Favorite student emails

[Puget]

Current tests for COVID, especially rapid tests, do not accurately reflect the variants circulating in many places in Canada, the US, and the EU. I would rather give students the benefit of the doubt, given the new variants and how immune evasive they are. I don't want a student with COVID symptoms, whether COVID or not, coming to class, feeling they have to work when they should be resting, or otherwise endangering their health or that of others. Tests aren't infallible. People test negative for many days until testing positive many days later.

This is not correct-- the rapid tests still work, because the RNA sequence they test for is not one that has mutated across variants.
It is true that rapid tests can give false negatives early in an infection, which is why someone with symptoms should test again the next day and isolate in the meantime. PCR tests are highly sensitive and accurate for all variants.

It is important to recognize that false negatives can occur, but it is very important not to spread false information that tests no longer work.

[onthefringe]

Current tests for COVID, especially rapid tests, do not accurately reflect the variants circulating in many places in Canada, the US, and the EU. I would rather give students the benefit of the doubt, given the new variants and how immune evasive they are. I don't want a student with COVID symptoms, whether COVID or not, coming to class, feeling they have to work when they should be resting, or otherwise endangering their health or that of others. Tests aren't infallible. People test negative for many days until testing positive many days later.

This is not correct-- the rapid tests still work, because the RNA sequence they test for is not one that has mutated across variants.
It is true that rapid tests can give false negatives early in an infection, which is why someone with symptoms should test again the next day and isolate in the meantime. PCR tests are highly sensitive and accurate for all variants.

It is important to recognize that false negatives can occur, but it is very important not to spread false information that tests no longer work.

Rapid tests detect proteins, not RNA. However, you are right that concerns seem to be low for variants escaping the common rapid tests. This recent paper models the impact of mutations on all the antigens detected in the commercially available rapid tests and find limited to no concern for the current variants of concern escaping detection.

Everything I have read suggests that false negative antigen tests are (as puget notes) much more common in asymptomatic people than symptomatic people, so I think there's decent support for people with symptoms but a negative test being ok to leave their homes, especially if they are willing to mask.

I agree that people should prioritize their health, but also see a fair number of students using "my roommate's partner might have some covid symptoms so I should stay home" as a reason to skip class.

[Puget]

Current tests for COVID, especially rapid tests, do not accurately reflect the variants circulating in many places in Canada, the US, and the EU. I would rather give students the benefit of the doubt, given the new variants and how immune evasive they are. I don't want a student with COVID symptoms, whether COVID or not, coming to class, feeling they have to work when they should be resting, or otherwise endangering their health or that of others. Tests aren't infallible. People test negative for many days until testing positive many days later.

This is not correct-- the rapid tests still work, because the RNA sequence they test for is not one that has mutated across variants.
It is true that rapid tests can give false negatives early in an infection, which is why someone with symptoms should test again the next day and isolate in the meantime. PCR tests are highly sensitive and accurate for all variants.

It is important to recognize that false negatives can occur, but it is very important not to spread false information that tests no longer work.

Rapid tests detect proteins, not RNA. However, you are right that concerns seem to be low for variants escaping the common rapid tests. This recent paper models the impact of mutations on all the antigens detected in the commercially available rapid tests and find limited to no concern for the current variants of concern escaping detection.

Everything I have read suggests that false negative antigen tests are (as puget notes) much more common in asymptomatic people than symptomatic people, so I think there's decent support for people with symptoms but a negative test being ok to leave their homes, especially if they are willing to mask.

I agree that people should prioritize their health, but also see a fair number of students using "my roommate's partner might have some covid symptoms so I should stay home" as a reason to skip class.

Yes you're right, what I should have more precisely said is that the RNA sequence which is translated into the protein that the rapid test detects has not mutated (which is just rather lucky, but has held so far).

[kaysixteen]

Hmmm... this brings up an interesting question in my mind, esp in the era of effective covid vaxxes: we do not say that someone who may or may not have influenza should necessarily skip class, esp if their symptoms are mild, and we do not have a flu test protocol either.   Mild cold symptoms could of course just be a mild cold.   Exactly for how long should we make anyone who has symptoms that might be covid isolate from the world?   Remember that in the world of low-wage workers, the time of (often mandatory) paid covid time off is long gone, and skipping work because of what might be a cold could be financially disastrous.

[jerseyjay]

Hmmm... this brings up an interesting question in my mind, esp in the era of effective covid vaxxes: we do not say that someone who may or may not have influenza should necessarily skip class, esp if their symptoms are mild, and we do not have a flu test protocol either.   Mild cold symptoms could of course just be a mild cold.   Exactly for how long should we make anyone who has symptoms that might be covid isolate from the world?   Remember that in the world of low-wage workers, the time of (often mandatory) paid covid time off is long gone, and skipping work because of what might be a cold could be financially disastrous.

Actually, I think that we probably need to reevaluate our policies regarding illness in general. Long before Covid, I told my students that if they were ill, they should stay home. I would prefer that my cook, my doctor, etc., not have a mild case of the flu at work. Not to mention that rest sometimes is the best treatment. I would prefer that students who are ill not come to class. [There are some students who will use any excuse not to come to class, but then there are some students who seem to be on death's door and will still come to class.] I agree in the real world (i.e., at work, not school), staying home can be financially disastrous. But this would seem to me to highlight the need to offer paid sick days, not enforced work when ill.

(I also agree that sometimes Covid protocols seem silly. I still have colleagues who do not come to work for several days because they might have been exposed to somebody who might have been exposed to Covid. I assume that that in the course of my regular day I am probably exposed to somebody who has Covid regularly.)

[apl68]

Current tests for COVID, especially rapid tests, do not accurately reflect the variants circulating in many places in Canada, the US, and the EU. I would rather give students the benefit of the doubt, given the new variants and how immune evasive they are. I don't want a student with COVID symptoms, whether COVID or not, coming to class, feeling they have to work when they should be resting, or otherwise endangering their health or that of others. Tests aren't infallible. People test negative for many days until testing positive many days later.

This is not correct-- the rapid tests still work, because the RNA sequence they test for is not one that has mutated across variants.
It is true that rapid tests can give false negatives early in an infection, which is why someone with symptoms should test again the next day and isolate in the meantime. PCR tests are highly sensitive and accurate for all variants.

It is important to recognize that false negatives can occur, but it is very important not to spread false information that tests no longer work.

Rapid tests detect proteins, not RNA. However, you are right that concerns seem to be low for variants escaping the common rapid tests. This recent paper models the impact of mutations on all the antigens detected in the commercially available rapid tests and find limited to no concern for the current variants of concern escaping detection.

Everything I have read suggests that false negative antigen tests are (as puget notes) much more common in asymptomatic people than symptomatic people, so I think there's decent support for people with symptoms but a negative test being ok to leave their homes, especially if they are willing to mask.

I agree that people should prioritize their health, but also see a fair number of students using "my roommate's partner might have some covid symptoms so I should stay home" as a reason to skip class.

Yes you're right, what I should have more precisely said is that the RNA sequence which is translated into the protein that the rapid test detects has not mutated (which is just rather lucky, but has held so far).

Evidently the federal agency that has tried to turn our library into a free test distribution site has lost faith in the rapid tests.  They have supplied us with tests that we must send in by Federal Express.  The taker of the test has to wait two or three days and then log in online to get the results.  Virtually nobody wants these tests--if they have the time to take a test and then wait for the results, they'll go to their doctor or health clinic for it.  Otherwise they want, and need, rapid tests.  Since we can't offer them rapid tests, they have rejected what we have to offer.  We've finally given up on the program--total waste of time and resources. 

If the feds really wanted to encourage more use of testing, they should have continued to supply the rapid tests, whatever their faults.  A superior test that people don't actually use might as well be no test at all.

[RatGuy]

Hmmm... this brings up an interesting question in my mind, esp in the era of effective covid vaxxes: we do not say that someone who may or may not have influenza should necessarily skip class, esp if their symptoms are mild, and we do not have a flu test protocol either.   Mild cold symptoms could of course just be a mild cold.   Exactly for how long should we make anyone who has symptoms that might be covid isolate from the world?   Remember that in the world of low-wage workers, the time of (often mandatory) paid covid time off is long gone, and skipping work because of what might be a cold could be financially disastrous.

To the bolded: yes on all fronts

[science.expat]

Here in Oz, we don't have to isolate if we're covid positive. I don't know the rules in the States.

Wrt RATS, often operator error is the reason for the negative result. In other words, the person self testing doesn't swab correctly.

[ergative]

Hmmm... this brings up an interesting question in my mind, esp in the era of effective covid vaxxes: we do not say that someone who may or may not have influenza should necessarily skip class, esp if their symptoms are mild, and we do not have a flu test protocol either.   Mild cold symptoms could of course just be a mild cold.   Exactly for how long should we make anyone who has symptoms that might be covid isolate from the world?   Remember that in the world of low-wage workers, the time of (often mandatory) paid covid time off is long gone, and skipping work because of what might be a cold could be financially disastrous.

The real solution is to do what, I understand, has been common protocol in east Asia for a long time, starting well before Covid: if you fell unwell, just stick a mask on your own face! Maybe it's a cold, maybe it's allergies, maybe it's the beginnings of a flu. Doesn't matter: Keep your filthy breath germs to yourself and you minimize the spread whatever you've got.

Also paid sick leave, so minimum wage workers don't have to come to work sick. Because, remember, when you're sick you're not just a risk to others. You also feel lousy and shouldn't have to be flipping burgers or scrubbing toilets.

Of course, that will never fly here. People wouldn't even mask up to protect themselves, and federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour, ffs.

(It persistently boggled my mind how people would blithely say, 'Oh, I have asthma, I'm exempt, I don't have to mask up.' My friend, are you not concerned that asthma makes it that much more important for you to protect yourself if at all possible, because you're that much more at risk if you get sick? Maybe you'll get attacks if you mask up, I don't know. But my impression was that many of these people were using their diagnoses as an excuse to avoid a tedious requirement, rather than genuinely unable to mask up because of the asthma or whatever.)

[AvidReader]

I also wish the outcome of COVID testing and masking had been to encourage people to wear a mask when they exhibit cold symptoms. I woke up with cold symptoms last week but desperately needed to run errands. Took a rapid test (negative) and ran my errands with a mask. Is it unpleasant to have a stuffy nose and a mask? Yes. Is it better for me to be uncomfortable for half an hour if it means someone immune compromised might not catch my cold? Unquestionably. To me it's polite, not political.

AR.

[FishProf]

Ah, it is that time of year.

"Fishprof,
I would like to speak with you regarding my failure warning. Do you have time this week? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Confused Student"

"Confused student,
You've done none of the lecture or video quizzes. and 6 of 29 reading quizzes.  What  is it you would like to discuss?
Fishprof"

[the_geneticist]

Ah, it is that time of year.

"Fishprof,
I would like to speak with you regarding my failure warning. Do you have time this week? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Confused Student"

"Confused student,
You've done none of the lecture or video quizzes. and 6 of 29 reading quizzes.  What  is it you would like to discuss?
Fishprof"

Wow.  Maybe they want advice on building a time machine?

I'm going to be getting emails as soon as exam grades are posted.  I have some VERY high-stress "I've never had less than an A grade on anything ever!" students.
I better find that box of tissues.

[science.expat]

<Channeling an ex-colleague> Never provide tissues, they encourage tears.

[OneMoreYear]

PITA grad student email at 10:45am: I'm so confused about [concept I have already met with them about and provided written feedback to everyone so they can revise their work]

OMY email at 12:47pm: [Email telling her exactly where she can locate the feedback and copy and pasting the feedback into the email]

PITA student at 12:49pm: So is this part not right? [screen shot of original submission]

OMY: [turns off email to focus on grading and to avoid sending an email of what I really want to say]

It is clear she just wants me to tell her exactly what to write. I, however, want them think. We clearly have disparate goals in this interaction.

[Harlow2]

PITA grad student email at 10:45am: I'm so confused about [concept I have already met with them about and provided written feedback to everyone so they can revise their work]

OMY email at 12:47pm: [Email telling her exactly where she can locate the feedback and copy and pasting the feedback into the email]

PITA student at 12:49pm: So is this part not right? [screen shot of original submission]

OMY: [turns off email to focus on grading and to avoid sending an email of what I really want to say]

It is clear she just wants me to tell her exactly what to write. I, however, want them think. We clearly have disparate goals in this interaction.

Grad student in 2nd installment of dissertation seminar has topic and wants me to choose a method for him. I referred him to his coursework in qual and quant.  Rant: some students in these seminars and flail around and make up stuff without going back and looking at what they did in their methods classes.