After completing nearly an entire semester of school online, college students made themselves clear: They don’t like online classes, and they’re eager to go back to their classrooms, dorms and independent lives.
But will students, enjoying their first taste of freedom after spending months quarantined with their parents and families, follow rules designed to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks on their campuses?
That's a big perhaps.
Experts hope that a combination of education, positive reinforcement and peer pressure will lead students to comply with masking, social distancing and sanitization protocols, much in the same way those tactics made wearing seatbelts and not smoking the norm.
“I don’t think we’re asking for anything impossible,” said Martha Compton, president of the Association for Student Conduct Administration. “I do think we’re asking for something difficult.”
New campus rules are expected soon. New Jersey’s higher education secretary last month released guidance requiring colleges and universities to submit restart plans to the state at least 14 days before they implement those plans.
Their submissions must touch practically every aspect of campus operations, from dining services and residence halls to transportation of sick students and quarantine protocols.
Two weeks after the state directive was released, institutions seem close to finalizing restart protocols. Most schools are preparing for hybrid models that combine remote and in-person instruction.
A spokesperson for Rutgers University, which in mid-June issued a guide to repopulating campus spaces, on Friday said the university would release more information next week. A spokesperson for Montclair State University on Tuesday said the school’s plans and procedures are in the works. In a June 26 message to the campus community, Seton Hall University authorities said the state’s guidance “is consistent with Seton Hall’s ongoing preparations” and that the school would submit its plan to the state “as early as” this week.
Absent specific guidance for enforcement — and backup strategies if the return to campuses goes awry — there’s some doubt about whether hybrid reopenings will be successful.
Scott White, a Montclair-based college guidance expert and parent of a rising college sophomore, compared campus restarts to the broader state reopenings. Many state plans have been slowed or reversed because cases increased after stay-at-home orders eased.
“It’s not going to work,” White said of bringing students back to campuses. “College campuses are like cruise ships on land.
“They really have to think about, what are they going to do if the majority of kids on campus get this?” he added. “I haven’t heard that.”
But Nicholas LaBelle, president of the Rutgers University Student Assembly, said students understand the responsibilities they face. They've lost family members, friends and co-workers to the pandemic.
“I’m an optimist,” said LaBelle, a rising senior majoring in economics and business analytics and information. “I have great faith in the ability of our peers to work together."
Restart plans will vary based on school location and local regulations, said Compton, the student conduct expert. She also expects to see differences in guidelines between public and private institutions.
Regardless, experts say schools should focus on public health education and positive reinforcement among members of campus communities, particularly students.
“We’re asking for everyone to have what we call shared responsibility,” said Doreen Perez, a member of the American College Health Association’s COVID-19 Task Force.
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“Some people get bristled when they’re asked to do things,” Perez said. “You need to think about why that occurs. You need to get away from that authoritarian approach.”
Schools should continue giving students updates about what the virus looks like as new information about symptoms and spread becomes available, Perez said. They must show students how to do daily self-assessments and create mechanisms to self-report concerning symptoms.
Even teaching students how to do something as simple as taking their temperatures is critical, as is encouraging residential students to bring thermometers to campus, just as they would toothbrushes and soap, Perez added.
Also effective are initiatives that promote positive behavior change, such as handing out palm cards reminding students that face coverings are required on campus — and telling students where they can go to get free masks, she said.
There’s also an element of peer pressure: Perez said she hopes that if students see their peers wearing masks, they’ll do the same.
At Rutgers, student leaders are planning a virtual town hall with more than 20 university administrators to help educate all members of the campus community about new guidelines. They're also condensing the school's 80-plus-page reopening guide into a four- or five-page document for students, said LaBelle, the student body president.
“We’re not giving students enough credit,” Compton said. “I don’t know that students, particularly in public settings, are less inclined to follow the rules than your average person.”
But there are still concerns — especially surrounding college parties notorious for tight spaces, large crowds and mass inebriation.
This week, Alabama officials said Tuscaloosa students held “COVID-19 parties” with prizes for the first person to get sick.
"I don’t think that's going to happen at Rutgers," LaBelle said. "It's a question of students being more responsible."
When the outbreak first reached the U.S., cases spread fastest among older people and people with underlying health conditions.
But across the nation, the age of cases is trending younger. While the mortality rate is lower for young people, they’re still showing up in ICUs and experiencing significant complications from the virus.
Those aged 18 to 29 represented 22% of New Jersey coronavirus cases in June, compared to only 12% of cases in April, state officials said. More than 640 New Jersey residents between 18 and 29 have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. More than 50 people in that age group have died from complications.
“Your party on a Saturday night could really impact a friend who has an underlying health condition you don’t know about, or your favorite faculty member who is nearing retirement age,” Compton said. “It’s a ripple effect.”
Schools may also need help from the municipalities where they’re located to regulate off-campus behavior, such as managing large parties in places they don’t have jurisdiction.
For outliers who break the rules, Compton said, consequences should be based on risk.
If a student forgets to wear a mask, for example, the school’s intervention shouldn’t be too severe.
But if a student repeatedly refuses to wear a mask, won’t quarantine after being informed of virus exposure or breaks rules that prohibit bringing guests into dorm rooms, the consequence might be more significant — extending up to expulsion from campus.
“I have some faith and confidence that most of them are going to do the right thing,” Compton said. “Most of them want to be back on campus. Most of them realize this is how we do it.”
Alexis Shanes is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: shanesa@northjersey.com Twitter: @alexisjshanes
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