We’re all wondering what will happen this fall. While updates stream in on a daily basis, my crystal ball remains broken. If the medical and public health experts are unable to make definite predictions at this time, suffice it to say that I know better than to venture into that jungle. I can, however, share some examples of innovation from several colleges around the nation (there are countless more!) along with some personal perspective.
Rahm Emmanuel is often credited with coining the phrase “never allow a good crisis (to) go to waste.” The authors of the Yale Book of Modern Proverbs posit that it can be traced to one M.F. Weiner, who used the term in 1976 in the journal Medical Economics. Regardless of who first said it, the sentiment could never be more relevant than it is right now. It’s times like these that bring out not only the worst - but also the best - in us. We innovate, we collaborate, we … “build a better mousetrap …” (we’re pretty sure Ralph Waldo Emerson said that last one). Let’s talk about a few recent examples.
UC San Diego recently revealed its Return to Learn Program, a phased initiative that begins this month with the 5,000+ students still residing on campus. Participants will self-test for COVID-19 with provided kits. If a participant tests positive, he/she will be notified and advised to seek medical attention. Efforts will also be made to track and notify individuals who were in contact with the infected participant. Isolation housing will be provided and steps are being taken to maximize the privacy of participants. If successful, this program will be scaled to accommodate the 65,000+ people who will, hopefully, converge on the campus come fall. https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/introducing-the-uc-san-diego-return-to-learn-program
The University of Miami’s president , Julio Frenk, recently outlined a four pillar plan to reopen campus for in-person instruction for the Fall 2020 term. https://www.themiamihurricane.com/2020/05/04/president-frenk-outlines-his-plan-for-a-return-this-fall-2/ Dr. Frenk, a former executive director at the World Heath Organization and former dean of Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health, stated that his plan includes provisions for testing, tracing, separating and, finally, vaccinating (when available). “We just need to coexist with this virus and adapt” said Frenk. While he is closely monitoring the spread of the virus throughout the country, he went on to state “(a)t this point, it would take something really very dramatic, which I do not envision, for us not to open in the fall.” UM has stated that it would give students and their families a definitive answer about the fall semester in June.
At the University of Pennsylvania, they’re training COVID-19 sniffing dogs! In April, a pilot program was kicked off using scent detection dogs to differentiate between COVID-19 positive and negative patients. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center will soon be joining Penn in this endeavor. As a proud Penn alumna, I cannot resist saying Go Quakers and Quaker Pups! https://powerofpenn.upenn.edu/new-priorities-at-penn-vet/
Will all colleges open in the fall? Will any? It’s still a little too soon to know, but it’s very unlikely that there will be a one-size-fits-all response to this pandemic. This is because each college and university must respond to its individual environment and ecosystem. A small, rural school, for example, may have an advantage over an urban research university when it comes to social distancing, thereby keeping outbreaks at bay. Having said that, the urban research university may have at its disposal health care workers and hospitals, quickly coming to the aid of infected students. It’s incumbent upon all of us to look at this situation on both a macro and micro level and to educate ourselves about what’s happening at the particular schools we attend or are considering attending.
With rising death tolls and collapsing economies, it’s easy to become pessimistic about our current state of affairs. I don’t diminish the enormity of these problems or the suffering endured by their many casualties. Having said that, I’m hopeful when I read what people are trying to do. The above are but three of the many examples I’ve recently come across that show the ingenuity, tenacity and determination at work on college campuses across our nation. We send our students to college to create - to innovate - to challenge. It’s heartening to see that we’re entrusting them to educators who lead by example.
