Not so fast friends: Fall Sports May still be a go for California colleges and The Big Ten

[Alaskawildkat]

This just reported by ESPN analyst Sean Farnham on The Will Cain Show: Coaches in the California State schools are still being told to prepare for fall college sports as a go,

The remarks were prefaced by comments that the original announcement about online classes has been somewhat misinterpreted, Some classes are expected to be held on campuses and there will be some students participating to likely include sports. Biology was offered as an example by Cain.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

This just reported by ESPN analyst Sean Farnham on The Will Cain Show: Coaches in the California State schools are still being told to prepare for fall college sports as a go,

The remarks were prefaced by comments that the original announcement about online classes has been somewhat misinterpreted, Some classes are expected to be held on campuses and there will be some students participating to likely include sports. Biology was offered as an example by Cain.

As to implications for our conference and others have the University Presidents or the NCAA ever stated that "All students must be back on campus" before sports to include football would resume?

Classes requiring labs are more likely to be allowed back on campus so it does not take much imagination to accept that there will be some students on campus even if not a majority.

I can see it now as the ranks of biology and chemistry majors swell for students wanting to have at least a taste of campus life. There is a big difference between bringing the herd back as opposed to a select group of the socially distanced.

Under that likelihood the prospects of fall football going forward seem to be encouraging.

 

[Gladeskat]

As to implications for our conference and others have the University Presidents or the NCAA ever stated that "All students must be back on campus" before sports to include football would resume?

Classes requiring labs are more likely to be allowed back on campus so it does not take much imagination to accept that there will be some students on campus even if not a majority.

I can see it now as the ranks of biology and chemistry majors swell for students wanting to have at least a taste of campus life. There is a big difference between bringing the herd back as opposed to a select group of the socially distanced.

Under that likelihood the prospects of fall football going forward seem to be encouraging.

Courses with labs have to be on campus, but should colleges bring biology and chemistry labs back? Do you/they think they're safer than other interactive, small group situations? A typical biology lab involves considerable interaction and chances for spread, with an instructor moving from student to student, examining stuff at close quarters with students. Testing would have to be extensive to protect the limited number of instructors. College labs may be one of the more dangerous teaching situations on campus, exceeded only by active group activities such as team sports practices.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

Courses with labs have to be on campus, but should colleges bring biology and chemistry labs back? Do you/they think they're safer than other interactive, small group situations? A typical biology lab involves considerable interaction and chances for spread, with an instructor moving from student to student, examining stuff at close quarters with students. Testing would have to be extensive to protect the limited number of instructors. College labs may be one of the more dangerous teaching situations on campus, exceeded only by active group activities such as team sports practices.

Excellent points. That said though there is another perspective. If anyone should be in a position to know how to deal with the threat of these disease organisms it should be those persons who have been trained through their experience working in labs where such dangers have had to have been confronted even hypothetically. I recall even in my own experience when I was working in the primitive labs of my day we had available plexiglass boxes with gloves attached that allowed us to perform experiments. As I have seen every store and post office in my community construct plexiglass shields in just a matter of a few weeks to provide barriers between patrons and workers, I suspect that between now and when lab classes would resume in the fall even more comprehensive protective devices could be implemented.

The above thought is consistent with a paragraph in a letter that was signed by a large number of dentists here in Alaska as quoted below.

"As dentists we have been practicing effective infection control methods using PPE when interacting with every patient for many decades. ..... dentists use high level infection control methods to manage [aerosols] and to protect both patients and dental personnel from disease. These infection control procedures protect us from HIV, SARS, Influenza, Hepatitis, TB, etc. – some of which also have a high potential for transmission ..... Adding additional requirements such as gowns, face shields, etc. for every patient and procedure will deplete PPE further and limit their availability for medical professionals that are working with patients who are actually suffering from Coronavirus Disease. We ask for flexibility in choosing when to use additional PPE. These decisions should be based on the actual procedure and individual patient risk, not as an automatic additional governmental regulation."

 

[wicker]

Teams need to show up at their stadium in uniform and declare victory by forfeiture. CFP chaos, baby!

 

[nu greek]

Courses with labs have to be on campus, but should colleges bring biology and chemistry labs back? Do you/they think they're safer than other interactive, small group situations? A typical biology lab involves considerable interaction and chances for spread, with an instructor moving from student to student, examining stuff at close quarters with students. Testing would have to be extensive to protect the limited number of instructors. College labs may be one of the more dangerous teaching situations on campus, exceeded only by active group activities such as team sports practices.

Our daughter is a Bio major with just five classes to go, but two have labs and she is hoping classes resume in the fall. She feels safer in the lab with her PPE than in her non science classes. Time will tell.

 

[Deeringfish]

Courses with labs have to be on campus, but should colleges bring biology and chemistry labs back? Do you/they think they're safer than other interactive, small group situations? A typical biology lab involves considerable interaction and chances for spread, with an instructor moving from student to student, examining stuff at close quarters with students. Testing would have to be extensive to protect the limited number of instructors. College labs may be one of the more dangerous teaching situations on campus, exceeded only by active group activities such as team sports practices.

Seems to me that labs could be made very safe with proper PPE, hand washing protocols and cleaning protocols.
What frustrates me is how people push back on the idea of doing simple things to stay safe and keep others safe. Went to Tractor Supply Saturday to get some propane and less than 10% of the people were wearing a mask. It's really easy to wear a mask; I don't get it.

 

[willycat]

Seems to me that labs could be made very safe with proper PPE, hand washing protocols and cleaning protocols.
What frustrates me is how people push back on the idea of doing simple things to stay safe and keep others safe. Went to Tractor Supply Saturday to get some propane and less than 10% of the people were wearing a mask. It's really easy to wear a mask; I don't get it.

Can just see 100 plus football players wearing masks. Not! I sure wouldn't let my kid play a contact sport, with lots sweat, spit and blood flowing from one guy to another. Not even taking into account cramped locker rooms and crowded bus and plane flights

 

[Deeringfish]

Can just see 100 plus football players wearing masks. Not! I sure wouldn't let my kid play a contact sport, with lots sweat, spit and blood flowing from one guy to another. Not even taking into account cramped locker rooms and crowded bus and plane flights

Well, I was talking about labs opening but don't you think there are guys playing in the B1G who carry a variety of viruses already including AIDS?
I would not be surprised if by fall they have discovered effective treatment protocols for those who contract the virus. I don't think they will have them in place in time for summer camp though so there can't be a fall team sport like football without summer practice.
My opinion is that there is a very good chance that we may never have a vaccine for Covid 19 but there will be treatments.

 

[Titanium999]

Well, I was talking about labs opening but don't you think there are guys playing in the B1G who carry a variety of viruses already including AIDS?
I would not be surprised if by fall they have discovered effective treatment protocols for those who contract the virus. I don't think they will have them in place in time for summer camp though so there can't be a fall team sport like football without summer practice.
My opinion is that there is a very good chance that we may never have a vaccine for Covid 19 but there will be treatments.

I agree. Definitely a conundrum. I have not missed watching a game since about 27-28 years ago. I used to go in person, but since I over to Naperville in 98, I have mostly watched on tv. We will never have a vaccine for covid-19! So in that respect, we need to definitely take care of our elderly,jailed, and hospitalized patients better, or else we will see more staggering death totals like Italy. I can likely see a few thousand dead next winter, each month. Just a real mess as I never,ever miss following an NU wrestling match either. Americans, without schooling emphasized, are in close quarters, in oftentimes, unkempt and filthy conditions. I spent five years teaching in Chicago,including Cabrini Green. The real emphasis needs to be on the children! Not sports and universities such as Northwestern with ten billion bucks in the bank. Our school systems, both public and private are gonna be a top priority! Once you start having children die needlessly, the alarms will really sound. Children ,with health issues, can be as vulnerable as elderly adults. A very scary, and dangerous situation as parents can’t work if kids are at home. I’m very, very concerned! And personally, I am not sure this virus is all that much different than any other flu. In other words, the virus is just authenticating or highlighting the filthy conditions people live in from day to day.

 

[ohiovalleycat]

I could see a situation where a lot of classes are virtual for lectures and so forth, but then maybe students report to class or a testing center to take examinations. I actually earned a second masters from Ohio University this way. We studied independently with some lectures viewed asynchronously, some live Skype discussions with the professor or other students, and with proctored testing at the university or an approved off-site testing center. I am sure most universities could work it out.

While there might be some lab kits that could be done outside university research facilities, I agree that the courses that require advanced science and technology practice or research would more likely need to be on campus. I think art and design type courses might be impacted too, as a few weeks ago, I read about a University of Cincinnati art student who wanted a refund for the Spring Semester because they viewed their distance education for art coursework as substantially inferior. So, I think there may be some issues on quality control that impact the ability of schools to offer alternatives to classroom education successfully. It should be easier to facilitate online education with social science and humanities, but even with that coursework, there may be some issues with doing research on human subjects that may need to be worked out in the more advanced research classes.

I think the broader issue is whether the states or regions have COVID-19 under control by Fall. If the USA is where it was at in most of March and April, then it will be problematic for having pro or college sports. But I think and hope people are adapting. Even after opening up, if people continue to practice social distancing and protecting themselves, it will help contain the spread of COVID-19 with the "new normal" until a vaccine is developed (hopefully). Another big issue is how the sports venues adapt...for example, I suspect there to be restrictions on spectators and hardening of the facilities. What will those be? Will fans be banned? Will fans be allowed but with restricting attendance to a certain percentage of the stadium or arena capacity? Will fans be required to have PPE? How regular will facility maintenance have crews cleaning and sanitizing the facilities during the games and practices? What testing of athletes will be in place, especially in all these contact sports? I think those are things that the Big Ten, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. should be thinking about to support bringing games back.

 

[Gladeskat]

Our daughter is a Bio major with just five classes to go, but two have labs and she is hoping classes resume in the fall. She feels safer in the lab with her PPE than in her non science classes. Time will tell.

I'm viewing this more from an instructor's perspective. Lab Instructors are more exposed than the students and become 4-star virus spreaders.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

I'm viewing this more from an instructor's perspective. Lab Instructors are more exposed than the students and become 4-star virus spreaders.

Welcome to Class students!

 

[Gladeskat]

Imagine practicing football. One guy could infect a dozen people or more in one scrimmage.