ROTC Online?

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Feb 1, 2018
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For many schools that haven't already, including mine, the school may go fully online again to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you have a positive test, you are not allowed to attend. If this is the case, how will ROTC be conducted? How are some schools that will be fully online this semester, take Harvard for example, be conducting ROTC? As a MSIII, I'm eager to know how schools that are fully online will be conducting ROTC?
 
Its going to vary by the college. Some colleges have classes completely online, but some students are allowed on campus. Others have most classes online but labs and ROTC are in the classroom. Some have everything online. You need to check with your unit to find out how its being handled.
 
Many schools announced this week that they are going all online (no on campus living etc)...I also wonder when schools will announce their ROTC plans - we live in CO...my son was to attend American U in DC and be part of the Georgetown Hoya Bn. Both schools are all online and the dorms are not open for Fall. We would never consider having our son just move to DC and pay $$$ for an apt just to sit by himself and do online classes, but will ROTC require physical attendance? We have had no communication from ROTC yet.
 
Many schools announced this week that they are going all online (no on campus living etc)...I also wonder when schools will announce their ROTC plans - we live in CO...my son was to attend American U in DC and be part of the Georgetown Hoya Bn. Both schools are all online and the dorms are not open for Fall. We would never consider having our son just move to DC and pay $$$ for an apt just to sit by himself and do online classes, but will ROTC require physical attendance? We have had no communication from ROTC yet.
So why not reach out to the unit? I expect they're wrestling with what to do in this situation, but only the unit can answer your question.
 
Once people start hearing, it would be great to post the plans here.

DS school went remote on Tuesday, after having gone through the 3 phases of leaderless COVID response: move kids to doubles, move kids to singles, move everyone but freshman off-campus. He's still planning on going to the off-campus apartment in 2 weeks.

It's going to take a minute for the various groups like ROTC to shape and communicate their response.
 
DS’s school, Dickinson College, is fully online this fall term. ROTC appealed to have cadets on campus, and it was granted. He has his own room in a house owned by college, and the plan is to hold live, socially-distanced ROTC classes and still do APFT, as I understand it. He leaves in less than two weeks. I’ll update as I learn more.
 
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The Citadel Class of 2024 is scheduled to report on 8 Aug. The academic program will be a hybrid approach, with some parts being online. All cadets will be living in the barracks. ROTC will proceed with with modified guidelines to allow for social distancing. Cadets will be issued masks as part of their required uniform. Masks will be worn at all times except when in your barracks room or during PT.
 
Notre Dame...DS returns to campus tomorrow. On campus NSO begins Monday 3rd. All students received Covid tests last week. Must test negative to return to campus. University providing refillable hand sanitizer with refill stations on campus, thermometers and 5 masks to each student. Daily health check completed online to approve attendance in person. Hybrid approach to classes...my DS has 9 classes, 4 are online. Failure to comply with Covid protocol may result in disenrollment from university. If you are in ROTC that means loss of scholarship.
 
University of Portland is making an exception for the cadets to live on campus.
 
It's going to be brutal.

For those MS 3s who won't be able to go to AROTC lab during the year due to the university/college being completely online, you wonder how prepared they are going to be for Advanced Camp in summer 2021. If lab is online just this semester, then I suppose it can be made up next semester IF the school decides to go in-person at that time.

Of course, will the Army even have Advanced Camp next summer? What a mess.

I do think it's especially brutal for schools to say if you test positive upon arrival, then you can't be on campus for the entire year. I just cringe if it was my child who happens to be get that rare false positive on the test. That means the cadet won't get to attend in person even though he's/she's truly negative but the test just happened to have gone wrong and says it's positive.

That's what I feared for my DD who reported to CFT in early July. West Point tested 100% of cadets prior to CBT and CFT. Any positive result meant isolation x 14 days. She was careful about following all the guidelines (eg wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, etc...) and it would have sucked if she turned up positive anyway just because of the fact tests can come back wrong.
 
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