Impact on Universities

[Huntergreed]

My uni (Scotland) has just released their timetable for my third year of studies.

Everything online until Christmas (and I mean EVERYTHING from big lectures to small 5-10 person seminars).

What’s the point of the vaccine?

What’s the point of paying through the roof tuition fees? (I’m Scottish so it’s free but I have a friend who pays £16,000 a year for this course)

On top of this, masks will remain mandatory (including the clause “even if the Scottish Government remove the legal requirement to wear a mask, we will continue to require all students and staff to do so to protect the health of our community and to allow people to study safely and confidently”), track and trace is remaining mandatory to get in, they’re keeping the 1 way system and retaining 1m distancing until Christmas at the earliest.

I am VERY angry, even more so that most of my classmates think it’s “sensible”, “safe” and “not too bad”.

I will be EXTREMELY angry if I find out English universities are fully in-person where I have to deal with this ****show just because Nicola Sturgeon is trying to advance her independence campaign by trying to look “safer”.

 

[NorthKent1989]

I’m going to do my masters at Greenwich and as far as I’m aware it’s face to face classes with the option of joining online, which I may end up doing purely because I don’t plan on living in London much longer.

 

[RuralRambler]

I will be EXTREMELY angry if I find out English universities are fully in-person where I have to deal with this ****show just because Nicola Sturgeon is trying to advance her independence campaign by trying to look “safer”.

I wouldn't worry about English Unis being fully "in person". I think that's VERY unlikely, despite what some are saying. There are still lots of staff/lecturers apparently hiding behind their sofas, aided and abetted by the UCU union. Looking at my son's Uni Covid statement, there's lots of "where possible", lots of mentions of "blended learning", references to requiring students to respect one way systems, social distancing, etc. This is a Uni that told its staff/lecturers last May/June (2020) that they'd be working from home all academic year (20/21) so not to plan to attend campus. There've been very few staff on campus (essential F2F subjects only such as medical, science labs etc), so they're not likely to want to be hopping and skipping back to everything being face to face in September! A lot of Unis weren't very truthful last August about their "blended learning", so I'd take whatever they say about this year with a pinch of salt!

 

[liam456]

My uni (Scotland) has just released their timetable for my third year of studies.

Everything online until Christmas (and I mean EVERYTHING from big lectures to small 5-10 person seminars).

What’s the point of the vaccine?

What’s the point of paying through the roof tuition fees? (I’m Scottish so it’s free but I have a friend who pays £16,000 a year for this course)

On top of this, masks will remain mandatory (including the clause “even if the Scottish Government remove the legal requirement to wear a mask, we will continue to require all students and staff to do so to protect the health of our community and to allow people to study safely and confidently”), track and trace is remaining mandatory to get in, they’re keeping the 1 way system and retaining 1m distancing until Christmas at the earliest.

I am VERY angry, even more so that most of my classmates think it’s “sensible”, “safe” and “not too bad”.

I will be EXTREMELY angry if I find out English universities are fully in-person where I have to deal with this ****show just because Nicola Sturgeon is trying to advance her independence campaign by trying to look “safer”.

I feel you. I've read the Scottish Steering Guidelines for Universities and am really quite disappointed with what they say. I've emailed my MSP's to voice my grievances but the first one I tried got back to me three weeks after my initial contact. Currently trying with one of my regional Glasgow MSP's but to no avail so far. I can take solace in the fact that house parties, e.t.c won't be criminalised any more and can at least have some fun while I'm up there.