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So.
Outbreaks at UNC, ASU, MSU, ECU, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame at a minimum.
It was reasonable to expect that 19 year olds and beer and college parties and dorms et al. would spread a highly contagious disease. And now the Great Backtracking begins.
Why?
Outbreaks at UNC, ASU, MSU, ECU, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame at a minimum.
It was reasonable to expect that 19 year olds and beer and college parties and dorms et al. would spread a highly contagious disease. And now the Great Backtracking begins.
Why?
Universities have extraordinary information access. When the Ronatimes started in March, NEU had virologists and public health cats straight from the faculty addressing all of us at meetings. Any university can do the same. They are not running lemonade stands.
Even if you don't have a MPH program or a medical faculty, you have an entire staff full of educated people, MANY of them very well informed and adjacent to the mechanics at work here.
What did staff say? AFAICT, a very loud and near-unanimous DON'T KILL US.
What did staff say? AFAICT, a very loud and near-unanimous DON'T KILL US.
Universities literally employ people everyone else in the entire world is paying attention to right now.
And they can't take their own advice.
And they started in-person classes during this bullshit.
And the utterly, totally predictable thing happened.
Why?
And they can't take their own advice.
And they started in-person classes during this bullshit.
And the utterly, totally predictable thing happened.
Why?
My guess is very, very cynical.
New students didn't fancy online classes. They didn't want to join Online U. So, the initial mitigation plans, and all the silliness about procedures, this was a smokescreen which lasted long enough to complete enrollment.
Bait and switch.
New students didn't fancy online classes. They didn't want to join Online U. So, the initial mitigation plans, and all the silliness about procedures, this was a smokescreen which lasted long enough to complete enrollment.
Bait and switch.
Wait just long enough for things to start under some version of 'normal + masks', onboard everyone, then prepare for the great shrugging of shoulders and throwing up of hands to say 'good lord, Mavis, who could have predicted teenagers wouldn't follow instructions?'
I have seen a lot of admin quotes which amount to 'well, no-one knows what will REALLY happen, it's all a giant experiment tbh'.
It is 100% likely that the people saying this are the administrators for people who understand what the fucking argument from ignorance is.
It is 100% likely that the people saying this are the administrators for people who understand what the fucking argument from ignorance is.
It's very unlikely the Plague will kill a lot of frat boys - the Great Backtrack *hopefully* has minor consequences for morbidity/mortality.
All this has managed to do is ruin everyone's ability to prepare online classes. And maintain enrollments under the fiction this was safe.
All this has managed to do is ruin everyone's ability to prepare online classes. And maintain enrollments under the fiction this was safe.
I know there's a lot of mitigating factors here, maybe even the financial viability of the entire university itself.
I just can't help avoid the conclusion that some of them chose to ignore the bog-obvious outcome until financial commitments were in place.
I just can't help avoid the conclusion that some of them chose to ignore the bog-obvious outcome until financial commitments were in place.
I really do not miss working in higher education.
