The instructor in one of my classes said that the U has four options coming up on this Kung Flu situation – faculty self quarantines, students self quarantine, business as usual, switch to online classes.
Spring break starts for us this weekend, which means a lot of students will be traveling in pressurized tubes full of vectors, carousing in the human bacterial frappe that is a crowded bar on spring break, and then bringing all that back with them.
If the U were going to switch to online classes, spring break is the time to do it. That gives faculty a week without classes to get their stuff together and have it ready for the return of the hordes of students.
I’m putting it at 1:4 that they’ll go to online classes but, Crom, it would be lovely if they did. School is so much easier when you have your quizes online on monitor #1 and a window to Google open on monitor #2.
Other than that, Missoula has, thus far, been spared but I have absolutely no doubt that this illness is incubating somewhere in town. We get too many students from all over the US and the world to remain isolated.
For me, business as usual. I’ve all the supplies I need and other than washing my hands a lot more than usual…nothing is changed. Actually, thats not true..I’ve been operating doorknobs and that sort of thing with my elbow a lot more. But other than that…yeah…business as usual.
I’m gonna start making masks in my garage out of paper towels, elmers blue & rubber bands. Pack of 10 for $100.
Don’t hate me. Just doin’ my part for humanity, man.
My daughter’s college is out this week for spring break and the college sent out a survey about moving all classes to on-line only for remainder of semester. My wife, who is a teacher has been told to prepare her class to be taught on-line. They start their spring break next week, and was told she maybe teaching on-line after spring break.
Your daughter should ask for her tuition back.
What makes you think she’s paying for it? The funny thing is she had all her classes on-line last semester.
You’ve come some distance since late January when you wrote you’re not going to get hot and bothered unless Capt. Tripps has been released.
You realize you could still get n95 and n99 masks in late January. Hand sanitizer was cheap and plentiful. Mountain house, Augason farms still had most of their items in stock and hadn’t jacked their prices. Costco, Walmart weren’t restricting how many racks of water bottles or toilet paper you could buy. Thankfully, I took coronavirus seriously – and that allowed me to get up on PPE.
If nothing else, this episode has been revealing. Lotta people making dismissive pronouncements while in total ignorance of the facts (available and obvious since mid January at the latest). Or who has a double digit IQ. Lot of overlap there.
But who cares, its just the flu right. Buy the dip.
Data point: Italian doctors arguing that the time has come to triage ICU beds to younger patients, because there aren’t enough for everyone who’s seriously infected.
Like happens every year there because this is “just the flu”.
Not.
You’re doing the right things.
Idiots gonna idiot.
Meanwhile pretty much the entire UC system (Berzerkeley, UCLA, etc.) has shut down and gone to online only.
The CalStateU system to follow.
This could end up being the pin that pops the whole “gotta go to college in person” thing, and kids start saving yuuugely by staying in Mom’s basement and doing virtually (see what I did there?) the whole degree online, in their PJs. Just like their professors will. And at some point, there’s little need to limit enrollment, other than bandwidth. No more screen-outs. Everyone can go to Harvard and Stanford, and suddenly Podunk Community doesn’t make much sense, unless they’re doing it for 1/4 price or something.
Kung Flu breaks Ivory Tower: fifth order effect.
Bummer for all those non-essential admin and diversity studies jobs if college becomes an individual achievement experience, but sacrifices have to me made, mister.
Cheers, Aesop. Big fan of your work.
Online exams can be proctored to ensure for exam no second monitor is detected. It is more expensive than having everyone in a class to watch but they farm it out to people in India. You are also recorded and all functions of your computer are monitored.
Can they detect the presence of a book?
Home office put out the word today that we are to complete our shift and stay at least six feet away from a client if they show COVID-19 symptoms. Job description includes stuff like wiping the client’s butt and flossing teeth, etc. Gonna be hard to do out of arm’s reach…
OT: that was quite the cute comment about frostbite to Joel, Cdr Z.
UVA has gone to online only beginning next week. others are looking at that. the military school I where I work won’t go online, no infrastructure to support it. there are three students on lockdown at a nearby college awaiting test results. most of our cadets live in hot zones. when they get back I will have physical interaction with nearly every one of them, I issue them rifles. my pucker factor is nearing max. I would glove/mask up but I really don’t believe it will help. nurses in full protocol are coming down with it. this isn’t “just the flu”, its an engineered hybrid. we have no idea how this will play out.
Looks like most most of the University Of Wisconsin System is going to switch to online classes until the beginning of April. Glad people are taking this seriously.
No more UW Natatorium for a while, either.
My kid’s alma mater in Kentucky just shut down until Fall. Yow.
From The State University Of NY at Albany:
March 11, 2020
Dear UAlbany Community,
As has just been announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo, in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, effective March 23, 2020, all University at Albany courses will be delivered remotely until further notice. We recognize that this decision will have a significant impact on every member of our community, but I want to assure you that we are working extremely hard to make this transition as smooth as possible.
As of now, our three campuses will remain open, including residence halls, offices, and dining services. However, as circumstances surrounding COVID-19 remain very fluid, students are encouraged to bring all academic materials on spring break to be prepared for every possible scenario. Please note that only the Governor can close state offices, agencies and SUNY campuses.
University of Minnesota’s 5 campus’s will all be canceling in person classes until April 1st at least. Might be interesting to see how this shakes out for stuff that can’t be done online.
In other news, I’ve finally heard that my employer has an Pandemic Policy (never heard anything about it before in my 15 years there). What little I heard did not impress me at all…
Steelheart
Some of the Mayo Clinic student internships in Eau Claire, WI have been put on hold.
March 12, 2020
Dear Campus Community,
I am writing to inform you that the University was notified late last night by the Albany County Department of Health (ACDOH) of a confirmed case of COVID-19 among a member of the University community who resides off campus. This individual will remain isolated from the campus population until they have been cleared by public health officials.
As a precaution, classes are suspended today, Thursday, March 12, to allow ACDOH officials to complete their work in order to minimize public health risk.
We are working closely with ACDOH to reach out to any students, faculty or staff members who may have come in contact with this individual. Also, as a precaution, we are closing the business building today for cleaning. Faculty and staff who work in this building are advised to work from home today. For those employees who work in the business building and choose to report to work, please go to the University Hall lobby to be provided with an alternative work location.
Missoula has a bunch of Elderly Care Homes, traffic from Washington passes thru every minute. Plus a widespread drug problem and pretty rampant homeless problem. In addition it is a self centered liberal higher education city. We are having a burst of cold weather, just in time to get all these people in a few buildings….gonna be interesting.
My Spokane, WA area university has gone online only starting next quarter, and has essentially cancelled finals week, moving all finals up to this week. I have a test online today that was *supposed* to be in person, and an on paper take home test due tomorrow at 5 PM.
I highly doubt spring quarter is going to start on time, but we’ll have to see. I don’t care, this is my last quarter, and once I’m done I am bailing out to my house to bug in for the next 2 months.
All the grade schools and high schools here (Ontario, Canada) are closed until the start of the second week in April. The majority of universities and colleges have also gone into shutdown mode with classes being done online.
The list of facilities and attractions that are closing their doors is growing longer every day. Daycares, sports venues, camps, libraries, etc., are all closing up shop.