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Lord Camomile said:
At least four of my colleagues emailed their line managers yesterday to say they didn't want to come on campus at the moment (we're currently due in one day a week, WFH for the rest).

I'm supposed to go in tomorrow; honestly don't know which way I'm gonna fall on it.
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If they are getting pushback advise them to ask their line manager for an updated risk assessment in light of the change of circumstances. They have a very good case to refuse coming onto site until such a (personal) risk assessment has been done.

Have to give some credit to UCL - hopefully other unis will follow suit.
University College London, the UK’s largest campus, has told its students to avoid returning until the end of February at the earliest because of the rapid spread of the new Covid-19 variant in the capital.

The move puts UCL at odds with the guidelines issued by the Department for Education last week, which called for most students to stay away from campuses in England until 25 January, with only those on courses such as medicine or nursing allowed back initially.
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Still absolutely no communication from my employer
 
We know some students that have gone back already, while others are being told they're not even reopening the halls of residence so they have no choice but to stay at home.
 
Here's current government guidance: Students returning to higher education for spring term Currently saying most students should stay away and start returning from Jan 25th onwards, I suspect that date may be revisited and pushed back nearer the time. Or maybe it won't be, fuck knows.
From weeks commencing 25 January and 1 February

The remaining courses should be offered online from the beginning of term so that students can continue their studies from home. HE providers should plan for students to return gradually from 25 January, over a 2-week period.


Example course list
HE providers are best placed to organise the return of students from 25 January 2021 but may wish to consider prioritising:
  • post-graduate taught students
  • students in later stages of study (second year onwards)
  • international students
  • new starters

This guidance will be kept under review, and updated as necessary, supported by the latest evidence and science.
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No F2F teaching here until mid March at the earliest. (Well within my College anyway) not been an official announcement as of yet.
 
mwgdrwg said:
My daughter's back in Uni paying the horrendous tuition and rent costs. For what?
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Is she on something that falls under "work, clinical or practical placements, courses requiring practical teaching or learning, courses requiring access to specialist or technical equipment"? If not, it really sounds like they shouldn't have asked her to come back.

Also, is there a rent strike where she's at?
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
Where did you get that info? I've had fuck all so far :facepalm: :D
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All I've seen from my place is that we are going fully online, with the usual exceptions - more info to follow. As always I get the impression that the teaching arrangements and access students will have, automatic extensions and the rest are all about legalities and market positioning. Not creating a genuine 'student experience', to use that awful phrase.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
Where did you get that info? I've had fuck all so far :facepalm: :D
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I was in an ops meeting for said building I work in when decision was made at college/school level.

An all staff email has gone out now but it’s a lot of waffle and I can’t be arsed to read it properly now. I’ll read it later if I can bothered otherwise tomorrow morning. I think the TLDR is we have no govt advice to follow. We’re still in contact with DFE. Buildings should remain open and you only come in if you need too, but we still need to support students on campus.

Basically I think it’s going to be dependent on what college and school your based in and attendance will probably be put on some sort of rota. We’re WFH until we’ve decided who needs to be in and when as the building is remaining open for contractor work, things that need to be filmed and any prep work and business as usual.

This won’t be the same as March.

I’ve told the staff I line manage to work from home until we figure it out and I’ll fill them in tomorrow.
 
cybershot said:
I was in an ops meeting for said building I work in when decision was made at college/school level.

An all staff email has gone out now but it’s a lot of waffle and I can’t be arsed to read it properly now. I’ll read it later if I can bothered otherwise tomorrow morning. I think the TLDR is we have no govt advice to follow. We’re still in contact with DFE. Buildings should remain open and you only come in if you need too, but we still need to support students on campus.

Basically I think it’s going to be dependent on what college and school your based in and attendance will probably be put on some sort of rota. We’re WFH until we’ve decided who needs to be in and when as the building is remaining open for contractor work, things that need to be filmed and any prep work and business as usual.

This won’t be the same as March.
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Yeah, just had the email. I've read it twice now and still can't work out what the fuck it means for me. Seems to basically say stay at home but still come in.

I'm pretty angry tbh. Rather than looking at the announcement (and the scary numbers that have cased it) and shutting down in the spirit of the rules, they're finding as many loopholes and work arounds as possible. And that's going to be the same in every business and institution up and down the country. We're fucked.
 
Wilf said:
All I've seen from my place is that we are going fully online, with the usual exceptions - more info to follow. As always I get the impression that the teaching arrangements and access students will have, automatic extensions and the rest are all about legalities and market positioning. Not creating a genuine 'student experience', to use that awful phrase.
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a bespoke student experience perhaps
 
Just reading our email properly and I’m a little surprised that apparently university staff wether wfh or on campus can be considered key workers. Apparently our uni has had this confirmed to them. Therefore you can send your kids to school. Wow. That one paragraph alone may as well have just said ‘your kids don’t qualify as an excuse’
 
cybershot said:
Just reading our email properly and I’m a little surprised that apparently university staff wether wfh or on campus can be considered key workers. Apparently our uni has had this confirmed to them. Therefore you can send your kids to school. Wow. That one paragraph alone may as well have just said ‘your kids don’t qualify as an excuse’
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Yep, I'm fucking furious at that. I can see the argument now:

"I need to wfh today, got childcare"

"Tough, you could have sent them to school because key worker"

"But I'm a fucking live events manager, not a fucking nurse"

"See previous answer"

:mad:
 
cybershot said:
I was in an ops meeting for said building I work in when decision was made at college/school level.

An all staff email has gone out now but it’s a lot of waffle and I can’t be arsed to read it properly now. I’ll read it later if I can bothered otherwise tomorrow morning. I think the TLDR is we have no govt advice to follow. We’re still in contact with DFE. Buildings should remain open and you only come in if you need too, but we still need to support students on campus.

Basically I think it’s going to be dependent on what college and school your based in and attendance will probably be put on some sort of rota. We’re WFH until we’ve decided who needs to be in and when as the building is remaining open for contractor work, things that need to be filmed and any prep work and business as usual.

This won’t be the same as March.

I’ve told the staff I line manage to work from home until we figure it out and I’ll fill them in tomorrow.
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Again, just to stress there is some actual government advice on this:
Those students who are undertaking training and study for the following courses should return to face to face learning as planned and be tested twice, upon arrival or self-isolate for ten days:
  • Medicine & dentistry
  • Subjects allied to medicine/health
  • Veterinary science
  • Education (initial teacher training)
  • Social work
  • Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and which cannot be rescheduled (your university will notify you if this applies to you).

Students who do not study these courses should remain where they are wherever possible, and start their term online, as facilitated by their university until at least Mid-February. This includes students on other practical courses not on the list above.
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If they're trying to get people to provide F2F for anything not on that list, then it sounds like your employer is somehow managing to have an even shitter position than the government?
 
hitmouse said:
Again, just to stress there is some actual government advice on this:

If they're trying to get people to provide F2F for anything not on that list, then it sounds like your employer is somehow managing to have an even shitter position than the government?
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Nah it’s cool. I said in post before that one that f2f was cancelled until mid March (which was later changed to mid feb in official comms) but as per message you’ve quoted it’s going to vary depending on college/school/building in terms of who is needed in and when.
 
Our library is open to students in halls, a few returned between Xmas and new year. We’re reducing the number of staff in on site but having the same services we offered as before Xmas. Senior mgmt are seconding us to help with student services as well. I’ve training today. Yet no senior managers are on site.
 
flypanam said:
Our library is open to students in halls, a few returned between Xmas and new year. We’re reducing the number of staff in on site but having the same services we offered as before Xmas. Senior mgmt are seconding us to help with student services as well. I’ve training today. Yet no senior managers are on site.
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Things should run smoothly today then without senior managers
 
Lord Camomile said:
Soooooo... unis are staying open, just the students have been told to stay away? :hmm:
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Open for medical students, teacher training, research postgrads and a handful of other groups. Undergrad factory farming has all gone online and students have been told not to travel back to their campuses.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
Just been made clear to me that childcare commitments aren’t going to be taken into account because the Uni views us all as key workers and I could thus send the kids to school. I’m fucking livid, this is insane.
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Weirdly, we* hadn't even thought it from that direction until yesterday and it was actually seen as possibly good news. But aye, should be the decision of the staff member and either should be available.

Currently quite a few of our staff are refusing to go in; pretty much off their own back, but each person not doing it is encouraging other to, I think. There's a definite sense of "are you mad??". But, as ever, there's also other people who want to go in, for various reasons.


*staff in general, not me as I've nae got the kids. Or a "we" :( ;)
 
Does anyone know what's going on with rent for uni accommodation this month? I know there were meant to be a few different student rent strikes in January, but if no-one's going back to campus for the near future, will their rent be suspended anyway? Or will unis still be trying to chisel rent out of people for empty student halls?
 
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