his university flat as his home and lives with his girlfriend so didn’t want to stay here any longer. Lots of second year and above students have been back since late December so they could celebrate NYE with their university household. Most students had it in September anyway

The first years are the only ones who are not allowed back, campus closed

they are entitled to return back if they wish.i feel especially sorry for students especially first years. i don't blame them for wanting to make the most of what they have been given.

Most students had it in September anyway

Do you have a link to back this up? In the most densely populated student area here, 1 in 20 people had it (not all students but very high proportion)

Why are they going back?

They've pad for their accommodation, they aren't being offered refunds.

They left stuff in their flats before leaving for Xmas, i.e. books, course notes, clothes, etc etc as they were expecting to return as normal start of January.

They may not have good enough internet at home. They may not have a study space at home. They may not have quiet space at home.

Lots of reasons really. Perhaps they actually want something worthwhile from the £15k they've spent to be at Uni this year?

whole halls being quarantined

Of course they are. They're sharing toilets and kitchens. It's no different to everyone in a normal house isolating when one member of the family catches it.

@yearinyearout

Why are they going back? They were all told (apart from health related courses) that it was online learning only. There's some kind of review about it mid feb, but they've been told more likely end of March. This is based on the government decisions so I assume that's a nationwide thing?

DS has been told when he does go back he has to test negative before he goes back, then they are doing more covid tests when they arrive at uni.

It's typical fuzziness from the gov. Yes, you are correct. They've been told to stay put if they went elsewhere for Xmas. However, the education secretary confirmed with our VC that students could return if it was necessary because they could not study at home.

I have sympathy with this. Many students went away for Xmas expecting to hear be there for a week or two. Many have no study space and are sharing rooms with siblings.

Our students were also told they were to get tested before returning but it's a request because how could you possibly enforce it? Most students live in private housing.

The first years are the only ones who are not allowed back, campus closed

That's not the case at DS uni, on campus learning is closed to everyone except medical/dentistry and various other health courses.

they are entitled to return back if they wish.i feel especially sorry for students especially first years. i don't blame them for wanting to make the most of what they have been given.

I feel very sorry for them and do understand why they would want to go back (said that in my OP), but the cost to the rest of us of their 'being entitled to return' is high. Our area has been under tight restrictions pretty well throughout. Just as things were improving after the summer, students returned and the numbers spiked. Our numbers are falling now. I know the largest university in our area has asked students not to come back unless essential to their studies (eg nursing/medicine). Not sure why anyone studying e.g business or English needs to be back.

@yearinyearout

Why are they going back? They were all told (apart from health related courses) that it was online learning only. There's some kind of review about it mid feb, but they've been told more likely end of March. This is based on the government decisions so I assume that's a nationwide thing?

DS has been told when he does go back he has to test negative before he goes back, then they are doing more covid tests when they arrive at uni.

When DS came home in December his Uni city and our hometown were both in Tier 2, he came home on public transport so left his coursework and text books in his flat. He's a final year student and needs those course materials as well as his online learning so he went back 2 weeks ago...

Also, I think he'd rather be locked down with his flat mates!

I don't have an issue with them going back, DS needs to get back to finish his masters which can't be done at home.

@Kazzyhoward

whole halls being quarantined

Of course they are. They're sharing toilets and kitchens. It's no different to everyone in a normal house isolating when one member of the family catches it.

Most halls aren't like that now. They are more like normal blocks of flats. Each self contained flat holds 4-6 (sometimes more) students who share a kitchen and living space. Many hall flats are en suite.

So 'the household' should be the people in one flat, not the entire hall.

Most students had it in September anyway

Please provide your link for that. I think it's bollocks!

At my son's Uni. they have 13,000 students. According to their official figures, only 491 have tested positive. That's only 3.7%.

My son is in a campus flat of 8 people. 1 of them caught it at the start of October, the others didn't.

Dd is a first year student and returned in early January. She lives in private halls, not university owned. Her course had face 2 face sessions from the first week back.

Lots of students I know are already back.
DD's boyfriend went back to his halls room as he has more space and can work better there. At home he shares his room with 2 siblings. He has his own room at university. It's actually the same city as we live anyway.

They've paid for accommodation and many have more room than if at home, plus live with friends - so more fun being there rather than with mum and dad.

The first years are the only ones who are not allowed back, campus closed

This isn't true of DSs uni either. He has several friends who have returned - mostly from abroad, so the uni is allowing them back into HoR and part of the teaching campus is open too. He's staying at home until Easter through choice because lockdown in halls was the worst experience of his life.

My daughters online lectures and seminars finish in March, then she will be doing online exams. She is still at home and feels like she won't be back until September. She's a 2nd year student and with all of this combined with the lecturers strikes in January 2020 she has missed out on so much, educational as well as social. I do feel that students seem to have been forgotten about.

My DS flat of 6 all caught it in October, seemingly off each other. They isolated in accordance with the rules.

My DS went back just before lockdown. His course was one on the original govt list of those that needed F2F, and then it didn't....

His flat in halls is on campus. The library is open as are other facilities.

@Kazzyhoward

Why are they going back?

They've pad for their accommodation, they aren't being offered refunds.

They left stuff in their flats before leaving for Xmas, i.e. books, course notes, clothes, etc etc as they were expecting to return as normal start of January.

They may not have good enough internet at home. They may not have a study space at home. They may not have quiet space at home.

Lots of reasons really. Perhaps they actually want something worthwhile from the £15k they've spent to be at Uni this year?

The students I know who are returning don't share bedrooms and have ample private space to study.

If the £15k includes course fees and their education will continue.

Understand the issue that they have paid for accommodation - but that is paid for whether they live there or not.

I really do understand that this cohort of students has had a really rough deal and have effectively been robbed of such a special time In their lives. Also that there are cases where students need to be back to o be able to continue their studies. But this is definitely not true of the students I know, who just want to be back with their mates. I understand that too
I would love to be mixing with my mates. Hell I would love to be able to see my own adult children. My elderly mother who is the last year of her lives is isolated from all but me as her support bubble. This will continue until numbers come down. Given that it will be some time until students are all vaccinated, then I worry that their return to uni will extend the restrictions on everyone's lives.

I do feel that students seem to have been forgotten about

Yes - not just uni students but also the 16-18s who had the lowest infection rate before Christmas.

The government really needs to rethink the vaccine priorities. I am not on the priority list anyway but if I were a couple of years older I would be. I don't need it, I am working at home and I only meet people outside (including when we had the rule of 6). I want my son to have it before me, and I want uni students and staff vaccinated before 20-40 something WFHers. A few months more makes no difference to us, it makes a big difference to allowing unis to reopen with some degree of normality.

Our local uni has advised all students not to come back unless they have been told specifically that they can. They are refunding uni accommodation costs but not student flats. I guess it is up to those students to terminate their contracts if they can. They are allowing people in flats to travel as a one off to collect critical materials from their flats. If they need things which are in rooms in halls then staff are posting them to the students. This is in Scotland if that makes a difference. I think our rules are pretty strict at the moment.

Given that it will be some time until students are all vaccinated, then I worry that their return to uni will extend the restrictions on everyone's lives

It's the other way round - they are having their lives restricted for the sake of everyone else.

And yes I'd forgotten about the lecturers' strikes.

It's the other way round - they are having their lives restricted for the sake of everyone else.

And I'll say again, I feel desperately sorry for them. But students make up a small percentage of the population. So the rest of us should stay home so they can enjoy the student experience?