Campus Life at Covid U

What do you think of when I say college life? Some might think of classes or favorite professors. But my bet is that your mind did not go there when I mentioned “life.”

If your college experience was like mine (and I hope it was – go UTampa Spartans!) you think of orientation and large groups getting to know one another during a program like Playfair. You wistfully recall those required traditional events like convocation and candlelight ceremonies to celebrate becoming part of the community. Parties, late night discussions, hall meetings and programs over pizza and plates of cookies. Finding your place in a campus organization and going to the meetings every week. Rocktoberfest. Gatherings at your favorite professor’s house to debate Marxism and feast on his wife’s homemade spring rolls. Hours in the dining hall laughing about our campus “Milk Man” who would drink at least 12 glasses of milk at every meal. I could go on, but I will leave you to explore your own memories.

Large crowds. Enclosed spaces. Talking, shouting and singing. Shared food sources. Extended periods of time with other people. The perfect storm for the transmission of COVID-19.

I have two questions: what are we telling our students (new and returning) about what to expect from their experience on campus this fall? And what do you think they are expecting?

As a student affairs professional, I have had a great deal of time to think and worry about this since my campus went remote. Orientation? Online. Welcome week? Online. Bubble dance? Concerts? Cancelled. Convocation? Not possible. We could show a movie, so long as we made sure everyone was at least 6 feet apart and wearing a mask.

Even worse, I have to wonder if the people in my profession – community builders responsible for making certain that the students find a place at our institutions and make connections with others – will become the fun police. You can’t have gatherings in the residence halls. We strongly discourage gathering at off-campus parties. Policy dictates that you can not sit at a table and eat with more than one other person. Campus organization meetings should be held on Zoom. No gatherings that involve common sources of food or more than 10 people.  Oh, and we expect that you’re going to check in and tell us daily how you’re feeling or if you’ve had contact with someone who isn’t feeling well.

So back to my questions – what are we telling students and what are they expecting? Our admissions materials have many pictures of large happy, diverse groups of people. Our orientation leaders wax poetic about hanging out at the fountain and their pre-COVID lives on campus. We’ve sold our students an experience that is simply not going to happen. Not in the fall. Maybe not even in the spring.

I expect we’ll have some latitude in the early fall. Those who manage to open their campuses will have students who are grateful to be there and are willing to be a bit more flexible and understanding. The administration will sit them down, appeal to their better natures and explain how very important it is that they remember that lives are at stake and it’s not just about them. I believe that appeal to their altruism will work for a bit. But boredom is a harsh master. It will not take long before the students are yearning for something – anything – that is interesting and doesn’t involve being online. Jack Games and Zoom Bingo and Animal Crossing gatherings have their place but will not replace the experience of being in the presence of fellow students. I imagine some students will even wish for a roommate so they can have a good old knock down, drag out roommate conflict. Anyone who has ever had to enforce campus policies in a college residence hall will tell you boredom is dangerous.

This is one of those times I hope students will prove me wrong. Unfortunately, experience with this age group over the last 30+ years leaves me with some very sobering concerns.  On a good day they make decisions that are based on the belief that they are invincible and immortal. (G. Wenck, “Why do teenagers feel immortal” Psychology Today, 8/2010) It doesn’t help that this pandemic has been sold as a problem of the sick and elderly. To quote President Mitch Daniels of Purdue University, “At least 80% of our population is made up of young people, say, 35 and under.  All data to date tell us that the COVID-19 virus, while it transmits rapidly in this age group, poses close to zero lethal threat to them.” So, what would it hurt to go to a party? To drink from someone else’s cup at a gathering? To leave the mask behind – “I’m so tired of it.” I’ve heard it over and over from younger individuals interviewed by the news media: “I am not afraid of this virus.” Our upperclass students are not going to help as their yearning for the good old days becomes palpable.

So here we are spending countless hours and millions of dollars to make the campus safe for our students who are going to get anything but the “typical college experience.” Faculty and staff will have to navigate their own virus concerns as it relates to the students and our ability to trust that they have our best interests at heart. How will that play out when a student wants to see a faculty member during their office hours?

This conversation doesn’t even begin to touch on the vulnerable students in our communities who have a far higher risk of a “lethal threat” than almost zero. This may not be the best time for them to be on campus.

Back to expectations. Are we telling students this? Are we preparing them in advance that their experience is going to be so very different than anything they ever could have imagined and they need to be prepared for that? What will the impact be on our retention? On our reputations? What about our student leaders who are engaging in the enthusiastic online Q&A chats as we prepare to bring these folks on campus? Are they being realistic? Do we owe it to all of our students (and ourselves) to be painfully honest?

I don’t have the answers. But we need to be asking the questions.