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Here's a not horrible outline of a plan to *eventually* reopen the major R1 college campuses from the President of Brown, but the idea that this plan is right for everyone, or will be ready to go this fall, is a pipe dream. https://twitter.com/nytopinion/status/1254574181917876224
Here's a not horrible outline of a plan to *eventually* reopen the major R1 college campuses from the President of Brown, but the idea that this plan is right for everyone, or will be ready to go this fall, is a pipe dream. https://twitter.com/nytopinion/status/1254574181917876224
It's not happening and it's pretty simple to see why.
President Paxson writes that "testing is an absolute prerequisite. All campuses must be able to conduct rapid testing for the coronavirus for all students, when they first arrive on campus and at regular intervals."
President Paxson writes that "testing is an absolute prerequisite. All campuses must be able to conduct rapid testing for the coronavirus for all students, when they first arrive on campus and at regular intervals."
I agree that testing has to come before everything else. You can't hit a double without passing first and you cannot reopen college campuses with any semblance of safety without testing.
And that level of testing is simply not happening.
And that level of testing is simply not happening.
As of now, New York conducts 20,000 tests a day with an eventual goal of 40,000 tests a day, according to Gov. Cuomo.
40,000 a day.
40,000 a day.
Syracuse University (where I teach) has 23,000 students, 1,800 faculty members, and 3,500 members of staff. Ballpark, that's 29,000 tests JUST FOR ONE SCHOOL, and we ain't the only school in the state.
Want to guess how many postsecondary students there are in New York State? Acc to http://cicu.org , there's 1.2 million. If New York State can actually get to 40,000 tests a day, it will take 30 days -- an entire month -- to test just the college students.
And there's faculty and staff to test on top of that.
Oh, yeah, there's also every other person living in the state who might need to have access to a test. Can't forget about them.
Oh, yeah, there's also every other person living in the state who might need to have access to a test. Can't forget about them.
If President Paxson's plan is the plan we're going with, it ain't happening in August 2020. The testing numbers would have go way, way up.
80,000 tests a day would allow the students to be tested once every two weeks, which should be the minimum goal, given the incubation period of 2-14 days, but then there's all the faculty and staff that need to be tested, too.
So we're talking, what? 120,000 tests a day just to cover higher education?
Cool, you tell the high schools we'll be on campus and they can stay home.
Cool, you tell the high schools we'll be on campus and they can stay home.
Honestly, it would be in everyone's best interest RIGHT NOW for colleges and universities to say, "We're online until at least January 2021." That way, we can start planning our courses accordingly and have effective online strategies in place for fall.
There are HUGE questions about asynchronous vs synchronous teaching. Some students do better in one vs the other. Some classes do better in one vs the other. Some teachers do better in one vs the other. Some campuses do better in one vs the other.
The idea that any one way of doing things is right and the other is wrong is obnoxious.
There are massive questions that need to be grappled with all summer (more work that teachers will have to do without any financial compensation).
There are massive questions that need to be grappled with all summer (more work that teachers will have to do without any financial compensation).
Real questions that need real conversations, and all to come up with answers that are going to fall short, anyway. But those conversations should be started the day after spring finals, not July 1 or August 1.
Because the longer we wait, the worse it's going to be.
Because the longer we wait, the worse it's going to be.
Or we can just reopen all the schools. I'm sure it'll be easy to social distance on a college campus. And high schools. And middle schools. And elementary schools.
Honestly, I think schools are going to try to reopen, given the financial considerations. I hope conditions exist that allow us to open because I like having a paycheck, but the paycheck isn't as important as everyone's safety.
Unless testing greatly expands, open colleges and K-12 schools will just be putting students, teachers, and staff at risk.
Higher education can do it online. It's not the best way to learn, but we can do it, and we should bite that bullet for the good of those who have jobs that can't go online.
If any schools open, it should be the younger students first. It should be special needs students first. The rest of us can wait until January. Or next August.
I don't want to bash President Paxson because she's at least out here putting ideas forward. We need more of that. But I think even if we had the testing, this plan won't work for every school.
But even discounting that, it presents a plan for a world we're not yet living in.
But even discounting that, it presents a plan for a world we're not yet living in.
