In the past few weeks, colleges around the country have begun their semesters, crossing their fingers that new mask policies, buckets of hand sanitizer and online learning will be enough to keep COVID-19 cases on campus at bay. Despite the efforts of universities to prepare for the surge of new and returning students, one variable has sat poised, ready to throw a wrench into months of planning: college parties.
Since fall terms began, college parties have continuously underscored how difficult it is to police students’ behavior. Large, non-socially distant gatherings of students have been met with a variety of responses. Last week, Georgia College cautioned that students who attended house parties and other large gatherings would be harshly reprimanded, even by suspension.
Many other colleges have followed suit by issuing similarly strict warnings to their student populations. However, while school officials may effectively exercise tight control on on-campus actions and behaviors, enforcing policies off-campus has proven to be a more difficult task.
Universities including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame have suspended on-ground instruction after cases were linked to large gatherings in off-campus housing as well as to sororities and fraternities. In another instance, Instagram removed an account allegedly prompting “COVID parties” for students returning to Arizona State University. The evidence is there. Reckless students’ behavior has already had a direct impact on the transition back to school, and it’s only the first day of September.
So, if the evidence is there and the repercussions are already manifesting, then why are they still happening? One can only wonder. Perhaps, it is the rebellious spirit of college-aged individuals, a lack of knowledge or concern about the consequences of risky actions or a surrender to months of longing for physical closeness. Or, one can chalk it up to sheer stupidity. Whichever explanation you decide to land on, the implications are the same. The actions of a few could ruin it for everyone.
No matter how you paint it, the situation we are all in is far from ideal, but instead of risking a whole school year — not to mention the health and safety of everyone on campus — for the sake of one fun-filled night, consider something else I’m sure we can all agree on. A safe college experience in this “new normal” is better than regressing back to another lonely quarantine.
