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.

We are going on Friday, me and both DS's in one car. We are packing up DS2's Ziggurat room to bring everything home but DS1 has decided to stay in his rented house in Norwich as he can revise better there. One other housemate is there but it sounds like she is coming and going a bit. I will miss DS1 but its his choice and he needs to concentrate on his exams.
I am just hoping I can fit DS2s room contents in the car. I assume we will need to take a packed lunch too. Strange times

Good luck with the trip @sluj

Have a good trip @sluj I’m sure it’s going to be a bit weird (mind you most things are weird now).

It will probably be like some type of post-apocalypse film set - festering food and discarded personal effects seemingly abandoned and that brutalist UEA architecture a fitting bleak back-drop.

I thought I'd tell you that in our local paper it says just 12 new cases in Norfolk yesterday and 4 in Suffolk. That's good news.

That is indeed @icanbewhatIwant

Now just waiting for the second wave everyone is insisting we will have. We can only wait to see what happens.

Apparently Norwich might become a pilot testing city as its so self contained.
DS emailed the accommodation office to say we are coming on Friday and they have replied to say there is a key drop off box if they are not in. They must be getting a lot now.

@sluj that's good that you can go, finally.

Oh that would be good @sluj.

I have been very impressed by UEA's research and initiatives mooted since the start of the pandemic. Their work seems to be reported on a lot (more so than many of the Russell Group universities). I get the feeling they have a young(ish) but very dynamic medical school (I think it's only be going for about 25 years?) too which probably helps the cause

Here's the article

The accommodation office said they do not advise travelling, and if we do so it is at our risk; I suppose they need to cover their back. As they are making a drop box available for keys DS/DH will go on Saturday.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 that's interesting. Be good if they do it when ours are all living back there. If it goes ahead of course.

Although I just saw a headline that WHO reckons it will be with us for five years, in which case most of ours will have graduated by the time an effective vaccine is developed (WHO is clearly not being as optimistic about early vaccine break through chances as many of the British newspapers are reporting).

Sighs.

It does sound very interesting and it would be good for our DC to be involved in such a cutting edge piece of research. I did try to persuade DS that it was his civic duty to sign up to do one othe current COVID-19 drug trials but he reckoned £290 wasn't worth it.

What a lovely day to go to UEA ! Planning on picking up some sandwiches at the petrol stop and eating them overlooking the UEA Broad.
I'll let you know how we get on.

Kids not even out of bed yet

Yes it's very warm here in Suffolk not far from UEA. Enjoy your day.

Did anyone see the vice chancellor from Exeter university on bbc yesterday afternoon? He said they really don't know what is happening, but it's very unlikely that students will return in the normal way in sept. Then for questions someone asked the transport minister (as he was doing the daily briefing) whether their son who was studying engineering at university would be able to complete his course as he needs to do hands on stuff. The question was not answered. He didn't know.

Good luck @sluj. A lovely day for the journey.

I saw that very short interview @icanbewhatiwant. There is so much that hasn't really been considered. Given that our young people are tomorrow's workforce (well one would hope so...) they should surely be giving serious thought to what they are going to do about universities.

At every turn there is some massive 'knock-on effect' to consider. It's an impossible task. And of course, some universities (thinking particularly the top flight ones) have students from all over the place. Encouraging them to descend on small cities from parts of the country with different 'R's could be catastrophic for taking COVID-19 with them and increasing infection in a hitherto relatively Coronavirus free zone....You can imagine who welcomed that would be by the local populations... (or not).

Well, safely back from UEA. It looked beautiful. Traffic was pretty good but then we never really encounter any problems on our bit of the A14 and the A11. It was strange being in an empty Ziggurat. There seemed to be a few family walking around the grounds.
There was no one in the accommodation office but a sign up outside with some envelopes. You have to put your student number, name and hall address on the envelope.

It seemed quite a sad day really.

Glad you had a good journey @sluj

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 yes it will be a difficult decision for someone to make. But I guess end of sept is too far away for them to make any yet.

When is the official end of term (mid June)? It's only a month away and we still don't have a cunning plan for picking up DS's stuff.

Glad you had a good journey @sluj. I've seen lots of lovely shots of UEA campus in spring on social media. It all looks very pretty and idyllic.

Are anyone's DC still having lectures online? DD is doing geog and apart from an online stats test says she's had nothing since the start of term.
Worth the very real possibility of virtual learning next term I'm worried that the quality and quantity of online teaching won't be the same

@juicy0 DS (also geography) said the same. I think he implied that they'd had two lectures since lockdown came into force. I did however point out that they had all but completed their second term when they came home. Would you expect much active teaching in the summer term even in normal circumstances? It seems to be just about sitting/passing exams?

DS2 (geog) seems to have a few essays still to write but that's it. Term would virtually be finished now anyway except for exams. DS1 (medicine ) is having long Skype sessions/seminars/lectures and there is talk of the autumn term starting earlier.

DS2 seems to be having a bit of a problem with two of his prospective housemates for next year already. They haven't signed the tenancy yet as the 2 who live in Norfolk are debating whether or not to commute from home if some of the first terms teaching is online. This leaves the other two hanging. They just seem to be waiting for an announcement from UEA but I doubt the landlord will be happy to wait

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 I knew this term was mostly exam focussed but I imagined there would still be some lectures in March/April. There seems to have been so little contact from uni and as yet no information about their thoughts on next year which makes planning difficult. @sluj it's a difficult situation to be left hanging dependant on the decision of others I imagine. DD has signed up for a house share but as we are local she would perhaps consider staying at home if the whole year was going to be taught virtually.