Colleges struggle to contain coronavirus due to party culture
Academic institutions are trying to protect students from COVID-19
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S., colleges and universities are cracking down on gatherings and partying to minimize campus outbreaks.
And some academic institutions are taking serious actions to protect students, according to the New York Post.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reportedly moved all in-person classes to online instruction after 130 students tested positive for the coronavirus only a week into the fall semester. In a statement issued on Thursday, UNC is reducing the density in its residence halls and campus facilities.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students wait outside of the Woolen Gym on Aug. 17, 2020. The university announced all classes will be moved online starting Aug. 19 due to COVID-19. (Julia Wall/The News & Observer via AP)
“Since launching the Roadmap for Fall 2020, we have emphasized that if we were faced with the need to change plans – take an off-ramp – we would not hesitate to do so, but we have not taken this decision lightly,” wrote UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz. “We have made it in consultation with state and local health officials, Carolina’s infectious disease experts, and the UNC System.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Over 700 miles away from UNC, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana is facing a similar challenge. More than 400 students were infected with the virus a week after classes began, which has prompted the university to move classes online temporarily.
“Transmission has occurred due to parties, dining in restaurants or bars, and even in cars where occupants were unmasked,” an update for students stated on Tuesday. “The common thread among cases is a lack of mask-wearing and physical distancing.”
Students returned to Notre Dame's campus on Aug. 7, 2020. The school canceled in-person classes for two weeks after a spike of COVID-19 cases. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)
The update has also detailed the school’s current safety protocols, which require students to wear protective face masks “at all times and in all places (both outside and inside), except by students in their assigned residence hall rooms,” in addition to regular physical distancing. Gatherings will be limited to 10 people or less and clubs will meet remotely. Students will also be encouraged to minimize non-essential activities for at least two weeks.
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At Syracuse University in New York, the school has reportedly barred students from attending football games to prevent large gatherings, which has ultimately disappointed some entering freshmen, according to the New York Post.
However, others are not adhering to the university’s guidelines on limiting gatherings to 25 people or fewer. On Wednesday night, dozens of freshmen gathered in the school’s quad without masks – much of which was documented on Twitter and other social media platforms from bystanders.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A statement condemning the gathering was reportedly issued by the Syracuse University’s Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie, according to local news outlet Syracuse.com.
“… the students who gathered on the Quad last night may have done damage enough to shut down campus, including residence halls and in-person learning, before the academic semester even begins,” Haynie’s statement said. “Make no mistake, there was not a single student who gathered on the Quad last night who did not know and understand that it was wrong to do so.”