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Our campus—Rose-Hulman—is closed for the year with online courses only. Nearly all students were already home for a “four week break” when the school cancelled for the year. Many students from far away still have nearly everything in their rooms and, since they were driven from those states by their parents last fall, who knows when they can get back?
We have only 7 young men in our house who are observing social distancing by spreading out all over. Slowly they are finding ways home except for the international students who will stay. Our cook shops for them and prepares food that they can fix. That way she can keep working (which she likes) but eventually she will draw unemployment which does over the summer.
Like fraternitynik, we are all making use of social media to stay in touch. My greatest fear is attrition—nearly all our young engineering students have had their internships cancelled. Many of them relied heavily on that money for books and fraternity expenses. Also a good number have one or both parents laid off of totally out of work. Rose is an $$$ private school, and I can see lots of them transferring out of financial necessity. I know of at least 2 from 1,000 miles who are transferring “home” because they just don’t want to be so far away.
I also wonder about rush next fall; I’m sure enrollment will be down and money, for many, will be tight. Add in that our groups were in the process of a small spring rush. That ended immediately, so all of us will miss out on the 5-7 new members we normally take.
This whole COVID-19 could drastically change Greek life for many years at a number of campuses, both large and small. I think our experience as advisors will be sorely needed and, most likely, tested in ways we’ve not experienced.
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