Local colleges unswayed by campus clusters
Stick to plans despite UNC, Notre Dame outbreaks
Boston-area college officials on Tuesday said they’re not shying away from inperson classes and on-campus living in the wake of coronavirus outbreaks at the University of North Carolina and Notre Dame.
Coronavirus clusters at the North Carolina flagship campus — resulting in more than 100 students testing positive — sparked UNC on Monday to shift from in-person to remote learning. Then on Tuesday, the University
of Notre Dame announced a shift to online classes after a spike in cases.
But Boston-area colleges are not curtailing their inperson plans as thousands of students return to campus.
Tufts University, which is receiving pressure from Somerville and Medford residents to go all remote, has a comprehensive plan that “will allow us to resume classes and residential life safely,” a Tufts spokesman said Tuesday.
“The UNC-Chapel Hill reopening plan was vastly different from the Tufts University plan,” Tufts spokesman Patrick Collins said in a statement. “In particular, UNC did not conduct onboard testing for returning students and did not conduct asymptomatic testing, both of which we think are critical for a safe and successful return to campus.
“Our testing regimen will allow us to control potential spread by identifying and isolating students who are sick with the virus but are not exhibiting symptoms,” he added.
There have been no positive tests from the early stages of Tufts’ student-testing program, with more than 1,700 tests completed and nearly 1,100 individuals tested so far.
Throughout the semester, all students — whether living on- or off-campus — will be tested twice a week; employees and contractors in areas such as dining and custodial services will be tested twice a week; and student-facing faculty and staff will be tested once a week.
But community groups and neighbors remain worried about students coming back to campus, saying it puts the health and safety of Somerville and Medford residents at risk.
“What we see happening in other parts of the country, with other colleges reopening and the increases in positive tests, it makes us more and more concerned that that’s going to happen to us,” said Marianne Walles, cochair of the Our Revolution PILOT Working Group.
The group is planning a protest outside Tufts President Anthony Monaco’s house this morning, urging the university to shift to all remote classes.
Meanwhile, college officials in Boston on Tuesday said they remain confident in their reopening plans.
Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn said in a statement, “We have worked diligently these past five months to create a plan that includes extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine and isolation protocols, coupled with a mix of inclass, remote and hybrid learning, which we believe will enable us to proceed with a successful fall semester.”
Boston University has screening, testing and contact tracing protocols in place to “identify cases and to minimize and contain it from spreading,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley.
All undergraduate students — living on- or offcampus — will be tested twice weekly.