MBB: NESCAC

[ronk]

 A ~7-min interview with the Bowdoin president about its plans for the coming school year just occurred on CNBC cable channel on The Exchange show(~1:45 PM) 
Only freshman and some other special groups on-campus in the fall
Testing of everyone on-campus at least twice/weekly
If expectations concerning covid-19 are met successfully in the fall, then everyone else on-campus for the next semester

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

A ~7-min interview with the Bowdoin president about its plans for the coming school year just occurred on CNBC cable channel on The Exchange show(~1:45 PM) 
Only freshman and some other special groups on-campus in the fall
Testing of everyone on-campus at least twice/weekly
If expectations concerning covid-19 are met successfully in the fall, then everyone else on-campus for the next semester

Yes - they have these all in details in their release. Their release was one of the more detailed items I have read in quite some time. I had to be careful not to skip over anything.

BTW - Freshman and transfers plus some other special groups. Basically anyone who is new to campus and such.

[Bucket]

A ~7-min interview with the Bowdoin president about its plans for the coming school year just occurred on CNBC cable channel on The Exchange show(~1:45 PM) 
Only freshman and some other special groups on-campus in the fall
Testing of everyone on-campus at least twice/weekly
If expectations concerning covid-19 are met successfully in the fall, then everyone else on-campus for the next semester

Kelly Evans, the host of The Exchange, is a W&L alumna and former lax player. A few weeks ago, she had a similar interview with W&L prez Will Dudley. Of all the cable show hosts, I believe tshe's given the most time and attention to COVID and higher ed. Nice to see.

[jmcozenlaw]

A ~7-min interview with the Bowdoin president about its plans for the coming school year just occurred on CNBC cable channel on The Exchange show(~1:45 PM) 
Only freshman and some other special groups on-campus in the fall
Testing of everyone on-campus at least twice/weekly
If expectations concerning covid-19 are met successfully in the fall, then everyone else on-campus for the next semester

Kelly Evans, the host of The Exchange, is a W&L alumna and former lax player. A few weeks ago, she had a similar interview with W&L prez Will Dudley. Of all the cable show hosts, I believe tshe's given the most time and attention to COVID and higher ed. Nice to see.

Kelly's father and I do a bit of business together a couple of times a year. He's a great guy and she is a good egg. Her husband is a M.I.T. graduate!

[amh63]

There is several items on the Nescac.com site that may be of interest to posters.  One is the latest info on recruiting.....seems the key bit is a Jul.15 date.  The other is a short bit on sports....the key word here, IMO, is Independent!   

[nescac1]

Williams posted its update on athletics (among other things).  In short, fall sports are nixed, winter sports are TBD.  Makes sense to push the winter sports decision as long as possible, given that things could change so rapidly (for better or for worse) over the next three months, but the downside is, it makes it more difficult for winter-sport athletes to decide what to do regarding gap years, etc. under these conditions of uncertainty. 

In terms of hoops, Tufts, Middlebury, and Amherst are three senior-loaded teams who all should be potential national contenders next year, if there is an NCAA tournament.  What will all those seniors do, assuming all three schools push the decision on winter sports until, say, November?  There could be a full hoops season, a partial hoops season (I think the most likely outcome, but who the heck knows), or no hoops season at all, just impossible to say right now ... Will Amherst having a new coach who wasn't the insider choice impact the seniors' decision?  Are there any guys who could potentially save their last year of eligibility for D1 who are current seniors (I can't think of many, the only possible candidates in my mind are Rogers, Robinson, Farrell, Eastman, but of that group I'm not sure any would be strong graduate transfer candidates ...)?  Just so many questions right now ... anyway, here is what Williams had to say:

Teams will be able to practice outside in small groups if they adhere to social distancing guidelines, and may progress to more game-like practice activities if conditions improve. However it has been decided that Williams fall sports teams will not travel and compete during the fall semester. Our decision has been guided by the utmost attention to safety protocols to ensure the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, staff and community. Decisions about winter and spring teams have not yet been made. The Athletics Department will host a special town hall this week devoted to information and discussion of these issues.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

FYI - I am what I am told (and working to confirm several times over):

The NESCAC is allowing basketball teams to start on Oct. 15 with practices, if possible, so that schools have more flexibility, oversight, and to hopefully give student-athletes a more "meaningful experience" in what is clearly not a conventional year.

[WUPHF]

Williams is discounting tuition, room and board by 15%. Wow!

[amh63]

WUPHF......Not surprising wrt Williams' discount, given it's endownment size.  Just recently finished a major campaign fund drive of well over 600 million.....largest endownment in the Nescac.   Amherst has the 2nd largest endownment....in midst of a Capital Campaign now.  Believe Amherst still has the most endownment/student in the conference. 

[jmcozenlaw]

Williams is discounting tuition, room and board by 15%. Wow!

Given their endowment (they are well endowed ).......................that is pocket change.

[WUPHF]

Williams is going to have to cut the budget somewhere.

15% of revenue is $22 million though I am sure tuition revenue is less than the overall reported revenue for a variety of reasons.

[SpringSt7]

In fairness, endowment does not equal cash on hand. Similar to all of the people who get upset on Twitter when someone with a very large net worth "only" donates $250 million to some cause.

Williams has also committed to paying all of the staff in full, since the start of this pandemic---dining hall, facilities, etc.---no doubt they can afford it, but a nice gesture nonetheless.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Yes, most endowments are limited, but when you're talking funds of NESCAC size, even a small unrestricted percentage is still more than sufficient to cover some emergency expenses.

[toad22]

The Williams announcement gives me some hope for basketball in the winter, but there are a lot of hurdles to be jumped. I live in Williamstown and right now we are in a very comfortable bubble. Almost no Covid-19 has been detected in weeks. The entire county seems relatively safe. We know how quickly things can change, but for now, there isn't a better place to try a college opening. I am impressed at the safety measures that have been announced, and if the students stay inside the bubble that is being created by the administration, there are unlikely to be many problems. Of course, that is the big problem isn't it? We are dealing with 18-22 year olds who always want to get out on the tips of their skis. My best hope is for a season of 15-18 games, played mostly in the league. I like our new team a lot, and want to see them play, even if it is in truncated, tournamentless season. Btw, I am told that one reason Williams can have everybody back on campus is that they have more beds, and more single rooms per student than almost any college in the country. Who knew?

[NEhoops]

All higher education institutions, assuming they will be providing less services than normal during this upcoming academic year, should reduce or defer tuition related expenses.

As mentioned, Williams has some financial flexibility, but at the end of the day what they are doing is just good business.