University 2020 :9: And they're off, making hay while the sun shines.

[MillicentMartha]

New thread, trying to be upbeat!

Old thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3996883-University-2020-8-Use-the-CAGs-don-t-use-the-CAGs?pg=40

@sammyjoanne @specialted @LetUsPrey @choirmumoftwo all the Lancaster mums - I'm afraid that DD's flat mate in Lonsdale is waiting for a test. They have all been very good and locked down since he entered the kitchen with a temp this morning (he's feeling better this evening) but they have really struggled to get a test for him - DD has been online refreshing all day. Meanwhile the online system for her subject lectures crashes first thing this morning. For an autistic kid she's holding it together very well, but I can see the cracks. .... why oh why don't they have testing for these students? The very very smart girls school in the next village to us has invested in their own testing system at a cost of £150k (so I am told) and the pupils are given results within 14 hours. Surely universities could have anticipated and invested in test and trace?

@BCBG there is a testing site on campus 5th to the 8th. its a pain because you have to go through govenment to get it still which is annoying. :(
portal.lancaster.ac.uk/portal/news/article/covid-19-testing-at-lancaster-university

Would love to see unis in test and trace. You would think they would have at least some of the students thats got a degree in biochem or something to do testing on campus, and opens up job opportunities. DD is stocking up on tins of soup, beans, hot dogs and keeping her freezer topped up, just in case.

There are technical glitches, it does happen. my teams meeting can be a bit sketchy at home as my internet wifi isnt that great. Does she have an ethernet cable to plug from laptop to wall socket? Lancaster use ResNet and Eduroam. Resnet I think is the wired one. That might help improve the internet connection if she hasnt got Resnet. www.lancaster.ac.uk/welcome/campus-learners/it-essentials/#getting-online this link says its highspeed. There should be lecture capture also so she can re watch the video :) Hope shes ok and stays safe.

@BCBG I am pretty sure Durham do have their own testing system. DDs flat mate had a test at the weekend and got results within 24 hrs. Very similar issues with online learning though and my DD feeling very cut off and frustrated. Even simple things like working out her timetable are proving not to be simple and she says the pre recorded lectures are pretty dire. I think she's wondering what her 9k is actually paying for!

@LetUsPrey we was hoping to come on the 23rd of october, but not looking like its possible. DD had her birthday early september, so she gets to miss celebrating at uni, but she did bring a white board so thats now turned into a birthday chart for all the flat mates

@sammyjoanne thanks I've shared the suggestion with her. She spent all afternoon online refreshing the booking page and after four hours got her flat mate a walk in test for tomorrow even though it kept saying fully booked! Quite pleased as he didn't feel well enough to even try and book for himself poor love. She thinks he's ill with food poisoning though but has marshalled her flat into isolating until they know

@sammyjoanne @BCBG** yes, I spoke to DD earlier and she's fully intending to need to self-isolate at some point, though there are no problems in her townhouse so far and everyone is behaving themselves.
She had problems with her first online seminar this morning as well, something to do with so many people accessing the system at once apparently as it affected her whole cohort.
She's well and very upbeat about everything so far.

@BCBG thats good shes so organised and persevered helping him out. Sounds like shes got it together :)

@choirmumoftwo glad shes settled into county, Uni needs to sort out the glitches, they pay enough money to get a good service for their degree.
No problems to report either. Flat mates quite happy not to mix as they all get on. 8 girls 4 boys, and they are all sitting there tonight in Pj's popcorn and mamma mia on projector. She tried wibbly wobbly burger bar yesterday and said its really nice. Library booked tomorrow evening so will see how that fairs.

Another Lancaster ds here...I am hearing more feedback from this thread than from ds himself! I think I only get his struggles with the fitted sheet! So far, ive heard about Aldi, hangover, and a brief mention of sportsbar.
First lecture tues. Ds is in county main and not locked down yet. Fingers crossed. He is quite dyslexic and not very good at reading admin emails, so Im impressed that he has progressed to this point a week in with seeming nonchalance.
I told ds to stock up at whsmith and spar and secondhand shop on campus now, but I think he is too busy to think ahead. I love how everything is so close at hand on campus and that ive seen with my own eyes exactly where everything useful can be obtained. Apart from sheets it must be.said..unless someone knows better..not available on campus I think..

Ds is determined to go to Aldi but it is a hike on bus, he has been twice already, and I wonder whether the pricey spar, might save him a fortune on takeaways.

Dos will absolutely not be organised enough to stock up on food so not sure how he'll manage when he inevitably has to isolate. Does anyone know how it works of they get an online supermarket delivery? Do they just put in their college address eg grizedale? How does the van find their exact flat?

DD is currently attending a Canadian University, but only online classes are available due to corona. She is devastated and I am devastated for her. First year of university and she has been robbed of all the excitement, any potential friendships and the university experience in general. 🙁

@sammyjoanne, thanks for askingDD and her flat has 8 days left of isolation. Only one of them has tested positive but have to assume they all have it. It’s been difficult I get delivery slots as half the university is isolating. DD managed to get friend in other hall to get food for her in the end. DD says the worst now is that no one is taking their rubbish and they cannot get rid of it themselves so their accommodation smell. Did anyone hear the head of UK universities - prof Julia Buckingham -on Radio 4 news this morning talking about how well the unis have been supporting the students? She came across as really arrogant and out of touch with what is happening.

Oh @Emmmie that does sound rubbish - your poor DD. Hopefully she will be able to meet some people face to face soon. What is uni support like? 👋 to @Nettleskeins - love your username!

Thanks BCBG, not sure about the uni support, everything is just so virtual. They are not even doing live online classes.
It will get better one day though. It has to.

@specialted the delivery slots,
I would put flat name and flat number
Grizedale college
Grizedale Avenue
lancaster Uni
LA1 4YW
Ive also read on Covid and parcels procedure (not food but amazon/dhl/care packages from home) and if your self isolating, someone has to come and pick up your parcel for you. www.lancaster.ac.uk/accommodation/covid-19/#deliveries-from-off-campus

@Nettleskeins nice to see another 'lancastrian' on mumsnet : if its the sports bar on campus, that would be Fylde bar. Ate there on open day. There is a free Sainsburys bus on the wednesdays. if he googles it he can find out the times. you have to spend more than a fiver and show the bus driver your receipt. Save bus fare and probably cheaper than spar.

@MrsMcMuffins Didnt get chance to hear her on radio 4, but sounds like shes does not have a clue on how the unis are operating. Oh my that sounds awful they are letting the rubbish pile up like that. And getting a shopping spot difficulties have seemed to be the norm. Hopefully DD dont have any more cases in thier flat and she gets out as soon as possible.

@Nettleskeins
Another Lancaster mum here with DD in a Grizedale townhouse. I managed to get fitted sheets to for extra long bed from Bedtime Comforts via Amazon. They come from overseas but delivery was much swifter than the Amazon order info suggested

@Emmmie, your DDs experience sounds quite similar to those over here. All DS's lectures are online, but we knew that would be the case. His tutorials are also online ATM, due to the rate of cases in Manchester. He can only mix within his household of 8. Is your DD completely on her own, no other students living with her?

Wow @sammyjoanne I am at Actually very impressed with that link re food at Lancaster and isolating. Lots of options for the less organised student, feel a bit more relaxed about it now, thanks for finding it

Thanks so much KingscoteStaff I'm so glad to have DS safely out the other side of his flat lockdown.
As DS was one of the first on thread to move in I feel he's one of the trailblazers or guinea pigs or canaries.
They are all some kind of guinea pigs this year aren't they, which I know not everyone's happy about. But anyway....
Happy to report that some normality seems to have resumed for him at least for now.
Look forward to catching up with him sometime about how the pizza night back to freedom celebration evening went yesterday!
Also have two friends in RL with DDs at Uni who have tested + with mild to moderate symptoms. Thinking of them and those affected and still coming through it here too. It really does seem quite prevalent in the Uni halls all over doesn't it?

MillicentMartha DD luckily lives with my mom and my brother. Their home is located very close to thevuniversity, so she is not completely by herself. She does miss spending time with people her age, which is understandable.

DS’s household had a scare at the weekend - one boy had some sort of cough on Sat and booked a test for Sunday. Household told that they must isolate until test came back and then if positive, for the full 2 weeks. 3 or 4 immediately legged it for home, DS ordered more pants from Amazon.

Midnight on Sunday, news came through that he was negative. DS says that everyone is now noticeably more cautious - it all got a bit real...

The 3 or 4 who legged it weren’t being very responsible, were they? What if it has been positive? They’d have potentially taken the virus back home to their parents. DS has been isolating for 6 days now because a flatmate had a positive test. It’s not particularly arduous.

No indeed - I think that has been made very clear to the 2 that slunk back in yesterday!

@specialted welcome :) i like how they even have a link to lancaster laundry where they do a bag for £7.00 which is good to know.

@JumpingFrogs thats great :) DD is also in a Grizedale townhouse too. we got bed sheets from amazon too:) how is she finding it?

@sammyjoanne
Yes, she's settled in really well thanks, making friends and keeping busy. There was a lot of partying in her house the first couple of nights, with visitors from other houses, which is obviously not allowed. She avoided it by going to her room and it's all calmed down now. She contacted college and will report if it happens again. But they all seen to be getting on well. Only gripe is that some people don't wash up, or leave it all piled up till the next morning!