It remains unclear how many colleges and universities will reopen their campuses and dorms this coming autumn semester. To date, the economic consequences related to the failure to welcome students back has been a central part of the story. Many institutions of higher learning already were under the gun financially prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some may be at risk of closing forever if students do not return in the fall.
In turn, college towns were hit hard by the sudden exodus of students last spring. The economic consequences of the campus shutdown were compounded by the lack of graduation ceremonies. Restaurants, bars, collegiate merchandise shops, hotels, and other businesses experienced none of the usual uptick in business surrounding such large public events. Local businesses may not be able to survive an extended hiatus, especially if the upcoming football season is threatened.
That said, there also are significant fears surrounding the physical return of students, especially in terms of worries about parties and other events that typically are associated with the social life of college towns. There already had been problems associated with these sorts of activities last semester when campuses were beginning to shut down. Spring break activities were of particular concern, for example, but so too were more conventional student parties that were seen as violations of social distancing measures.
There should be no doubt in anyone’s minds that some students are going to party, regardless of what … [+]
These same issues are present as colleges and universities now plan for the return of students this fall. There is near universal agreement that some sort of social distancing will become part of coursework offerings, with various scenarios being sketched out that would slow the spread of Covid-19 infections. What is less clear, however, are the strategies that institutions of higher learning and college towns will be employing outside the classroom to prevent an uptick in the disease. Even the CDC guidelines on reopening institutions of higher learning are conspicuously silent on this topic.
That said, university officials had best be careful about what they put into place. A recent survey of 10,000 students conducted by Niche, an online review site for college-bound students, indicated that face-to-face classes were the most appealing part of the return to their studies and, in turn, social events were the feature of campus life they most valued. The inability to provide what college students are asking for this fall may present some significant dilemmas for higher education leaders, students, parents, and residents of college towns alike.
There should be no doubt in anyone’s minds that some students are going to party, regardless of what officials say. There is a long and storied history of college student partying that extends back in time to the very beginning of universities. In one particularly egregious example of bad behavior, college students from Oxford rioted in the streets in an alcohol-fueled rage in the year 1355, leaving scores dead. Fast forward to today, and fraternity hazing practices continue to generate heartbreaking links between substance abuse and student deaths. The presence of the coronavirus is not going to completely curtail this behavior.
Higher education leaders already had their hands full with a range of issues surrounding student misbehavior on their campuses prior to the rise of Covid-19 cases, and now the pandemic will add to those concerns. In the best of times, parents of traditionally-aged college students are challenged to balance their desire to remain connected to their sons and daughters with the need to display a healthy respect for their emerging independence. It is clear that these mothers and fathers are not necessarily of one mind about how and when students should return to campus in the era of coronavirus, either. In addition, those citizens residing in homes closer to campuses already were worried about the impact of student partying this past academic year. Naturally, they would be apprehensive about what will happen this coming fall, as these social gatherings would be occurring in their own neighborhoods.
Ultimately, student partying will become a police issue if pandemic mitigation laws are broken. Yet, given current cooperative agreements between many local law enforcement agencies and student affairs offices, this also could turn into disciplinary action on the part of the university. It would behoove all parties involved if the legal and institutional ramifications of social gatherings were communicated directly in advance of a return to campus. That means municipalities must define what acceptable activity looks like, and what actions police will take in the face of unacceptable behavior. In turn, institutions of higher learning must clearly spell out the relationship between social distancing laws enforced by local municipalities and school codes of conduct.
College students are adults, and they should be treated as such. Give them the full and correct information, and then hold them accountable. At the same time, some coaching is in order here. Instead of the age-old motto of “work hard, play hard,” the saying during the Covid-19 pandemic should evolve into “study smart, party smart.”
