With COVID-19 cases across the country still on the rise, the decision to reopen schools was a controversial one— UNC Chapel Hill has already seen several clusters of COVID-19 in its first month of classes. These outbreaks have prompted a school wide closure and transition to online instruction.
“I anticipated that we would eventually have to move out, but I did not think that it would happen so soon,” said Shamar Wilson, 2020 Northwood alum and UNC Chapel Hill student. “I’m more disappointed in the way that the university handled the closure than the actual closure itself.”
All 17 North Carolina Campuses have implemented safety regulations in accordance with UNC system mandate, but many think that these guidelines are not strict enough to properly prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Everyone knew from the beginning that the case count was too high to safely resume in-person instruction and move people on campus,” said Chase Miller, 2020 Northwood alum and Appalachian State University student. “We can point fingers at kids going to parties all we want, but it’s really the fault of the universities for creating the scenario that allowed wide swaths of students to catch and spread the virus.”
Though UNC- Chapel Hill, with an alarming 1,052 cases, and N.C. State, with 849, set a scary precedent for North Carolina universities, Duke University shows promise. Duke has only reported 46 cases this semester — as a result of over 17,000 tests on students and faculty. Duke Vice President of Public Affairs Mike Schoenfeld has also cited the college’s lack of “large, unsupervised fraternity and sorority houses” as a reason for their lack of infection. That being said, a response as quick and effective as Duke’s isn’t common, and at this point, it’s up to the North Carolina School Board to decide how universities will move into the rest of the school year.
“They didn’t want to reduce enrollment by instituting distance learning from the beginning, and they wanted students to pay for housing and meal plans.” Miller said. “So they let us on campus, knowing what would happen, mortgaging safety for profit.”
