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

Of course, if Unis hadn't lied to get students to sign up for their courses/accommodation in the first place, there'd have been fewer there anyway. It's a matter of provable fact that some Unis were promising an almost normal Uni experience, with clubs & societies, some F2F, etc upto early/mid September, i.e. the deadlines for students signing their contracts. Almost as soon as contract deadline day passed, those same Unis changed their websites and downgraded their promises, with more reference to "blended" learning, "some" clubs & societies, etc. They basically lied and conned students into committing themselves. All shown on the way back machine website archive. Unis are trying to say things changed, i.e. raising infection numbers, etc., but they really weren't rising fast enough around deadline day to justify the changes they made soon after.

@Yoshinori

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.

... that will be the older generation who put 5 students into an ordinary semi and charge then £5-7K a year each!

... to me that's more bloody entitled!

A lot of people profiting on the back of students and then complaining abut them actually being in the house they are paying for.

OP - you don't want them there - feel free to refund the £15k a year each student is paying!

Of course, if Unis hadn't lied to get students to sign up for their courses/accommodation in the first place

If this is true, students should be able to successfully sue for compensation without too much difficulty.

I am not aware of any that have. At least, not yet.

• Of course, if Unis hadn't lied to get students to sign up for their courses/accommodation in the first place

I don't think they lied - rather, they were too optimistic.

Anyway, my 4th yr DD had the sense to not come home at all for Xmas. She stayed in her shared house. They're behaving very responsibly, and the uni is doing regular tests which she wouldn't be getting at home.

It’s Michelle Donelan that you should direct your issues to. It’s that feckless bint that required Universities to open campuses in September even when all the staff could see it was a disaster waiting to happen.
The letters from her instructing Universities on what to do have been quite frankly astonishing. There’s very little room (none tbh) for Universities themselves to decide anything.

This has been done to death. My DD is back in Uni as she is studying a medical based degree. She is allowed but she had two lateral flow tests on return and is stuck in a Uni flat designed for 6 by herself and paying £££ for the privilege so the hospitals have fully trained staff in 3 to 5 years . Hardly entitled!!

@singsingbluesilver

I got shot down when I questioned this a few weeks back. I live in a uni city, and as I predicted our numbers have risen since the start of the month. We went from low rates of infection - they are now over three times higher than they were since students began to return.

It makes no sense whatsoever for anyone to be moving when teaching is online. For students who need to be in uni because of lab work etc then of course they should be moving back to uni. The rest, no. We are all living under restrictions. None of us like it. I have every sympathy with students who got an utterly raw deal. The unis and the government were not open with them from the start - this was never going to be a proper uni experience.

Whilst not wishing to in any way out your location I’m intrigued by your assertion that I live in a uni city....we went from low rates of infection they are now over three times higher than they were since students began to return

Now if your uni city is in England this statement rather confounded me.

No English council area has seen a 3 fold or more increase in cases since the start of the year.

In fact just 20 out of 315 have a higher rate. Granted that is 20 too many.

A 3 fold increase would be 300%. The biggest council increase is 31%, although I had never previously come across the university of West Devon. There are some uni cities with increases but none anywhere near tripling clearly given the West Devon figure.

Being a generous person I though you may have meant a lower level geographical area. So MS0As with rates at least tripled since the beginning of the year.

And there we do find 7 out of almost 7000.

Again pretty sure no uni in Bridlington, hungerford, Alnwick, Bassetlaw (which is a prison outbreak) or Hinstock and Hodnet in Shropshire.

Which leaves just two, one in north west, one north east, both in what in reality are moderately sized towns, with city status due to a cathedral being present.

One had no particular uplift in early October suggesting it is not a significant student population centre. Let’s discount that.

The other though saw rates spike back in October from 400 per 100,000 to 4000 the next week and 6000 the week after that, fell back to double digits by end November rising to just over 100 in first week January but now is over 600.

But other MSOAs local to it are all still showing decreasing numbers.

Suggesting if that specific increase is due to returning students it has remained exceptionally localised.

I have 2 DC at uni, both in uni accommodation this year, both came home for a short break at Christmas with testing and followed all the rules at the relevant time. Both because of where they are, their courses and preferences wanted to be back for the new term and were before the rules changed.
Both unis are aware they are there and it is not an issue, both follow the rules and only socialise with their family=flatmates.
I am not sure how this is any different to any other 20 something living in a house share and either wfh or woh.

am not sure how this is any different to any other 20 something living in a house share and either wfh or woh.

The living in a shared house in itself is not the issue. It's the mixing of households over Christmas then travelling from all over the country to return to that accommodation. Some having to take public transport to travel back which adds another element of risk, at a time when we are in lockdown to prevent travel and household mixing.

Oh yay another student bashing thread

OP your comment about 'entitled generation' and saying to google entitled millennials shows unequivocally where you stand. It doesn't matter if you've apologised after being berated for it, it's clearly what you think.

Any student in a student house is essentially a private tenant. They are paying (way above market rent), that is their house, that is their home. The government gave an exception to essentially go 'on holiday' to their parents homes over Christmas, now that period is done they need to return to their homes to live/work/study. The vast majority of students are registered with GP's in their uni town too so need to be there for if/when they get contacted about the vaccine/any other NHS letters and just important post in general (bank statements ect).

Not to mention moving house is still allowed under current regulations so as long as they're going for food then they're only doing the same as anyone else. Students are once again an easy scapegoat.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

am not sure how this is any different to any other 20 something living in a house share and either wfh or woh.

The living in a shared house in itself is not the issue. It's the mixing of households over Christmas then travelling from all over the country to return to that accommodation. Some having to take public transport to travel back which adds another element of risk, at a time when we are in lockdown to prevent travel and household mixing.

We were in Tier 4 over Xmas like much of the country so no mixing here. Mine came home, didn't see anyone but our household and went back to uni. And now I don't know when I will see them again. So lucky you if you can see your adult DC fit a walk.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

am not sure how this is any different to any other 20 something living in a house share and either wfh or woh.

The living in a shared house in itself is not the issue. It's the mixing of households over Christmas then travelling from all over the country to return to that accommodation. Some having to take public transport to travel back which adds another element of risk, at a time when we are in lockdown to prevent travel and household mixing.

All students were advised to get either 2 lateral flow tests or a pcr test before returning, or at the very least on arrival.

Every student I know of did this. Almost all did them before they travelled and returned to their university towns. They also took tests before returning.

I'm going to hide this thread now.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

am not sure how this is any different to any other 20 something living in a house share and either wfh or woh.

The living in a shared house in itself is not the issue. It's the mixing of households over Christmas then travelling from all over the country to return to that accommodation. Some having to take public transport to travel back which adds another element of risk, at a time when we are in lockdown to prevent travel and household mixing.

Blame the govt and unis for encouraging students to take places on courses and contracts for uni accommodation then. When Unis are refusing to refund accommodation fees nor release students from their accommodation contracts, why are you surprised that some students want to return to where they're living?

Blame unis for not having enough online books, so some students need access to the Uni library.

Blame unis for not making provision for all software programs used on their courses not being available on all types of computer/tablet. There are software programs, eg, that won't work on Apple computers, so students with Apples, need to go to the Uni library or other study rooms to be able to use those programs.

Same with IT or graphic design students who need specialist IT equipment who can't do what their course requires on their normal bog standard laptop - that's why Unis have huge computer/IT suites with high powered PCs.

OP unless you propose to pay the rent of every student who otherwise gets no rebate you don't get to complain about them moving house (perfectly legal) and living in the home they've paid for.

DD is doing nursing so had to return after Christmas. I haven't been able to see her either OP, not even after a drunk driver smashed into her car while she was on her way to a patients home (district nursing) or after a patient exposed himself to her or another patient became verbally abusive.

You aren't the only person struggling with not seeing people and living in a university town doesn't make you special.

I'm incredibly grateful a few other people returned to the accommodation so at least she had a friend nearby after her crash.

So your issue isn't really with students but with the government's policy of allowing households to mix at Christmas which by our own admission you did too. Have your adult children remained with you since or have they gone back to their home to live their life. My comment re beibgbwith their friends was in the context of they actually live as a household with those friends not that they are back at uni and out out!

@boys3 - not in England. You seem to have wasted a lot of time trying to prove me wrong.

@SeasonFinale

So your issue isn't really with students but with the government's policy of allowing households to mix at Christmas which by our own admission you did too. Have your adult children remained with you since or have they gone back to their home to live their life. My comment re beibgbwith their friends was in the context of they actually live as a household with those friends not that they are back at uni and out out!

My issue has never been with students - other posters have decided that. It's to do with their being allowed to come back, and/or coming back when certainly some universities including our largest local uni have told them not to return.

My children WAH with one other housemate each, and we all live in the same area. Much more contained than a flat of 6-11 students all from different parts of the country, which is statistically a higher risk before anyone accuses me of double standards.

As I said in my OP, I do understand why they want to be back and why parents are allowing them to go back. But when unis are saying not to go back, it does worry me about the effect on the local area. It's not about students per se but about a large volume of people coming into the area from all over the country. We have c.100,000 students here. Granted some will be foreign students who didn't go home or students who live at home but it's still al lot of people travelling in.

You aren't the only person struggling with not seeing people and living in a university town doesn't make you special.

I'm sorry about your daughter, that's awful and tough on you both.

I've never claimed it makes me special. I expressed concern about the potential for increase in spread. Not the same thing as claiming to be special.

OP your issue clearly is with students, this is just the newest stick to beat them with and you get to hide it with faux concern for about infections this time

There's always a reason some locals find for students not to return to uni towns or to be chucked out, it's covid now and once covid has passed there'll be another one. If you don't like living in a diverse youthful town, move (which you're more than welcome to do under lockdown, as are students)

My issue has never been with students - other posters have decided that.

That’s not actually true though is it, OP? You posted your “No wonder they are such an entitled generation” comment which you subsequently admitted wasn’t a nice comment. But you didn’t say you didn’t believe it to be true, just that it wasn’t a nice comment and you shouldn’t have said it.

@furonthecoat

OP your issue clearly is with students, this is just the newest stick to beat them with and you get to hide it with faux concern for about infections this time

There's always a reason some locals find for students not to return to uni towns or to be chucked out, it's covid now and once covid has passed there'll be another one. If you don't like living in a diverse youthful town, move (which you're more than welcome to do under lockdown, as are students)

I'm sorry but that is bollocks and if I was prepared to out myself you could have a good laugh at the Irony of your claims.

It's like people who live in Scotland, Ireland, the Lakes, Devon, Cornwall etc expressing concern about the influx of tourists potentially bringing Covid with them, it doesn't mean they have issues with tourists in other times. Some do, of course, in which case they shouldn't live there.

I love the vibe that students bring to our town, one of the reasons I live here. Given the extremely large number of students; I am worried about increased transmission. That is all. At other times, absolutely no issue at all

@FamilyOfAliens

My issue has never been with students - other posters have decided that.

That’s not actually true though is it, OP? You posted your “No wonder they are such an entitled generation” comment which you subsequently admitted wasn’t a nice comment. But you didn’t say you didn’t believe it to be true, just that it wasn’t a nice comment and you shouldn’t have said it.

That was a knee jerk response to posters having no empathy whatsoever with my concerns that their children disregarding universities asking them not to return and to stay at home. Because their children would prefer to be with their friends. One even said that they were entitled to return (not allowed). Doesn't mean I have a problem with students generally other than potential Covid transmission. My children and their friends also tend to display entitlement to things they want to do - it doesn't mean i don't like them

To be clear before I get blasted again .... when I said
One even said that they were entitled to return (not allowed).

I meant used the word 'entitled' rather than 'allowed'

I know they are allowed legally to return, my OP was more about the wisdom of that, especially when universities are asking them not to return.