University life for 'freshers' (2019/20) - first year campus life suspended, sitting out/surviving the pandemic and staying on top of studying [Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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I used to do similar NewModelArmy - was at Castle, so the posher end of the Durham colleges at the time I was there but a local student so a bit of a novelty. Remember one time we were in the pizza shop after a night of Klute's dubious delights and some arseholes in front of us were giving the counter staff a right load of shit for being northern and therefore common and stuff, looking around for approval from the assembled crowd and spotted me there with a Castle scarf on so obviously assumed I was splitting my sides with their "wit" and "banter" and I ripped into them in the strongest Wearside accent I have ever mustered in my life... their brains nearly exploded at the idea I could be northern and yet one of them!

This is why I was advocating testing students before they return. If students can show a negative result (or antibody test) then they are not bringing infection with them.

I do wonder whether the reason for 1st semester online has to do with the 2nd peak, rather than the current situation. It would more or less coincide.

Town gown always has been a thing at Durham. When I went to York in the Dark Ages, one of their main pitches was 'we don't have town gown problems here, unlike Durham'!

As someone from Glasgow I was utterly bewildered by the whole thing!

@DominaShantotto good for you :-).

On the subject of the second peak, I was suffering with insomnia t'other night and found myself watching the BBC programme 'Critical'. One of the consultants (filmed in a peri-pandemic episode) said she expected another wave in July and then a further one in the autumn.

I can see why it’s a problem in Durham - isn’t it the uni with the most well-heeled students? Most went to private/public schools and most are southerners

TFL stopping children’s zip cards is abominable - surely it doesn’t cost them anything if none of them are using public transport anyway? What about the children of key workers/vulnerable?

@BigTillyMint it's certainly the UK university where students get the highest subs from the Bank of Mummy and Daddy (topping St Andrews and Oxbridge).

I haven't yet seen that much about it (although DS reported that it was trending on Twitter yesterday). I guess vulnerable DC would get it paid out of their pupil premium (potentially)? It would be interesting to know what % of secondary school pupils in London regularly travel on public transport out of necessity. Do you reckon 50% (+)? Maybe it's more about ensuring youngsters keep local rather than clogging up reduced capacity transport services in London? I can see that by removing their free travel youngsters are considerably less likely to venture too far afield?

@NewModelArmyMayhem18, DS would support that from his observations

Mine used multiple buses to and from as no direct route (well DS actually cycled from Y8!) - many go to schools not on their doorstep. The 3 local private’s charter their own coaches as pupils come from far and wide. Not sure how that will work if only some are in.

The second peak is planned for the summer hols. I expect this is why they are pushing people back now : to almost force it to happen then and not later . It's all quite depressing.

The whole thing is so grim. I was trying to envisage how we would have behaved during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Suspect everyone just had to grin and bear it and get on with life as usual (without social gatherings). And thinking that in those days any illness could potentially be fatal (still talking about 30 years off antibiotics becoming available).

We are all afraid of death and the last eight weeks of 'stay home' propaganda have just made us even more Grim Reaper averse.

I think the only thing that can turn this around is antibody testing. Wouldn’t it be great if most of the population had had it? Most of the science suggests immunity does last.

I certainly think teachers would feel so much more at ease if they were in one of the groups who could have ant body testing but no sign of this yet.

I'd be skipping back into school !

Are you lockdowned out @Piggywaspushed?

I am getting to that point! Life has become very Groundhog Day...

A bit! Plus I think my senior team are about to announce all sorts of horrific 'initiatives' and it would be so much easier just to be there! I'd go back to teach my classes, not any of the other stuff

I am honestly struggling to know what day it is. Is this what dementia feels like? I think DH thinks I'm putting it on, but I'm not. There is so little variety in my daily routine that each day morphs into the next. I know that I should be thankful that we are all safe and well, but there is so little to look forward to.

@simbobs I'm with you. I'm definitely disoriented in time. Keep putting the bins out on the wrong day of the week.

When DD saw DH this morning she asked what he was doing home. She’s clearly lost it too!

Perhaps we can get a refund on private student accommodation tenancies if students are “to be told” they can’t live in accommodation they are being forced to pay for but aren’t then allowed to live in?!

Just saw all the above posts about disorientation (my feed hadn’t updated since the Durham Chronicle link) - me too - particularly with DD2 doing an exam today. Weird.

And replay on loop.....

The Friday 'Bank Holiday' threw me out sim. I had no clue of days of the week then!

Has anyone had to take any annual leave yet? There is no point really until we can do things but what happens if that doesn't come any time soon?

DH had some booked NewModelArmy - ironically to cover a placement week I was meant to be doing next week. He's just cancelled it and work were fine with that.

I'm pissed off because it was a really really fucking awesomely interesting sounding placement - sort of stuff I really want to do!

The Durham thing (I think the rigid class divide among colleges has declined somewhat since they changed admissions) is at least partially because not only do they have some really rich obnoxious creatures - they are rich, obnoxious and loud with it! We had one guy in our year who actually wrote to the master of his college (Chads if I recall so on the Bailey, listed building times X100000) to ask if he could install a satellite dish outside his room so he could get multi-channel telly! He saw nothing unreasonable in this - it was something HE wanted so HE was going to get it (he didn't). I used to regularly get told in seminars and tutorials that my opinion was invalid because I was "northern" and "in the normal proper part of the country..." I'd hope shit's moved on since then but I somewhat doubt it! I got in a fair few scraps over standing my ground as a northern woman from a very working class background over my 3 years there!

@Piggywaspushed - they are planning the second peak for the summer hols - is this for real? where did you find this info?

There are no safety measures in place at my school setting but no one has got ill since Easter

@DominaShantotto I think there are still a number of those students. DD is from a very normal background, went to state schools, got into Durham on her own merit so it has been a bit of an adjustment for her, mainly because of the money some of the students have at their disposal rather than their attitude towards her. She’s at Collingwood which is a bit more informal.

big, nowhere official but the minutes of SAGE are being suppressed and they must have some idea of the consequences of social distancing being relaxed now versus later. It's a guess, no more!

Good to hear no one has been ill at your place, though.