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

I’ve seen you’ve apologised for posting your “entitled generation” comment, OP. I hope that means you don’t think it, rather than you wish you hadn’t posted it.

No wonder they are such an entitled generation.

Took you a while to get to the pointyou really wanted to make but here we have it.

DD actually gave notice on her flat in the morning and lockdown was announced in the afternoon. For now the landlord has accepted return of the keys in the post, but she will have to move out the first week of March, so has to travel 600 miles for that which will obviously involve mixing as it'll be an overnight stay and two other girls are in the flat.

She's very lucky though, as she has so much more to do at home on top of her uni job - she got her original lockdown job back which ranges 24-31 hours pw and they're looking at getting her a 1-2o days pw at the new branch when it opens in June as well. Also, she has one friend she regularly walks with and another one asking to do the same so has a little company her own age.

@FamilyOfAliens

It's about unnecessary travel of people from all around the country back to the city which could cause a spike in numbers as it did after the summer. They just happen to be students., and in most cases it is not necessary.

So if they just happen to be students, why the comment about them being “an entitled generation”?

To emphasise I have apologised for that comment. It was based on so many parents justifying their children going back to uni saying to be with friends, even when universities themselves are saying they shouldn't go back apart from in specific circumstances - wanting to be with friends isn't one of those. But wrong of me to say what I did. My children are just a couple of years older than most students and I can't see them and they can't see us or their friends.

I have 3 other dc being homeschooled and DH and I are WFH. It's chaos here and pressures on space and broadband, that's why DS has gone back so he can study in peace

With respect, the vast majority of people can’t see their family members at the moment, OP and have family members who have seen no-one since last March.

At least we have more ways of keeping in touch with them and actually seeing their faces than we would have had if this had happened 30 years ago.

@FamilyOfAliens

I’ve seen you’ve apologised for posting your “entitled generation” comment, OP. I hope that means you don’t think it, rather than you wish you hadn’t posted it.

People who think I was being nasty might like to google millennials and entitlement.

I'd love to see my adult children for more than an outside walk in the cold , let alone go to the gym or see my friends.

Well yes so would I, I can't even see DD for a walk in the cold. I don't know when I'll get to see her again.
In her university city she pays rent, she has a job, she's registered with a doctor and a dentist. It's her home just as much as here is her home.

DD is in a hall with eleven people. And I mean that is her corridor -they share a bathroom and kitchen. So that is her family. Her bubble. They were all quarantined when most of them got corona. So that's an example of a 'whole hall being quarantined'

And when they were eating Christmas dinner together (that they had all made in their kitchen) the police came and tried to break it up because they'd had complaints that a large group of students were socialising. (DD's halls are in a residential area and you can see in the windows)

The police apologised when they realise the situation - a legitimate bubble eating together. (DD said one police officer said 'oh, this is a bit awkward. Sorry'). So that's an example of your students 'partying'.

Gah. Totes bored of students being blamed tbh.

@FamilyOfAliens

With respect, the vast majority of people can’t see their family members at the moment, OP and have family members who have seen no-one since last March.

At least we have more ways of keeping in touch with them and actually seeing their faces than we would have had if this had happened 30 years ago.

All the more reason why unnecessary risk should be removed, such as people moving around the country unless essential.

It's not just me saying this - it's the universities themselves.

Someone who can't study at home is an exceptional situation.

My 1st Yr DD went back to uni the first week in Jan along with the rest of her flat & friends. Their uni flat is there home which they've paid a lot of money for, why wouldn't they go back. DDs uni hasn't stopped anyone going back (I checked when she said there were no restrictions for going back) and it seems from what DD has said it's the minority who haven't returned

@RockingMyFiftiesNot there’s a massive difference between students living in halls (which I agree are bound to be a factor in disease transmission due to numbers and an element of communal living) and those in private rented accommodation (the vast majority of students who are in years 2 and above) in small self contained households. I think it’s the latter that most are talking about here

No wonder they are such an entitled generation.

I think your true thoughts have shine through as to why you started the thread here to be honest.

This generation is NOT anymore entitled, not believe themselves to be, than any other generation before them - or any other generation to come.

Everyone believes the younger ones are more entitled than they were when 'I was a kid' - seriously, people have been saying the same for decades, centuries even.

How many other people do you know who are being told they can't return to the place they normally live?

Dd has gone back - she is on a teaching course, first year, so actually a course that was eligible to return for face to face. She's currently in a virtual teaching placement so isn't face to face right now, but was for the first two weeks.

But even if she wasn't why shouldn't she return?

We pay £120 a week for her accommodation.
Her flat is empty - the 3 older students haven't lived there since early October.
She is bubbled with a flat below - so 7 of them.
They are all sensible. Yes, they 'party' together in DD's flat, or they sit and watch TV of an evening, share an evening meal, discuss their placement (3 of them are doing teaching, 2 are doing nursing and all are doing virtual placements right now) work on assignments, etc.
A number of them did catch covid last term (not Dd actually) but that wasn't from partying - one flat mate caught it in hospital where she had a minor op and unfortunately passed it to the rest of them on her return. So nothing to do with their lifestyle.
They're not impacting on other local residents - they follow the rules, they go shopping once a week, no where is open to congregate and the weather is shocking so they're not out and about, bar the odd walk.

If she'd stayed here she have seen me and her dad, and no one her own age and no one related to her course or university. Where she is, she's at no more risk and neither are the other local residents, but she can have a much more pleasant time with people her age, plus benefit from having all her books, resources, etc around her.

Given that we've been in lockdown since 4 Jan any student going back now is unlikely to have caught covid - they haven't been anywhere! They're also returning in a very spread out manner, over several weeks, so again unlikely to be hotspots of transmission. And given that half of all students have now gone back, if they were transmission hotspots we'd have seen an increase of positive tests in university towns by now - we haven't.

@TheHobbitMum

My 1st Yr DD went back to uni the first week in Jan along with the rest of her flat & friends. Their uni flat is there home which they've paid a lot of money for, why wouldn't they go back. DDs uni hasn't stopped anyone going back (I checked when she said there were no restrictions for going back) and it seems from what DD has said it's the minority who haven't returned

I've just googled a number of unis around the country and all saying the same - only travel back in exceptional circumstances. Not for one minute saying I don't believe you - if your daughter's uni is saying it's ok to go back then fair enough. But wanted to be sure that when I keep saying 'universities are saying don't go back' that I could back it up, which the random selection I made does do.

I've been able to spend time indoors with my children only on Christmas Day

We could have seen family on Christmas Day but chose not to.
You obviously have good reasons as to why it was essential for you. DD has good reasons as to why returning to university was essential for her.

Oh, and Dd and her flat mates all had pcr covid tests BEFORE returning to their university accommodation on the recommendation of the university. They were told which box to tick to get a pcr test. Dd had the test in the Friday, stayed home after. Result returned Saturday and we drive her back in Sunday. They then had a lateral flow test a few days later after returning, again as suggested by the university. Her bubble all did the same.

So the risk of them moving and transmitting was pretty low tbh.

universities are saying don't go back

There are a lot of courses that are expected back for some f2f.
Not just health care related courses as a pp mentioned.

All the more reason why unnecessary risk should be removed, such as people moving around the country unless essential.

For students, being able to study effectively is essential. I can see that with your DC being older than university age, coupled with your regretted comment about students being “entitled”, you are never going to accept that, so I’m out.

People who think I was being nasty might like to google millennials and entitlement

The children currently at uni aren’t millennials or entitled...your children are millennials though and therefore entitled. Im assuming thats what you mean

Why on earth double down...it was a nasty comment and you apologised and everything was rosy 😩

@RufustheSniggeringReindeer

People who think I was being nasty might like to google millennials and entitlement

The children currently at uni aren’t millennials or entitled...your children are millennials though and therefore entitled. Im assuming thats what you mean

Why on earth double down...it was a nasty comment and you apologised and everything was rosy 😩

Yeah shot myself in the foot there and totally derailed my own thread, you live and learn. Plenty of entitled behaviour from my own children, believe me!

Many students will also need access to the Uni library. Not all books are online, and even those that are online are often limited in number where the Uni hasn't bought unlimited licences for them. We've already spent over £200 for books my son needs because he can't get online versions via the Uni. Meanwhile, according to their website, they've got a couple of dozen hard copies of each sat gathering dust on the shelves in the library. You'd have thought that Unis would have ensure that required books were available on line, but no, just yet another failing of some Uni management!

Part of me now hopes more students return to your university town just to piss you off !

This generation isn’t more entitled than any generation. In fact it could be argued, the older generation expecting students and young adults to put their lives on hold to help prevent the spread of a disease that is more likely to kill people of YOUR generation and older is more entitled.

There are a wide range of reasons why students may choose to return. As shown on this thread.

I work in HE and campus is essentially closed to all bar the health-related programmes. The library is open to everyone but buildings are otherwise closed to everyone else. Only small numbers of staff on site. There’s some takeaway catering facilities and the campus shop is open but that’s it. We have a small number of students who couldn’t go home at Christmas who are still here, plus internationals.
The only exception are research students who can have access to labs etc for essential research activity. It’s very quiet.
Other students are not welcome (yet), we are trying to keep campus safe for the student nurses, midwives, pharmacists, audiologists etc who desperately need to qualify and the poor bloody staff having to teach them (putting themselves and their families at risk).

DS (final year) was expecting to be “hands on” this term but has now been told to stay at home and he is fine with that.

Friend’s DS has gone back to university because there are no parents there to stop him socialising!