claim: students will not party because they want to do the right thing

[polly_mer]

https://insidehighered.com/views/2020/08/19/safely-reopen-fall-colleges-must-reinforce-students-natural-tendency-do-right-thing

[apl68]

Well, I would agree that students who want to do the right thing won't party and such to the detriment of themselves and others.  Unfortunately it was my experience during my years in higher ed that a great many students don't consider "doing the right thing" in any adult and mature sense a priority.

[Caracal]

Well, I would agree that students who want to do the right thing won't party and such to the detriment of themselves and others.  Unfortunately it was my experience during my years in higher ed that a great many students don't consider "doing the right thing" in any adult and mature sense a priority.

I actually imagine most students will follow guidelines. We won't hear about them, because nobody takes your picture if you are in your room, or outside hanging out with a few people in an appropriate manner. I'm sick of the focus being on student behavior. Certainly, people who behave recklessly put others at risk. However, the issue is that when the virus is as widespread as it is in many place in the country, there's just no way you can put a bunch of people in close proximity and expect that things can be controlled. At UNC, most of the clusters were centered around living spaces. Could some of that be caused by people gathering in large numbers? Maybe, but it looks like the biggest factor is just people spending lots of time in close proximity to each other, which is pretty hard to avoid in a communal living setting like a dorm.

[Vkw10]

I expect at least 90% of my students to be conscientious about following health and safety rules. I expect 90% of the others to follow the rules most of the time. The small percentage who ignore rules frequently will be a problem, just as the small number of faculty and staff who ignore rules will be.

Drunk drivers don't just kill themselves in car crashes. They kill sober drivers who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Students who are careless with COVID-19 precautions will infect those who are careful.

[Parasaurolophus]

Like Caracal and Vkw10, I think most students will be fairly conscientious. Or, at least, as conscientious as te population at large.

The trouble is that we can't really expect students to be much better than the population at large. And there's a significant minority of ordinary "adult" Americans who haven't been great.

Looking at the world around me, teens aren't great about masking around. But the only dick-nosers I've seen have all been elderly.

[Caracal]

Like Caracal and Vkw10, I think most students will be fairly conscientious. Or, at least, as conscientious as te population at large.

The trouble is that we can't really expect students to be much better than the population at large. And there's a significant minority of ordinary "adult" Americans who haven't been great.

Looking at the world around me, teens aren't great about masking around. But the only dick-nosers I've seen have all been elderly.

Even in terms of the behavior of the population at large, I think we focus too much on individual decisions and not enough on the conditions created by the people in charge. In most of the country, restaurants are open for indoor service. That doesn't mean that its a good choice to go to those places, but should we be surprised that people do?

Same basic thing. Some minority of students will selfishly ignore rules. The problem is that this is going to increase the danger for the majority of students who are trying to do their best. In communal indoor settings that's going to result in rapid spread even among people who weren't doing anything particularly risky. Don't blame students because 10 percent of them are being selfish jerks, blame the administrators who think it is a good idea to go full steam ahead when the virus isn't under control.

[polly_mer]

Drunk drivers don't just kill themselves in car crashes. They kill sober drivers who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Students who are careless with COVID-19 precautions will infect those who are careful.

This is the problem: 90% of us being responsible doesn't matter when there's 10% doing just regular fails and 1% doing spectacular fails.

[Caracal]

Drunk drivers don't just kill themselves in car crashes. They kill sober drivers who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Students who are careless with COVID-19 precautions will infect those who are careful.

This is the problem: 90% of us being responsible doesn't matter when there's 10% doing just regular fails and 1% doing spectacular fails.

It turns out this is what a government is supposed to be for.

[apl68]

Drunk drivers don't just kill themselves in car crashes. They kill sober drivers who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Students who are careless with COVID-19 precautions will infect those who are careful.

This is the problem: 90% of us being responsible doesn't matter when there's 10% doing just regular fails and 1% doing spectacular fails.

Well, that was my thought.  Even if most students are conscientious, and only a 10% minority (Which seems a little optimistic to me, at least at some places) weren't careful, that's an awful lot of people.  Will 90% compliance be enough to get a college community through safely?  I don't know, but I don't blame people for being worried.

[clean]

What does "the right thing" even mean to a freshman away from home for an extended time even mean? 
I learned that "you can always retake a class, you can not retake a party!"  while I was teaching classes as part of my PhD program.
The first parties of college set up your social standing for the next four (to six) years! 

How many universities have already sent their students home? 

[polly_mer]

How many universities have already sent their students home?

We're sharing news stories on https://thefora.org/index.php?topic=1569.0.

It's already more than one.

[polly_mer]

Syracuse University wrote an open letter regarding last night's parties: https://news.syr.edu/blog/2020/08/20/last-nights-selfish-and-reckless-behavior/

[TreadingLife]

Holy Cross is also very cross at its students.

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/08/20/holy-cross-party-covid-19

[waterboy]

And then there's Penn State:  https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_09b00b10-e2fc-11ea-a1d3-93d64745a2a8.html

[polly_mer]

UConn students evicted after party: https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/08/19/uconn-students-evicted-from-campus-after-crowded-dorm-party