It’s been a long year for college administrators. They struggled first with an unprecedented emergency situation. When the reality of the COVID 19 pandemic became evident, many colleges and universities were in the midst of navigating spring break. Some campuses were already empty, their students literally on vacation. Other campuses had just resumed classes following a week off. Still other campuses were heading into break, their students muddling through mid-semester exams and paper deadlines.
Regardless, students were sent home in a flurry. Plans had to be made to empty student housing across the nation, in some cases involving schedules to limit the number of families in the living spaces. New technology and procedures had to be developed on the fly for courses that had never been intended to be taken in an online format. Administrators, professors and students muddled through the remaining weeks of the Spring 2020 semester. Along the way, most graduation ceremonies were gradually postponed or cancelled to the dismay and frustration of many students.
As we got into the summer months, a debate raged: could college students safely return to campuses for in person instruction? There were few clear answers. Some school administrators opted not to assume the risk of potentially contending with high rates of infection and low compliance with safety protocols; they went fully remote for the Fall 2020 semester. However, many other colleges and universities brought students back to campus despite the concerns and associated risks. These institutions may have offered many more remote classes last Fall even to students living on campus. Many also presented new hybrid options, with half of the students in class some days and the other half in class other days. With these changes, there were new questions concerning the value – and associated cost – of the on campus college experience.
Thanks to strong testing programs and stringent safety protocols - and the commitment of thousands of college students - most colleges and universities were able to successfully provide to their students with housing, dining and classes through Thanksgiving at least. A smaller minority carried through the full, typical fall semester into early December. Administrators and students had reason to celebrate their efforts at the semester’s end: colleges and universities had actually wound up providing a model for the rest of the nation for testing and safety protocols that successfully manage the spread of the coronavirus.
We stand now on the cusp of the Spring 2021 semester. This time, case counts are even higher than in the summer across the country. A new strain of the virus that is more easily transmitted has been detected in a growing number of states. And yet, after the success of the fall, there seems to be a lot less doubt about the merits of bringing students back to campus. There’s more confidence that a complete semester can be achieved.
In my view, it would be so wonderful if we were at a point in the vaccine roll out when colleges and universities could capture their students as they re-entered campus and vaccinate a huge segment of our young adult population. Unfortunately, since most college students fall near the back of the line in terms of priority, it seems more likely that colleges and universities may require students to be vaccinated before returning to campus next Fall, at the earliest. For college administrators and students, this means another semester of muddling through. Another semester of testing, enforcement of safety protocols and limitations. The general population seems to be showing signs of relaxing vigilance, as evidenced particularly by the uptick in travel during the holiday season. Colleges students will be returning to campus from these environments. Many will be bringing with them less concern about contracting the virus, knowing that the vaccine is in the process of being distributed.
Ironically, while there seems to be far less concern about coming back to campus, the Spring 2021 semester could prove to be even more challenging for administrators and students. This time the real struggle may lie in the ongoing need to enforce safety protocols, through disciplinary action if necessary, if colleges and universities are to enjoy the same level of success in completing the Spring 2021 semester as they enjoyed with the Fall 2020 semester.