Preparing for Coronavirus?

[mamselle]

Not directly related to schools themselves, but for those who work in the arts, music, theater, and dance, support agencies are making some good suggestions for long-term survival.

I was proud of this organization (I don't live there anymore but a friend exhibits in their shows and we visit their gallery when I'm in town):

   https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwHMPfZLXZmPBvfGtqxJVzKlxfm

Especially the idea of not demanding refunds if you can afford to let it go, or hanging onto a pre-purchased ticket against a probable re-scheduling of the performance later on, seems like a considerate one.

As places close or restrict their hours, performers in cafe's, restaurants, and coffeehouses will see their income reduced as well.

And encouraging people to hire skilled art instructors as tutors for children who are home when parents are also at home, trying to work, may be a way to turn a difficult situation into a win-win (with proper precautions--usually one would know the teacher or artist already, perhaps, and they you; all would need to be transparent about their known health status and exposure liabilities, and observe good self-care and hygenic precautions).

Anyway, just a thought...

M.

[secundem_artem]

My panic buying was completed before the rush and price gouging kicked in.  I have enough toilet paper to weather an epic case of the trots.  I've cleaned and loaded my gun, and am hunkered down to await the apocalypse.

We live in a fearful and angry country where the citizenry is armed to the teeth.  I'm not particularly afraid of Covid-19.  But all the rest of the a$$holes out there???  Any given city is 72 hours away from chaos if the trucks and trains that deliver all that food and toilet paper can't get here.  I hope and pray this is not going to turn into some kind of Hobbesian nightmare, but want to be at least somewhat ready just in case.

Oh - and I'm learning some new technology that I can use to move at least that part of my life online.

[spork]

On a neighborhood Google group, I volunteered to bake and deliver bread for anyone who is self-isolating at home because they are in a high-risk category, as sort of a cheer-me-up. There is a list being developed of how people can look after each other.

Administrators at my university are slow to realize that we may soon lose the ability to do face-to-face training for faculty who need to move their courses online. With the K-12 schools closed, child care at home is now a priority for many, and I can see the screws tightening in terms of travel. I myself have an hour commute, but am now in an administrative "emergency academic response" role despite having work to do for my own courses, so I'm still on campus a lot. I have also been fighting by email with our campus Sodexo reps, student residence hall directors, etc. We have some students still residing on campus because they have nowhere else to go, but all campus dining options but one are closed, and the exception has extremely limited hours and serves only pre-prepared snack foods. The students need to eat. And since we have a meal plan requirement, the food they need has already been paid for.

[AmLitHist]

This may be a dumb question, but for those of you who have already/are about to go online with your classes: are you (as faculty) still being expected to show up on campus per your normal teaching and office hours?

We finally got the word yesterday (extending spring break an extra week, so students are off until 3/30, when classes shift to online), but faculty are required to be on campus all week the week after regular spring break (i.e. starting 3/23) during our regularly scheduled hours.  Even if all our classes are shifted online before then, we still have to show up. I'm thinking they may well require this after the classes resume online on 3/30.

Maybe I'm being petty, but it seems pretty ridiculous to me to go sit in my office there (plus 2 hours round-trip commuting) just to do the same work I could just as easily do at home.  If a student would need to meet for some reason, sure, I'd go in, but otherwise....WTH?

I'm curious to know what others here are doing in this regard.

[clean]

are you (as faculty) still being expected to show up on campus per your normal teaching and office hours?

That is my read of the email we got Thursday afternoon.  The email indicated that we are extending the break one week, but we are to be on campus and preparing our classes to be online through the end of the term, though currently the plan is to be face to face on the 23rd.  The provost's follow up email indicated that all course shells should have no less than 2 weeks worth of material available in case the faculty member were to get sick!  I read that to say that while a sick faculty member may cancel a face to face class, worst case, that being sick is no excuse to stop an online class!   on the other hand, that just may be a good practice period. Having 2 weeks of auxiliary, related, topical, but not necessarily core material that is available should a faculty member need to be out is probably not a bad idea under any normal situation. 

There was also mention that we should meet with the department chairs to indicate how we will handle office hours online and how we would communicate with students about arranging appointments online. Will we be on the phone or email, or video conferencing.

My chair is already doing a lot of online teaching and she has regular online office hours in addition to the lessons she prepares (and emails) to her classes.  She is not on campus during those times, but her online office hours run from 7 to 9 on Mondays and Wednesdays for her classes. She has said that there are some days that she sits in her office working on things and no one shows up, especially in undergraduate classes. The graduate classes are usually much more likely to come and even want to extend the time!

Whether we are on campus (which may be a Dean or even Provost level decision) or whether we have online presence when we would have been in class is not clear yet, but I would not be surprised that we are expected to have a meeting scheduled online for those hours.  After all, we can not have it LOOK like faculty are getting paid and not be on campus!

What are other campuses doing?

[clean]

BREAKING NEWS  (ok I just saw it anyway).
starting 3/15 the primary  grocery store chain in my part of the state (really its either them or Walmart) has announced that it will reduce hours and will open only from 8 to 8! That is so that they can have time to restock the shelves, they claim.

SO maybe there IS  a reason to have a run on grocery stores! They are closing early and opening late!

Are you seeing such things in your area?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Yesterday our University made the decision to close campus to students and the public for at least two weeks. We have Spring Break this coming week (starting on the 16th), so we will miss one week of instruction. The plan is for everyone to prepare to teach online, until further notice. Faculty and staff are allowed on campus, but students are not. They will be removed from dorms and relocated.

I have also seen the reduced hours for grocery stores. I tend to keep a pantry with a few months supply of food anyway, so we're ready (foodwise) in case something truly catastrophic happens. Hopefully, social distancing will work its magic.

[dismalist]

Are you noticing runs on grocery stores/WalMarts in your neighborhood today?

Yes.  Today was the wrong day to run out of potatoes!

Local medium-sized grocery store was sold out of loaves of bread, all poultry (incl. organic and kosher) and most fish (except smoked salmon), conventional but not organic bananas, many kinds of cereal, milk, eggs, small but not large cucumbers, and of course potatoes and onions.  I asked a staffer if they were having supplier issues (which sometimes happen at this store) or if it was all coronavirus-related panic buying, and she said it was the latter.

These runs on stores are so easily avoidable: Just raise prices! :-) Stores don't do it yet because they don't wish to piss off their customers. But if this keeps up, prices will rise, especially since supply isn't exactly going to go up.

I know it will objected that then the poor can't get anything. Well, maybe they can't get anything as is. More interestingly, we might impose a rationing scheme such that the customer gets what s/he bought last week at last weeks prices, but if s/he buys more, the extra is charged double, triple, or whatever it take to keep the shelves full.

Simpler is for stores to ration, say, one per customer. [But then watch the large sizes run out!] Maybe that will come by itself.

I overstock on wine only, but that's independent of the virus.

It's starting by limiting store hours and setting purchase limits.

[dismalist]

And this free-market miracle:

https://krcgtv.com/news/local/tiger-hotel-pop-up-store-to-provide-essential-items-during-covid-19-spread

[hmaria1609]

The alumni office at my graduate school alma mater (where I did my MLS) has called off the summer alumni weekend reunion.  My undergrad alma mater has canceled all upcoming alumni regional receptions. There were additional e-mail messages about campus services and such from both, directed at current students and alumni.

On a neighborhood Google group, I volunteered to bake and deliver bread for anyone who is self-isolating at home because they are in a high-risk category, as sort of a cheer-me-up. There is a list being developed of how people can look after each other.

I'm seeing messages by individuals and community organizations offering various services to help on the 2 neighborhood listservs through Yahoo groups I'm subscribed. It's helpful to see what's being offered.
The city public school system is providing meals for students at designated schools in wards where there's the most need.

[pigou]

BREAKING NEWS  (ok I just saw it anyway).
starting 3/15 the primary  grocery store chain in my part of the state (really its either them or Walmart) has announced that it will reduce hours and will open only from 8 to 8! That is so that they can have time to restock the shelves, they claim.

SO maybe there IS  a reason to have a run on grocery stores! They are closing early and opening late!

Are you seeing such things in your area?

The Whole Foods in my area had some empty shelves and some pallets with more food. Looked consistent with them having supply in the back of the store but not being able to restock the shelves fast enough to keep up with shoppers. The supply chain for groceries shouldn't remotely be impacted by this, so no reason to think they're going to run out. Of course the store did run out of hand sanitizer and toilet paper.

Fun fact: there are two large Asian grocery stores one block over and they had fully stocked shelves (including hand sanitizer and toilet paper). Wouldn't be surprised if half the people at Whole Foods would never step into an Asian store, though. On the upside: plenty of groceries for people who aren't racist.

[spork]

My university has banned all university-sponsored non-essential domestic travel, effective immediately. I assume that includes academic conferences.

[Parasaurolophus]

The Word has come down from on high: we have two days to shift all instruction online.

[spork]

The Word has come down from on high: we have two days to shift all instruction online.

Have fun.

Can't see my mother for an indefinite period. Her retirement home has banned visitors. Residents are prohibited from leaving the building.

[dismalist]

Yeah.

I remember when the program I ran added on-line instruction: We had substantial technical support, not optimal, but substantial. To get a good on-line course one needed an instructor who had already taught the course on-site, was willing to go on-line, and spend time on the project. That usually took one semester.

Much less time for an instructor with no on-line experience is illusory. The powers that be kiddeth themselves. It's their shield, not education.

The best one can hope for is that many instructors have some on-line experience of some kind.

Best of luck to all, as usual.