[Farm93]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks...481163.php
https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-...mn-update/


Not a shock really as other schools went this way in July.
I feel very sorry for the freshmen that have seen their plans altered a few times, and will now get an online first quarter.

[Farm93]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks...481163.php
https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-...mn-update/


Not a shock really as other schools went this way in July.
I feel very sorry for the freshmen that have seen their plans altered a few times, and will now get an online first quarter.

[teejers1]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks...481163.php
https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-...mn-update/


Not a shock really as other schools went this way in July.
I feel very sorry for the freshmen that have seen their plans altered a few times, and will now get an online first quarter.

Meanwhile . . . ND welcomes students back to campus.  Good luck to all those attending college in-person (and any school, for that matter) on the health front. 
To keep it manageable, I imagine considerable good fortune will be involved.

[teejers1]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks...481163.php
https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-...mn-update/


Not a shock really as other schools went this way in July.
I feel very sorry for the freshmen that have seen their plans altered a few times, and will now get an online first quarter.

Meanwhile . . . ND welcomes students back to campus.  Good luck to all those attending college in-person (and any school, for that matter) on the health front. 
To keep it manageable, I imagine considerable good fortune will be involved.

[chrisk]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks...481163.php
https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-...mn-update/


Not a shock really as other schools went this way in July.
I feel very sorry for the freshmen that have seen their plans altered a few times, and will now get an online first quarter.

My cousin's daughter is in that position now. Since her parents were not at home this summer, she rented a place in Berkeley waiting for the word on fall quarter. In the middle of summer, fall quarter was a go for sophomores. Now she has to apply for a gap year by Wednesday and possibly go to Japan, find a place off-campus with friends, or trek back to home in Ohio, where she spent spring quarter.

[chrisk]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks...481163.php
https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-...mn-update/


Not a shock really as other schools went this way in July.
I feel very sorry for the freshmen that have seen their plans altered a few times, and will now get an online first quarter.

My cousin's daughter is in that position now. Since her parents were not at home this summer, she rented a place in Berkeley waiting for the word on fall quarter. In the middle of summer, fall quarter was a go for sophomores. Now she has to apply for a gap year by Wednesday and possibly go to Japan, find a place off-campus with friends, or trek back to home in Ohio, where she spent spring quarter.

[BostonCard]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

BC

[BostonCard]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

BC

[M T]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

It isn't the zip code that is the issue, it is the interactions among people.   People here have bemoaned the lack of the college experience for the freshmen especially, but it is the interactions as part of that experience that is the concern (and, of course, the potential liability to the school, in addition to the altruistic concern for the health of the students, faculty, and staff).   The epidemic has caused that experience to be risky at this time.

If they live with their birth family, people will be in smaller bubbles and have people who can share care-giving duties if need be.  (Not all college-age people will live with their birth families, but I expect many will.)  If not with their birth family, they will likely live in smaller groupings than they would have at college.

It sucks, but not being on campus seems wise to me.

[M T]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

It isn't the zip code that is the issue, it is the interactions among people.   People here have bemoaned the lack of the college experience for the freshmen especially, but it is the interactions as part of that experience that is the concern (and, of course, the potential liability to the school, in addition to the altruistic concern for the health of the students, faculty, and staff).   The epidemic has caused that experience to be risky at this time.

If they live with their birth family, people will be in smaller bubbles and have people who can share care-giving duties if need be.  (Not all college-age people will live with their birth families, but I expect many will.)  If not with their birth family, they will likely live in smaller groupings than they would have at college.

It sucks, but not being on campus seems wise to me.

[BostonCard]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

It isn't the zip code that is the issue, it is the interactions among people.   People here have bemoaned the lack of the college experience for the freshmen especially, but it is the interactions as part of that experience that is the concern (and, of course, the potential liability to the school, in addition to the altruistic concern for the health of the students, faculty, and staff).   The epidemic has caused that experience to be risky at this time.

Yeah, I was trying to find out a way to state this as well.  Of course being at home doesn't mean you don't limit the interactions between students and outsiders.  I mean, a substantial proportion of students at home are going to go out with their friends, go to bars if open, etc.  You are right that there is concern about the health of the faculty (especially), but even here, college students will probably put their parents and grandparents at risk.

BC

[BostonCard]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

It isn't the zip code that is the issue, it is the interactions among people.   People here have bemoaned the lack of the college experience for the freshmen especially, but it is the interactions as part of that experience that is the concern (and, of course, the potential liability to the school, in addition to the altruistic concern for the health of the students, faculty, and staff).   The epidemic has caused that experience to be risky at this time.

Yeah, I was trying to find out a way to state this as well.  Of course being at home doesn't mean you don't limit the interactions between students and outsiders.  I mean, a substantial proportion of students at home are going to go out with their friends, go to bars if open, etc.  You are right that there is concern about the health of the faculty (especially), but even here, college students will probably put their parents and grandparents at risk.

BC

[teejers1]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

It isn't the zip code that is the issue, it is the interactions among people.   People here have bemoaned the lack of the college experience for the freshmen especially, but it is the interactions as part of that experience that is the concern (and, of course, the potential liability to the school, in addition to the altruistic concern for the health of the students, faculty, and staff).   The epidemic has caused that experience to be risky at this time.

Yeah, I was trying to find out a way to state this as well.  Of course being at home doesn't mean you don't limit the interactions between students and outsiders.  I mean, a substantial proportion of students at home are going to go out with their friends, go to bars if open, etc.  You are right that there is concern about the health of the faculty (especially), but even here, college students will probably put their parents and grandparents at risk.

BC

Of course that's true . . . I mean, students haven't been on campus for months in this country and everyone here is lamenting how things are out of control.  It's all about people being smart in whatever activity they engage in; moreso than the underlying activity itself (with some pretty basic and well-recognized exceptions).  Baseball and soccer are good examples.  If the participants are smart when they are at home, or go to a store, or dine outside, then playing baseball or soccer should not be a problem.  But if they're not, then you're more likely to see spread amongst teams (and more rapidly than in "everyday life").  The same theoretically could be true with football; however, you're dealing with larger numbers so the risk goes up.  And at some point, the risk is too great.

It's all about policy, which in turn is about weighing risk and benefit.

[teejers1]

Of course, staying at home does not protect against catching COVID-19, and a lot of places in the US have higher case counts than Santa Clara.

It isn't the zip code that is the issue, it is the interactions among people.   People here have bemoaned the lack of the college experience for the freshmen especially, but it is the interactions as part of that experience that is the concern (and, of course, the potential liability to the school, in addition to the altruistic concern for the health of the students, faculty, and staff).   The epidemic has caused that experience to be risky at this time.

Yeah, I was trying to find out a way to state this as well.  Of course being at home doesn't mean you don't limit the interactions between students and outsiders.  I mean, a substantial proportion of students at home are going to go out with their friends, go to bars if open, etc.  You are right that there is concern about the health of the faculty (especially), but even here, college students will probably put their parents and grandparents at risk.

BC

Of course that's true . . . I mean, students haven't been on campus for months in this country and everyone here is lamenting how things are out of control.  It's all about people being smart in whatever activity they engage in; moreso than the underlying activity itself (with some pretty basic and well-recognized exceptions).  Baseball and soccer are good examples.  If the participants are smart when they are at home, or go to a store, or dine outside, then playing baseball or soccer should not be a problem.  But if they're not, then you're more likely to see spread amongst teams (and more rapidly than in "everyday life").  The same theoretically could be true with football; however, you're dealing with larger numbers so the risk goes up.  And at some point, the risk is too great.

It's all about policy, which in turn is about weighing risk and benefit.

[Farm93]

BC - I think most of us understand Santa Clara County will be a much safer place to spend the next ~6 months than most places in the USA.

However, if you are a 18 year-old freshmen, let's remember a few things.

You won't have a car, you likely were not planning on having one since we had a no car policy when you applied.
Unless you are from the SF Bay Area, you will not be near your family and your family will not be near you.
Your primary care physician will also not be near you.

So while your chances of avoid COVID are better here, what exactly happens if you get COVID while on campus?
You'd get shuttled off to a "COVID" dorm.
There you would be stuck with no relatives, no vehicle and without your primary care MD.
Hopefully everything is fine ~5-10 days later, but should you need more care you'd be very, very alone.
Even if you wanted to go home you probably would be stuck since you couldn't drive home (no car) or fly on a plane.

For the university there is a different concern that ties to your observation...
The positivity rate of COVID19 is much higher in other places around the USA. 
Those new students that have spent the summer in GA, FL, etc. are more likely to be asymptomatic carriers that would then quickly spread the virus throughout their dorm, their dining hall and any others they may see in the first several days.

[Farm93]

BC - I think most of us understand Santa Clara County will be a much safer place to spend the next ~6 months than most places in the USA.

However, if you are a 18 year-old freshmen, let's remember a few things.

You won't have a car, you likely were not planning on having one since we had a no car policy when you applied.
Unless you are from the SF Bay Area, you will not be near your family and your family will not be near you.
Your primary care physician will also not be near you.

So while your chances of avoid COVID are better here, what exactly happens if you get COVID while on campus?
You'd get shuttled off to a "COVID" dorm.
There you would be stuck with no relatives, no vehicle and without your primary care MD.
Hopefully everything is fine ~5-10 days later, but should you need more care you'd be very, very alone.
Even if you wanted to go home you probably would be stuck since you couldn't drive home (no car) or fly on a plane.

For the university there is a different concern that ties to your observation...
The positivity rate of COVID19 is much higher in other places around the USA. 
Those new students that have spent the summer in GA, FL, etc. are more likely to be asymptomatic carriers that would then quickly spread the virus throughout their dorm, their dining hall and any others they may see in the first several days.

[chrisk]

Also, the more students on campus, the more service workers will be on campus, and some of them will come from areas with much larger numbers of cases than a Palo Alto (e.g. East Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose).

With most graduate students and 700-800 undergrads on campus, there will still be a large population on campus.

[chrisk]

Also, the more students on campus, the more service workers will be on campus, and some of them will come from areas with much larger numbers of cases than a Palo Alto (e.g. East Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose).

With most graduate students and 700-800 undergrads on campus, there will still be a large population on campus.