Student and Christmas

Allule- the manchester students (and greater manchester area,right up to bolton) were told previously they may not be starting back till december-it would be online learning sept- dec, then gov't started easing lockdown and plans changed,they were required to start back in unis 22nd sept,wether they felt safe to do so or not! Same with colleges- beginning of sept and now my youngest son has been off ill 3 wks, and as they insist he goes back as soon as hes better- he will be more at risk, as he is also in vulnerable category (not just oldies are vulnerable either!) Both he and I will be in trouble if he wont return, theres no 'defer for a year' for college kids!

I agree with the financial aspects, I understand the concern of parents. I feel sorry for those who have missed their Freshers Week, and I feel particularly sorry for those who had hoped to look for a part time job. I too was once a student living hundreds of miles from home and I have seen the other side as a parent and grandparent of students.

What I can’t get to grips with is the fuss about Christmas, there will be some who will be upset if they are unable to go home but a fair number would enjoy Christmas with their friends. Since this all erupted this weekend I can’t get a picture out of my head. It is of evacuee children during the Second World War who were sent off to places they had never heard of, with little or no contact with their parents, OK the past is a different country, but I wonder how they felt about Christmas?

Lin663

I completely agree with you. Boris is a brainless imbecile. Students are young adults and will mostly deal with staying put apart from the odd few with mental health issues.

The students arent the only ones going about as normal in their daily life- we have been told,up to this week,that its ok to do so, as long as we go out in masks, as long as we disatance- even the shielded are told its ok to no longer be shielded, so why would students expect to be treated any differently? If they were told its ok to come back to uni but not told at that stage theyd be under house arrest how many do you think would have signed up? Or paid fees& rents? None i would imagine! Less in coffers for gov't& unis i imagine! Im glad my sons had sense not to jump straight back in this year! Only those of us with a child or grandchild at uni will understand why we're angry,and why we are saying its not all the students fault this bloody virus is out of control! The oldies seem to be doing that just fine on their own!

FM Sturgeon has now said students can go home and learning will be on line for next two weeks. I rather liked the idea of all those young people being locked in with no social contact. Just a taste of what happened when the vulnerable elderly were shipped from hospital to care homes and have basically been locked in for months. No free weeks of care offered either unlike the students who seem to be in line for a rebate on their accommodation.

What should we do? As usual....not start from here! If anyone had looked ahead, students could have had first term at home with online tuition, and a chance to decide if they were on the right course. Then a properly organised start in January.
But they wouldnt have been all that money in...

Its not all students who are spreading it,i mentioned before on a different thread, an older guy, mid sixties maybe, stood in bloody shopping precinct, shouting out to all who knew him, even vaguely,it seemed, and he had NO MASK,and he was greeting them all with a flipping HANDSHAKE!! I think you'll find its NOT the students who havent got the message! The same as there was an article i spotted on a news thread which said "old people would rather die than miss xmas with their families!!") Its bloody madness! Why would older, and should- be wiser, folk risk all this? Its not all poor students, theyre just the ones being used as scape-goats!

I don't agree with much the government have done so far.
But to confine these students is one I do agree with.
They are being told to remain in and only allowed on their own outside garden area!!
In general once home don't stay at home first their traveling all over the country, then meet up at pubs, & out partying etc, they in general would continue to do as they always do, their young and do not appreciate the dangers they are putting themselves and others into especially their older family members and not just the elderly my sons workmate died and only 44 because of this awful pandemic.

They do need to stay put!!! It's a wise decision!! And this useless government do not make many good let alone wise ones!! Take care x

The students arent spreading deliberately im sure, they could be asymptomatic, so its not their fault! Why arent the gov't ensuring they have tests as soon as they arrive? that way they know all there are ok, or if not quarantine the ones who prove positive only?! And yes the foreign students are right they should all wear masks,all the time,even in classes.its safer.

Sparlefizz, theyre NOT all there for all the partying,drinking&sex, some unis only offer certain courses, so they apply where the course they want to do is! Like my sons friend,(whose girlfriend has gone there too) but if he had been doing same course as my son, theyd probably both be at one nearer home!

Yes, manchester students,who are living in halls, are being confined there,now,by security and police, they hadnt,as of yesterday, been given any details, told how theyre going to get food,etc, or let go to classes, my sons friend goes there, but he lives in salford in rented flat, so he tried deliver food as he works for uber part time, but had to leave it with security guy- he said the ones who live off- campus also havent been given any advice as to wether to come to classes! So theyre all,in effect,paying over 9k to be kept locked up.and apparently starved.Luckier for my son, he decided on one nearer home, but hes not gone back yet, as the risks are too high where his uni is.

mokryna there may be a few foreign students here (probably they never went home) but the majority of the foreign students in my local universities (who pay huge fees) come from Eastern countries. The loss of income for the UK runs into millions. This is an interesting article www.britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/insight-articles/future-UK-host-east-asian-students
Apparently one of the real things Asian students find off-putting is our reluctance to wear masks at all times. It is regarded by them as a social duty.

homefarm

Why were they sent in the first place?
Online tuition, no library or other facilities and very expensive hall of residence fees for little more than a prison cell - they might just as well stayed at home and done the course from there in comfort.

Because they wanted to live away from home and have the freedom of lots of partying, drinking and sex

Mollygo

It’s a crazy world.
They were allowed to go = complaints about “sending them off to mingle in large numbers because that’s what students do will spread the virus.”
They should have been stopped from going to Uni! =Shouts of “the government is ruining their education.”
They shouldn’t go home at Christmas=shouts of “they’re keeping them imprisoned!” (some actually put up posters saying HMP)
They should be allowed to go home for Christmas= Shouts of “they’re saying it’s OK for those young folk to spread the virus among their families!”
What would all GN have done? Could we reach an agreement on here about the right way to do it?

Mollygo ✔️✔️✔️

My GS was advised by his tutor to return this year to finish his Masters, which will mostly be on-line, because the situation might not have improved next year. How depressing

It’s a crazy world.
They were allowed to go = complaints about “sending them off to mingle in large numbers because that’s what students do will spread the virus.”
They should have been stopped from going to Uni! =Shouts of “the government is ruining their education.”
They shouldn’t go home at Christmas=shouts of “they’re keeping them imprisoned!” (some actually put up posters saying HMP)
They should be allowed to go home for Christmas= Shouts of “they’re saying it’s OK for those young folk to spread the virus among their families!”
What would all GN have done? Could we reach an agreement on here about the right way to do it?

I fear for the awful awful mis-managemnet of our Country - De Pfeffle and co have made a real pigs ear of it, can't answer anything properly, and I reckon will be long gone by this time next year, leaving Gove in charge.

My gs should be in Uni, but he dropped out, couldn't bear the thought of being stuck so far from us all in case anything happened, he's very close to his brothers and sisters and the thought of spending the holidays alone for him was awful as he suffers massively from anxiety.
He tried to get to his cahms sppt but found out via a friend that they have all been cancelled without him even knowing, because they haven't got the funding, so, back on another waiting list to be seen as his panic attacks are so so scary for him.
It took us two years for his first appointment.
I personally don't care about my own problems, I'm easy, but thinking what our kids and grandkids are going through right now, its soul destroying.
They deserve so much better...so much better. How anyone could fall for the lies this govt spun, and we've not even started to feel those wonderful Brexit effects yet!
Its not fair.

M0nica

There is a simple solution. End term a full fortnight before Christmas. Test each student before they go home. Those witha negative test result go home, those with a positive test, do their, up to two weeks, quarantine, are retested and all being well, go home. Special arrangements can be made for the handful locked down for Christmas to be together and have a happy and festive Christmas eve - boxing day.

I fully agree with M0nica

trisher
I know that there are foreign students present studying at the moment in at least one uni.

Oh dear, we've got enough trouble coping with the virus, without all this moaning and groaning. Maybe the government have made some bad decisions, but nobody knew exactly what to do, it is a unique situation. Will everyone stop being so mardy and get on with it!

If you had paid £9000 fees for a term (that's without accommodation) wouldn't you expect more than some on-line tutoring?

The English university where I worked has term end date of 11 December, just enough time for students to isolate and be free at Xmas.

Why were they sent in the first place?

Sent? Who sent them? They had the choice. Its a terrible situation but nobody sent them.

As someone who lives Nextdoor to a halls of residence I think it might de a good idea just to let the students mix in the halls but kept away from the public. If they catch the virus and become sick they will be very well looked after.

The virus was already spreading when they came at the weekend so what did they think was going to happen!. The really clever ones packed their bags (again) and went home when they were told that they were going into lockdown.
Last week they were seen gathering in groups of up to 30 and completing ignoring the rule of 6 and people were complaining about it.
If they have to remain in their halls over Christmas so be it. They are 18 yrs old, all adults and like someone else has said if they were in the army they would have to obey the rules.

We cannot risk students going home at Christmas and possibly spreading the virus on to their family and friends. They all have laptops and phones and are able to connect to their family and friends and then there’s Zoom.

We are all having to make sacrifices and that includes the students.

Why were they sent in the first place?
Online tuition, no library or other facilities and very expensive hall of residence fees for little more than a prison cell - they might just as well stayed at home and done the course from there in comfort.

Maybe some students will be chuffed not having to go home for Christmas! Not having to listen to Great Aunt Sybil absent minded ramblings, parents wanting to know all your business etc. No dry turkey, no revolting Christmas pudding, no evening spent watching boring BBC repeats etc etc.