University of Minnesota Board of Regents member not anticipating on-campus classes in fall

Donate To GopherHole



ESPN: University of Minnesota disputes regent's comments on fall sports

University of Minnesota board of regents chair Ken Powell said despite comments made by regent Michael Hsu on the Paul Finebaum show, the regents and university have made no decisions on the future of fall sports or in-person classes.

According to Powell, Hsu's comments do not reflect the position of the board of regents or the university and do not reflect any conversations had by either bodies.

"While the board and university are planning for a variety of scenarios for fall classes, athletics and other events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, absolutely no decisions have been made about these issues," Powell said. "The board's decisions, and those of university president Joan Gabel, will be guided by advice and counsel from the Minnesota Department of Health, Gov. Tim Walz and the university's own public health experts."

Hsu also was asked why the NCAA is needed in today's landscape, to which he responded by saying the NCAA was needed in 1906, but the current leadership is now struggling to keep the organization going. Hsu went on to say the NCAA is about money, power and control and that he wouldn't be surprised to see the Power 5 schools move away from the NCAA.

Powell reiterated those statements also do not reflect the position of the regents or the university.

"I want to be very clear," Powell said. "There have been zero conversations among regents, the university or Gopher Athletics with respect to the University of Minnesota -- much less any Power 5 institution -- changing its relationship with the NCAA."

www.espn.com

Minnesota disputes regent's fall sports remarks

Minnesota's Board of Regents Chair said the school has made no decision on the future of in-person classes or fall sports, despite comments made by Regent Michael Hsu.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Go Gophers!!
 

College students are just as likely to die from influenza as Corona virus.

1588769453047.png
 



GoldenRodents said:
College students are just as likely to die from influenza as Corona virus.

View attachment 7876
Click to expand...

Wait.....What.....Really.....Why have you been so quiet about this information....the people in charge need to know.....heck we should probably START SPRING PRACTICES NOW!

We get it, you are 1000% fixated on the death rate and all the conspiracies that come with it, we don't need another thread filled with your ranting.

Back to the topic at hand, people without firm information like Hsu need to stop going out and speculating on what is going to happen in a few months. Granted he is more in the know than any of us due to the connections he has to the U but pretty clear that what he said did not go over well with the other regents. Even if he ultimately ends up being right, it doesn't help anything to throw it out there now and just causes more confusion and anger with people.
 


The prez sez said:
what is the potential mortality of professors, support staff and their families
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me? You can't design a furlough for at-risk staff?

This entire policy is founded on the dubious promise of an effective vaccine. There may never be a vaccine.
 





SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI said:
Is the higher ed bubble going to pop here, or is it going to get absorbed into the Federal Reserve QE5 Everything Megabubble?
Click to expand...
Universities with large healthcare systems, such as Minnesota, are in a world of financial hurt. I think there's going to be some popping sounds coming from a lot of colleges and universities.
 

Livingat45north said:
Universities with large healthcare systems, such as Minnesota, are in a world of financial hurt. I think there's going to be some popping sounds coming from a lot of colleges and universities.
Click to expand...

What percentage of incoming Freshman are going to be willing to pay for expensive colleges, while sitting in their parents house doing online schooling? Without the "college experience" there will be a flight to cheaper options/alternatives. If I'm going to be at home anyway I'd do my first two years at the least expensive option (community college).

What would the U of M look like if enrollment dropped significantly, and they had a tsunami of losses from athletics? The healthcare system is already under massive financial stress. They have massive financial motive to proceed as "normal" and it will be interesting to see what stance they take closer to August.
 



balds said:
What percentage of incoming Freshman are going to be willing to pay for expensive colleges, while sitting in their parents house doing online schooling? Without the "college experience" there will be a flight to cheaper options/alternatives. If I'm going to be at home anyway I'd do my first two years at the least expensive option (community college).

What would the U of M look like if enrollment dropped significantly, and they had a tsunami of losses from athletics? The healthcare system is already under massive financial stress. They have massive financial motive to proceed as "normal" and it will be interesting to see what stance they take closer to August.
Click to expand...

This. Combo’d with watching the results coming out of Sweden will apply pressure to have campus life back to as close as normal as possible.
 

My guess is: given the current body of knowledge on a gut and intellectual level they know resuming on campus classes is a relatively low risk situation (for most - with certain obvious exceptions) if they use common sense safeguards. However, they need to feel comfortable from a legal and OSHA sense before they give the green light and there are probably a myriad of legal issues we’re not fully aware of. They are probably reaching out to other institutions, legal experts in addition to whatever state and local public health officials they’re referring to. I’d guess administrators also want comfort in a consensus decision with other institutions before they stick their necks out too far one way or the other.
 

When this is all over, and the numbers are calculated, I believe statisticians are going to write books about how risk-aversion by politicians and people turned an outbreak of a medium-serious disease into a global economic depression.

For at least the next couple months a "rise in cases from opening" will actually be a meteoric rise in testing. Governors will panic and re-tighten, and the economic crisis will deepen. Rates of tests that are positive are plummeting in the hardest hit areas, yet their governors are using raw numbers of positive tests to support their shutdowns. Authorities obsess over positive test data when the reality of enormous numbers of asymptomatic cases is screaming in our faces.

The entire student body at the U could get COVID and statistically you could count the serious outcomes on your fingers.

First-world societies aren't used to stuff going wrong, we're wildly uncomfortable with death, and we're overreacting to the point where we're going to have a major problem long after face masks and hand sanitizer are gathering dust at your local store.
 


fmlizard said:
When this is all over, and the numbers are calculated, I believe statisticians are going to write books about how risk-aversion by politicians and people turned an outbreak of a medium-serious disease into a global economic depression.

For at least the next couple months a "rise in cases from opening" will actually be a meteoric rise in testing. Governors will panic and re-tighten, and the economic crisis will deepen. Rates of tests that are positive are plummeting in the hardest hit areas, yet their governors are using raw numbers of positive tests to support their shutdowns. Authorities obsess over positive test data when the reality of enormous numbers of asymptomatic cases is screaming in our faces.

The entire student body at the U could get COVID and statistically you could count the serious outcomes on your fingers.

First-world societies aren't used to stuff going wrong, we're wildly uncomfortable with death, and we're overreacting to the point where we're going to have a major problem long after face masks and hand sanitizer are gathering dust at your local store.
Click to expand...
This.
If they really want to report the # of new positive cases to the public, it should be adjusted for increases in the rate of testing, otherwise it is meaningless and only serves to worsen the hysteria. What they really should be reporting is the number of new hospitalized cases aka severe cases. This number is largely unaffected by changes in testing. And isn’t “flattening the curve” about ensuring that healthcare resources aren’t overwhelmed? So wouldn’t it make more sense to report the # hospitalized cases anyway?
 



The U's own experts estimate this could go on for 18-24 months. A ton of Minnesota business couldn't survive that and the U probably couldn't either without help from the state. Students won't want to pay a ton of money to take online classes for 2-4 semesters when companies aren't hiring.

Sooner or later people are going to realize that this isn't going away soon and we need a long-term solution. People over 60 and people working or living in prisons and nursing homes will need to live differently until there is a vaccine and probably beyond then but just about everything will start going back to normal. K-12 schools will probably be the top priority so parents don't need to watch their kids and colleges will still be close behind because the state won't be able to cover their losses. There will probably be changes to reduce risk but another semester of online-only classes seems like the last option.
 

The prez sez said:
what is the potential mortality of professors, support staff and their families
Click to expand...

And that is what almost 100% of all of this is about. How does the DFL protect their most valuable contributors, union members and voters? Our grade schools aren't shut to protect the children who are in no danger from Covid, they are shut to protect the membership of Education Minnesota. Same at the U. Paid and protected hiding at the bottom of the deepest bunkers in the state. As a former teacher I find the whole thing embarassingly unbrave and self serving.
 

scools12 said:
I wouldn’t take anything Michael Hsu says seriously.
Click to expand...
I concur. I hate to admit that he is the only BoR I can name from memory, but that is because he is usually the most outspoken and provides the most overhasty, knee-jerk comments when something arises at the U...especially in regards to athletics.
And, I did read the other BoR that disputes Hsu's claim. So there's that.
 


Veritas said:
And that is what almost 100% of all of this is about. How does the DFL protect their most valuable contributors, union members and voters? Our grade schools aren't shut to protect the children who are in no danger from Covid, they are shut to protect the membership of Education Minnesota. Same at the U. Paid and protected hiding at the bottom of the deepest bunkers in the state. As a former teacher I find the whole thing embarassingly unbrave and self serving.
Click to expand...
I get your anti-government gripe, but this virus is not a conspiracy. you still don't answer the question of how many educators, support staff and their families, and their neighbors will be infected by this virus, and be added to the corona causality list by opening up society too quickly. BTw, I assume as a former teacher you're enjoying the benefit of a state funded pension and perhaps some subsidized health care. Have a good day
 

balds said:
What percentage of incoming Freshman are going to be willing to pay for expensive colleges, while sitting in their parents house doing online schooling? Without the "college experience" there will be a flight to cheaper options/alternatives. If I'm going to be at home anyway I'd do my first two years at the least expensive option (community college).

What would the U of M look like if enrollment dropped significantly, and they had a tsunami of losses from athletics? The healthcare system is already under massive financial stress. They have massive financial motive to proceed as "normal" and it will be interesting to see what stance they take closer to August.
Click to expand...
It's not just going to be freshmen. If we're entirely online, I know of a ton of upperclassmen who are saying they would take a year off and just find a job, myself possibly included. Senior year in STEM majors is spent doing a ton of hands-on labs and projects. How can it possibly be considered of equal value if we can't leave our homes? Sure, for the massive 200+ person lectures, online might be the best bet. Those classes are impersonal anyways. But it's ridiculous if we can't find a way to make 20 person labs work. By the time fall rolls around, the U will have had almost 6 months to make a plan. I'll be extremely disappointed if cancelling everything is the best they can come up with.
 

balds said:
What percentage of incoming Freshman are going to be willing to pay for expensive colleges, while sitting in their parents house doing online schooling? Without the "college experience" there will be a flight to cheaper options/alternatives. If I'm going to be at home anyway I'd do my first two years at the least expensive option (community college).

What would the U of M look like if enrollment dropped significantly, and they had a tsunami of losses from athletics? The healthcare system is already under massive financial stress. They have massive financial motive to proceed as "normal" and it will be interesting to see what stance they take closer to August.
Click to expand...

It's already happening. My daughter, finishing her freshman year at a 4-year school (not UofM), is taking almost a full semester of courses during the May and June terms at a large online Texas JC. Less than half the cost even with generous financial aid at the 4-year. She figures she might as well get cheap credits during the shut in.
 



MNVCGUY said:
Wait.....What.....Really.....Why have you been so quiet about this information....the people in charge need to know.....heck we should probably START SPRING PRACTICES NOW!

We get it, you are 1000% fixated on the death rate and all the conspiracies that come with it, we don't need another thread filled with your ranting.
Click to expand...

@MNVCGUY, what's with the spirit of censorship? Ranting? Conspiracy theories? You my former friend are a preening authoritarian jackass.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom