Universities
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Chz
Stark Raving Sane
In the case of where I am, it's having very little in the way of student halls of residence and being primarily based in central London. London's been very lucky to avoid the worst of the second round thus far.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Just been told we’ve had a confirmed case in my building. Fucking great.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Joint UCU/NUS statement. Not before time.
www.ucu.org.uk
UCU and the National Union Students issue joint statement calling for action over university Covid crisis
In a joint statement, UCU and the National Union of Students (NUS) have called for online working, students to be allowed to return home if they wish and funding guarantees to safeguard universities' finances and protect jobs.
brogdale
Coming to terms with late onset Anarchism
'kinnel
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Wiki says there are 26k students at Northumbria, but I guess this will be predominantly, but not exclusivley, full time first years in halls (if nothing else 2nd and 3rd years usually come back a week later). If that's anything likely correct, 770 is a massive % of that group.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
Exeter uni now accounts for most of the cases in the whole of Devon.
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Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Wow. Nice job Johnson/Williamson et al, that's quite an achievement.
Jesus!
Sadly so, but it's hardly to be wondered at, given how big the uni is and from how wide a catchment area it draws its students. It's one I'm watching closely, since my mum lives in Exeter...
brogdale
Coming to terms with late onset Anarchism
My eldest works in a hall of residence and said weeks ago that he was about to witness the most effective seeding mechanism imaginable.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
The South West is still the least virusy place to be by some margin, despite the best efforts of a quadrillion fuckwit tourists over the summer. Total cases at exeter uni is still under 100.
True. My worry is transmission into the wider community by staff tbh.
crossthebreeze
Well-Known Member
Freshers started there 17th September, and the Autumn term started 21st September.
Newcastle University freshers was from 20th September, with term starting on 28th September and they already have 94 students and 7 staff with positive tests.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Yeah, I didn't put that very well. I was guessing teaching had started but thinking year 2/3 students would have had less time to get virusey and tested.
We've only a handful of cases so far, but one of them is a third year. Given the timings I suspect he picked it up at home before he came, so obviously the worry is how many people he had close contact with before he realised.
Tbf our students all seem to be taking the rules very seriously. At my classes this week there's been 100% mask-wearing, and we've a group who've had to isolate because one person they had a beer with at the weekend has tested positive. Without exception they're doing it, so far as we can tell, as is the one with symptoms.
The other observation I'd make from this week, which tbh has gone a lot better than I feared, is that although some students at some institutions are (rightly) furious about how they've been treated, those I've had any contact with aren't. They know the situation is shit for all concerned and they're making the best of it. Those who've expressed an opinion blame the government, not the university. Which is encouraging.
Best moment of the week: when my suavest colleague in his sharp suit and shades walked into the building remarking on how masks fog your glasses up and you don't look cool, and promptly proved his point by walking into the paper recycling bin and measuring his length on the corridor floor.
elbows
Well-Known Member
Covid: Northumbria University confirms 770 cases among students
Northumbria University in Newcastle says 770 students have tested positive and are now isolating.
www.bbc.co.uk
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
The in-house testing setup here seems to have hit capacity and the uni is now asking for an NHS (or whoever is running them) testing site to be set up on the main campus. I don't fancy the chances of that happening.
Contact tracing is being done via QR code logins and also a backup system using bits of paper with people's names on. I'm in labs one day a week (for now) and online for everything else. The labs are done in groups of no more than about 15, with everyone separated by perspex screens and wearing masks. This is postgrad stuff though, I expect with undergrads the numbers involved would rule out real-life teaching with a similar level of precautions.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
Sprog received the dreaded message, one of his housemates is suspected with Covid-19 and took a test, they are all now advised to stay in the house until the results are back. He doesn't yet have food stocks in place, luckily his mum is only 30 minutes away, hopefully she can bring food.
muscovyduck
Good IT skills and food hygiene competent
Anyone hearing much people in student accomodation who aren't proper in the thick of it with corona yet? Through my grapevine sounds like a few kids are already moving back home, but it's difficult to tell if it's the same everywhere else
miss direct
misfungled
My landlady got out of her contract and won't be going to her uni city at all.
SlideshowBob
Active Member
Definitely been a decent number heading back home when they've been able to. And hard to blame them. Government may complain about potentially spreading the virus further, but if case numbers were their concern then opening up halls en masse was quite clearly a terrible approach.
I've not heard of any where I am, although it may have happened. We've only a handful of confirmed cases so far, so a very different situation from - say - Northumbria. In my department we have a few students in isolation after having a beer with someone who tested positive but they're all well, and those I've exchanged emails with are in pretty good spirits. They're naturally bored, but they understand why they've got to isolate and they're doing it.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
As much as this government deserve a whole load of abuse for this looming disaster, I really think some should be left over for all those who spent decades going around telling everyone that tuition fees, loans and idiot levels of debt were such a fantastic idea.
Thirty years ago the government could have cancelled this academic year and the vast majority of the universities would have survived (with a mild amount of financial support). Now they are so far down the plughole that any interruption in the free money they are getting will probably wipe the whole sector out (with probably less than ten exceptions) and take a good chunk of the property market with it.
Thirty years ago the government could have cancelled this academic year and the vast majority of the universities would have survived (with a mild amount of financial support). Now they are so far down the plughole that any interruption in the free money they are getting will probably wipe the whole sector out (with probably less than ten exceptions) and take a good chunk of the property market with it.
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
Not hearing much of this (yet?) here.
kebabking
Not a Girly Swot, but I like them....
A girl in our village who's a second year at York has chinned off living there - despite loving it - and is doing it remotely from here and is planning on going up for two days a week when she needs to.
Hotels and trains are cheaper than local rents, and she's not locked in...
Her sister, who started at Bristol and went down there, is also back. She's taking the same path.
Hotels and trains are cheaper than local rents, and she's not locked in...
Her sister, who started at Bristol and went down there, is also back. She's taking the same path.
