topic Re: UMich Closes Dorms in Community Chat

UMich Closes Dorms

KarenQVC — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 01:25:39 GMT

After over 500 covid cases just in the dorms, they have been closed for most students for winter term. This was predictable, yet the U let it happen.

The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor, spread the covids around, and now they are sending them back all over the country. They should have listened to their own public health experts who advised against students coming to campus this fall.

Has anyone else heard about schools closing in their area?

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

alicedee — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 01:31:48 GMT

My granddaughter is in grad school there. She had already decided to do the winter term from home remotely....it's about time the university took this step.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

happycat — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 01:42:33 GMT

My local college is still having in person classes. I just looked at their online info, and it says there are 30 active positive cases.

I guess the kids might have to go in for labs, but I really think we should be taking every possible percaution where this virus in concerned. Why I would think anyone would do that, I don't know.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

ValuSkr — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 01:45:12 GMT

Having created the situation, the school should have kept everyone in place rather than passing them back to the general population. They could handle it - they're a big school, after all.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Snowpuppy — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 01:54:03 GMT

It's always about the money.

I'm not aware of any school that has the capabilities to monitor 500 ill students. You're talking dr's and nurses. I attended a state university of about 20,000 students. One physician and 3-4 nurses.

U of M is boasting free tuition for families making $65k or less and modest assets. IF you agree to live on campus and pay those dorm and meal fees.

See the first statement about the money.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Mellyg — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 01:55:59 GMT

@KarenQVC wrote:
After over 500 covid cases just in the dorms, they have been closed for most students for winter term. This was predictable, yet the U let it happen.

The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor, spread the covids around, and now they are sending them back all over the country. They should have listened to their own public health experts who advised against students coming to campus this fall.

Has anyone else heard about schools closing in their area?

It's so disappointing, coming from a school with one of the best public health programs. I was so afraid of the outbreaks following the U of M - MSU game; the parties were, well "typical football weekend", couches on fire at State.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

CrazyDaisy — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 02:26:22 GMT

@KarenQVC wrote:
After over 500 covid cases just in the dorms, they have been closed for most students for winter term. This was predictable, yet the U let it happen.

The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor, spread the covids around, and now they are sending them back all over the country. They should have listened to their own public health experts who advised against students coming to campus this fall.

Has anyone else heard about schools closing in their area?

None of the schools around here are closing or even having problems with outbreaks. Guess some places are better at following precautions than others.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

KarenQVC — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 03:07:34 GMT

This was all the result of human behavior. Again, the behavior of randy undergrads could have been anticipated. It is a law of physics, just like the eternal presence of burning couches in E. Lansing.

Now tonight I am reading a public health expert from Harvard is saying we could have double the covids within a month!

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

chrystaltree — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 15:49:07 GMT

Good grief.Everyone panics here when a college has 20 cases. I think your are correct, it was totally predictable. Let the students come back and the virus will spread through the schools and through the communit. It was a no brainer. College kids, especially the younger ones away from home for the first time; were not going to do anything to protect themselves from this virus. They think they are invincible at that age and partying, dating and having fun are their main focus. It's like the school was reluctant to put any strong measures like; frequent testing, social distancing, online classes for classes that did not require presence in a classroom. All the colleges and universities here do that and they kick any student who breaks the rules out. Parents did go to court over that but the judges only ruled the the colleges must refund the tuition when they do that. There are still Covid 19 cases on campuses but no where near even 100. It's manageable by quarantining and treating the students who do get it. Some colleges never opened, everything is online. I think the only thing unique about the UMich is the number of infected students. Which means the a whole lot of staff are also infected. I look at that Covid 19 map and I can only feel thankful that I live in New England. Our governor just put in some curfews and restrictions because the numbers have been going up.Hopefully, things will in the other direction now. No one wants to be where we were last March!

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

KarenQVC — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 16:03:40 GMT

@chrystaltree I have to say you on the East Coast have shown an ounce of sense. Good for you.

Now our public schools here are starting to close. Anyone could tell this would happen, too. These people were in denial.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Abrowneyegirl — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 01:22:34 GMT

@Snowpuppy

You are correct, colleges are all about the almightly dollar. Take money, push them through.

Back at the very beginning of COVID before it came to the U.S. we were out with a couple who are both college professors. One is a biologist and they were in PANIC mode, and part of the COVID task force at a smaller private college. I like a fool thought they were concerned about student health and/or how to get international students home or housing................

No, no, not- they the college was was in a panic over next semester enrollments $$$$$$$$$$

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

CrazyDaisy — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 01:29:31 GMT

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:
@Snowpuppy

You are correct, colleges are all about the almightly dollar. Take money, push them through.

Back at the very beginning of COVID before it came to the U.S. we were out with a couple who are both college professors. One is a biologist and they were in PANIC mode, and part of the COVID task force at a smaller private college. I like a fool thought they were concerned about student health and/or how to get international students home or housing................
No, no, not- they the college was was in a panic over next semester enrollments $$$$$$$$$$

May not like it but colleges are a business not a charity. They have bills to pay and need students to keep their doors open.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

KarenQVC — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:12:57 GMT

I think UMich staying open had to do with university $, but also other things, like sheer stubbornness and helping out the landlords.

The dorms here basically only hold freshmen. Private landlords and food stores and restaurants get the rest of the $.

The university only accepts 22% of applications, so accepting more out of state richies would yield more tuition $. Also UMich is holding a lot of endowment $.

The $ of it is more complicated than it is at lower tier schools.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Porcelain — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:24:57 GMT

Everyone said don't open them to begin with. People need to clean out the earwax and listen.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

scatcat — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:26:50 GMT

@KarenQVC wrote:
After over 500 covid cases just in the dorms, they have been closed for most students for winter term. This was predictable, yet the U let it happen.

The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor, spread the covids around, and now they are sending them back all over the country. They should have listened to their own public health experts who advised against students coming to campus this fall.

Has anyone else heard about schools closing in their area?

"The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor"

No one forced these kids to come to school. If you got accepted to U of MI you are pretty darn bright. Bright enough to decide to stay home and study locally or take a gap year.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Porcelain — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:29:12 GMT

@scatcat wrote:
@KarenQVC wrote:
After over 500 covid cases just in the dorms, they have been closed for most students for winter term. This was predictable, yet the U let it happen.

The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor, spread the covids around, and now they are sending them back all over the country. They should have listened to their own public health experts who advised against students coming to campus this fall.

Has anyone else heard about schools closing in their area?

"The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor"

No one forced these kids to come to school. If you got accepted to U of MI you are pretty darn bright. Bright enough to decide to stay home and study locally or take a gap year.

Did somebody force the administration members to open the dorms?

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

KarenQVC — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 18:00:32 GMT

The decision was made by the u president and the elected school board. At MSU the decision was made to basically close campus to undergrads. The gov preferred the MSU solution.

I might add that UMich said it had created a bubble of safety, but there was never enuf testing built into the plan to even begin to make that credible.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

KarenQVC — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 01:52:02 GMT

I just saw a map of college cases around the country and some schools have more cases than UMich--like AL and Penn State.

I hope the new covid committee will establish universal standards.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Johnnyeager — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 09:40:51 GMT

Yesterday New York's SUNY system with over 60 campuses announced all online learning from Thanksgiving until February 1, 2021.

All students returning to a campus in February must be tested and Spring Break 2021 is canceled.

Re: UMich Closes Dorms

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:10:17 GMT

@CrazyDaisy wrote:
@KarenQVC wrote:
After over 500 covid cases just in the dorms, they have been closed for most students for winter term. This was predictable, yet the U let it happen.

The administration had the students come to Ann Arbor, spread the covids around, and now they are sending them back all over the country. They should have listened to their own public health experts who advised against students coming to campus this fall.

Has anyone else heard about schools closing in their area?
None of the schools around here are closing or even having problems with outbreaks. Guess some places are better at following precautions than others.

@CrazyDaisy , OSUs numbers are increasing. They had 328 positive cases last week compared to just 170 the week prior and 161 the week prior to that.

I know at one point Kent State was having a problem but I think they may have gotten that under control.