UEA (2019) dealing with the unexpected and on to 2nd Year

[juicy0]

New thread for the parents of 2019 freshers. Thank you all for sticking around!
At the start of the year we never would have guessed the topics that are currently being discussed in this page but I'm grateful we still have each other to help navigate our way through this with our DC.
With the emptying of 1st year rooms seemingly on hold for many until the end of lockdown our thoughts will soon turn to 2nd year accommodation and whether term is likely to start as normal in September.

I agree @juicy0 although I'm sure I read that Gavin Williamson had made some decision about universities (maybe funding and the ones currently in crisis?). It will be at the government's peril to continue to do so though!

I saw that UEA have offered rooms to drs and nurses who want somewhere to stay, if they want to stay away from their family. I think it was about 50 rooms that were being used.

My DS was telling me that one of his flatmates who decided to stay in the flat on campus (on their own 😢) was really pressurised to leave, which they did a few weeks ago. They didn’t really want to go home, as home life was complicated, but they felt that weren’t wanted in halls any longer.
Most in DS flat are southerners, several from Kent, he really laughed as he’s the most northern in his flat and we live in Bedfordshire 🤣

That's very sad for that young person. Hope they are okay now they're at home. Not good if they didn't really want to go though :-(.

So what do you think? Am I OK to drive to Norwich on Friday to retrieve DS's belongings and get the room emptied and handed back??

@sluj are having the same conversation here. They aren't saying essential travel only anymore, drives are allowed. So I think one of us will drive DS up at the weekend. He is quite excited to get his clothes, he only had a few things with him at home when lockdown started.

Personally I would. Well....depends how far you are travelling. I'd be more worried about having an accident and ending up in hospital. But it's unlikely. Also will the university allow it?

On the bbc news page it says university students may be told to continue online in sept.

Last week the university said they could not encourage people to break the lockdown but things are slightly different now. My 2 came back "just for the weekend" on Mother's Day and haven't been back since. All their stuff including course work for exams is in Norwich so its getting desperate now. I think we will go for it.

DS's stuff is still up there but we are a car-free household so I can't imagine quite what we're going to do...

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 no I wouldn't want to be using public transport. I was going to ask if you have someone who can take you...but we aren't meant to be getting in other peoples cars 😩 though I know people have been taking family members from other households out in their cars. Which they shouldn't do.

My mum has to get a taxi to the shops. I'm not keen on her doing that. But she has no choice, she doesn't drive and too far to walk.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 if anyone can drive could you consider a one day car hire?

We don't drive at all (@juicy0) - we've never needed to .

Sighs.

I guess at some stage he and one of us are going to have to potentially dodge a bullet and make a decision on going via public transport.

Yes that was suggested @icanbewhatiwant but if we're not even supposed to be meeting said family members now, we shouldn't be in a car with them on a six-hour round trip!

What I can't quite believe is that DS brought home a very heavy toilet bag full of giant sized things (full) of shampoo and shower gel and yet couldn't carry his winter coat (which he should have been wearing).

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 can he go with a family member that has been staying home so you know they are safe to travel with? Maybe just your son in their car. If your son is like mine he probably hasn't been anywhere to catch the virus. No one will know he's not travelling with a parent. But obviously it's a risk they would both have to take. But it's probably safer than public transport.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 are you anywhere near Bedfordshire? We will be going to get DS stuff at some point and could get your DS stuff for you (it would be a bit convoluted getting keys etc but better than going by public transport).
Obviously now we can drive I would happily drop your DS stuff at your door if you weren’t too far away or somewhere that made for a sensible round trip.
I haven’t decided when to go yet, but it will just be me and DS going and we have a good size estate car.
DS is having a call with a lecturer today to discuss what to do about staying/leaving etc, no decisions have been made, although we’ve discussed with the company lawyer about him coming to Canada with us and it’s by no means straightforward, so we have limited options.

That's a lovely offer @Itscoldouthere but we aren't close to Bedfordshire. That is such a kind gesture though. TBQH before DS came home I did suggest that he ensured everything left behind was boxed up 'ready to go' for collection at some future point but he typically didn't do as instructed.

I think he will just have to bite the bullet at some stage. Maybe see how this first easing of lockdown goes. If the R doesn't creep above one in the next month, we'll probably just have to get him to go for it. And then have him living in the garden shed for the following two weeks in quarantine only semi joking

He has got school friends nearby who are at UEA so I would have thought he'd have the potential to 'piggyback' a ride/collection of kit via one of them. However, he's backward in coming forwards about such things and I don't know their parents so I can't ask directly.

Good luck with your DS's call to UEA today too. Hopefully, the options may become rather clearer. I wonder if there are any online support services that he could potentially access via your local CCG - worth checking via a GP?

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 well do keep my offer in mind incase you have few options. I feel a bit removed from everything really, we are in a village, I go to the supermarket once a week and use the village store, walk the dog every day, locally. It’s nothing like the photos being shown from London with people everywhere. My DC only come out on the odd dog walk spend the rest of the time indoors.

DS have been trying to contact a local self referral mental health facility, but hasn’t made much progress, he’s not on the register for our doctors as he signed up with the one at UEA.

I will do and thanks again. Your random act of kindness has made my day!

Do you think there would be any benefit in re-registering your DS with a local GP service - it may help speed things up unless the UEA one comes up trumps in offering a referral? I guess if the support can be accessed on line it doesn't really matter where it is and would be paid for via whichever GP practice you'r DS is registered with.

Hoping everything does work out for him. The silver lining of this COVID-19 could be that it's given him the option to stand back and get the help he needs.

Someone asked on tv last night if it was ok to collect their sons stuff that he'd left at university. The answer was no 😩

Thanks for confirming that @icanbewhatiwant - I had seen something similar reported on the university parents' FB page too.

BTW family friend works for a university and they've been told online teaching (and no return to hitherto normal) could go on for three years. This directly communicated via the VC.

@icanbewhatiwant really? Was that on at the daily press conference? It says in the Govt guidelines that students living in halls are allowed to move back home to their permanent residence. Given that the advice about only going out for essential trips has been dropped, I think moving DS's stuff back home now should be ok. I think we will take the risk unless UEA put out any comms to say otherwise.

@GoldenRuby I heard someone ask if they could collect their sons stuff from university halls as he'd left all his clothes. The answer was no as it's not an essential journey. I think was on last night. Was there a coronavirus Q&A?

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 really? That would make it very hard for them to do their learning. Seems strange as schools are going back. I know there are way more people at universities though. Ds is missing the lab time.

@icanbewhatiwant thanks. Ive re-read the email the accommodation team sent when he gave up his licence - they need to be notified when you go to collect possessions. So I've told DS to email them, and if they dont't respond, or confirm all is good, we will go. If they say not to come yet then we will wait a bit longer. In the mean time DS has arranged to meet a mate for a socially distanced dog walk, which he is very happy about.

@GoldenRuby will you let us know what they say, as we would like to go soon as well. Thanks

@Itscoldouthere will do. I may have to nudge DS to remind him to send the email, he's not great at that sort of thing. He is currently on a Zoom call with his hockey team mates, and most of the 2nd/3rd years are still in Norwich, so it wouldn't surprise me if he arranges to meet up with one of them for a socially distanced walk when he gets up there.