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MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

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Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#221

Post by chickenpotpie »

saagarjha wrote: post #200
leetcrew wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

most schools have some sort of database with everyone's course registration and often finals follow a regular schedule that can be derived from the student's course enrollment. I don't know why they even bother to make students tell the RA. they could just send each student's exam schedule directly to the RA and require some written notice from the professor to document exceptions. another question is why it even mat…

That doesn't really work, because professors move their exams all the time…

Everyone 100 level class had their final time set by the registrar.

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#222

Post by mackey »

iokanuon wrote: post #205
kyeb wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>In what way are dorms worse than personal homes for diseases anyway? Are they not trusting their students to prepare their own food? Why don't they just close the dining halls instead? The dorms have shared bathrooms, often shared rooms with doubles, triples, and quads, and shared living spaces (lounges, study rooms, laundry, etc.) in addition to the dining halls. Moreover, in our dorms, we have effectively no way t…

>Moreover, in our dorms, we have effectively no way to eat if the dining halls close down. That sounds crazy to me, in Poland there's a multitude of cheap restaurants full of students close to every university campus. There's a big demand because universities are packed with students that don't cook for themselves. Why hasn't the same happened to the US then?

The US is a big place. Those exist in the US too, but MIT is in an area surrounded my software companies and pharmaceuticals. Not a lot of cheap options.

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#223

Post by j88439h84 »

gumby wrote: post #63
JPKab wrote: post #2

One of my coworkers daughters is affected by this. The big question this begs: If there is no refund being offered for the content shifting online from in-person, why have in-person at all? Is room and board going to be refunded? If courses being taught online is an acceptable substitute, why have caps on admission at all? Edit: Understood that infinite sized classes aren't workable for human intensive grading, inter…

I don't think anyone believes online is an acceptable substitute to a traditional MIT education, but it's a lot better than nothing, and better than continuing the in person teaching. I'm an MIT grad and know the benefits of being on campus. In fact I spent more time in the lab than I did in classes or my dorm and that just isn't possible online. My son's school (Courant) has sent everyone home too, with online subst…

> I don't think anyone believes online is an acceptable substitute to a traditional MIT education

I suspect a lot of people believe that

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#224

Post by CydeWeys »

chrisseaton wrote: post #142
smallnamespace wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many universities are either municipalities in their own right, or have delegated municipal powers from the city government. Universities are their own small towns - they provide food, housing, have police forces, a large staff, etc. Put it the other way around, does it make more sense for a city official to be calling the shots, when campuses have their own special context?

> have police forces Literally their own police forces? How does that work? Where do they get the authority to be police from? Who are they sworn to?

They get the authority from the state. My alma mater University of Maryland had its own police force. They were sworn gun-carrying officers of the law same as the county cops and state troopers.

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#225

Post by perl4ever »

smacktoward wrote: post #190
chickenpotpie wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAL either, but force majeure refers to being unable to fulfill a contract. The dorms are still standing and legally habitable so that doesn't really seem to apply here.

They may be "legally habitable" under the normal building codes, but those codes don't take into account the circumstances of a pandemic disease. MIT has contracted with these students to provide them with housing. Part of their normal obligation under those contracts would be to provide them with housing that offers a reasonably healthy environment. MIT will have by now heard from a lot of Highly Credentialed Expert…

"Yes, it'll suck for the kids, but not as much as drowning in their own fluids would."

I keep reading that the casualty rate for young people is miniscule. It's the nursing homes that are being decimated, no?

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#226

Post by gowld »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #194
Keverw wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I heard something like that before, like I guess there's states (maybe most of them?) where you can't use your dorm room on your driver license for some reason. Which seems annoying if you moved across the country and don't intend to return home. or your renewals conflict with other dates when far away.

Massachusetts considers out of state students as residents eligible for jury duty so maybe they should enjoy some more protections in exchange for the public service.

They do get to register to vote in MA.

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#227

Post by komali2 »

kyeb wrote: post #167
generationP wrote: post #144

> Undergraduates who live in an MIT residence or fraternity, sorority or independent living group (FSILG) must begin packing and departing this Saturday, March 14. We are requiring undergraduates to depart from campus residences no later than noon on Tuesday, March 17. This is strange. Isn't the travel they are forcing quite possibly a cure worse than the disease? And are they really expecting students (many of them…

>In what way are dorms worse than personal homes for diseases anyway? Are they not trusting their students to prepare their own food? Why don't they just close the dining halls instead? The dorms have shared bathrooms, often shared rooms with doubles, triples, and quads, and shared living spaces (lounges, study rooms, laundry, etc.) in addition to the dining halls. Moreover, in our dorms, we have effectively no way t…

Ok, so a population that is majority not at-risk and extraordinarily self-contained is going to be instead distributed into the wider population en masse? Seems insane.

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#228

Post by kortilla »

chrisseaton wrote: post #142
smallnamespace wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many universities are either municipalities in their own right, or have delegated municipal powers from the city government. Universities are their own small towns - they provide food, housing, have police forces, a large staff, etc. Put it the other way around, does it make more sense for a city official to be calling the shots, when campuses have their own special context?

> have police forces Literally their own police forces? How does that work? Where do they get the authority to be police from? Who are they sworn to?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Tec...

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#229

Post by komali2 »

chickenpotpie wrote: post #218
leetcrew wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

most schools have some sort of database with everyone's course registration and often finals follow a regular schedule that can be derived from the student's course enrollment. I don't know why they even bother to make students tell the RA. they could just send each student's exam schedule directly to the RA and require some written notice from the professor to document exceptions. another question is why it even mat…

They wanted students out so they didn't disturb the students that were still studying.

And the 180 other days the students were there, distracting eachother? Midterms? What about students that have their finals early, just have to have a disadvantage in study environment?

Re: MIT moves all classes online for the rest of the semester

#230

Post by allovernow »

zamfi wrote: post #147
allovernow wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's about containing the spread to spare risky populations and minimize hospital overload. Also the bit about being no worse than the flu is not true for any age group.

> Also the bit about being no worse than the flu is not true for any age group It does appear to be true for the very young (ages 0-9), who are at relatively high risk from flu (especially <2), but at shockingly low risk at dying from COVID-19. Admittedly not the population in consideration here.

You're right about that. Children are practically immune. As I understand this has to do with innate vs acquired immunity. Children are born with very strong innate immunity and as we age innate immunity decreases while acquired immunity increases, untill old age where both decline.
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