Campus Quarantine: SDSU reverses their hopeful re-opening
Campus Quarantine: SDSU reverses their hopeful re-opening
Emma Valdiserri / Asst. News Editor
San Diego State University (SDSU) has been forced to pause their in-person classes and place a stay-at-home order for students living on campus as their number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to rise. The university began its semester on Aug. 24 and has already recorded nearly 500 cases, including students living on and off-campus. Labor Day weekend festivities, as could be expected, didn’t help prevent the spread of the virus. Despite the trend of universities having to postpone or cancel their in-person classes, USD’s plan for a limited return starting Sept. 20 is still in effect. The CSU system, however, has announced that their classes will be primarily online for spring 2021.
According to the Daily Aztec, 75% of the COVID-19 cases are off-campus related, and 73% of the cases are among first- and second-year students. The stay-at-home order went into effect on Sept. 5 at 10 p.m. and was meant to last until Sept. 8 at 6 a.m. However, the university has extended the order until Sept. 14 to give the San Diego County Health and Human Services Department more time to investigate multiple clusters of positive cases around campus.
The stay-at-home order only applies to students living on campus; however, those living off campus have been strongly encouraged to stay home. Students quarantined on campus are allowed to leave their dorms for essentials like food, medical care, work, and exercise, as long as they wear face coverings. Residence halls and certain on-campus facilities are open while recreational and outdoor vicinities have been closed until further notice.
Students without face coverings will be subject to consequences that can lead to suspension or expulsion. So far, nearly 500 COVID-19 policy violations have been issued to students, indicating that the university isn’t taking violations lightly. SDSU security is on watch both on campus and in nearby neighborhoods to ensure that students are following the order.
The university plans to resume in-person classes starting Oct. 5, if they’re able to control the spread of the virus and rely on their students and faculty to be responsible for their actions both on and off campus. Once classes resume, all members will have to wear a face covering and maintain their distance. Certain graduate-level courses that require in-person hours resumed on Sept. 10, requiring all students to wear face coverings.
SDSU is far from the first university in the nation having to pause its in-person classes. The University of Notre Dame, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison have had to shift their classes online after experiencing outbreaks on campus.
Other universities like Oklahoma State University have experienced issues with Greek life, having forced a sorority to quarantine after 23 of its members tested positive for the virus. Many universities like the University of Illinois, located in Urbana Champaign, are continuing their Greek life recruitment processes online to prevent the spread of the virus.
USD still plans to get students and faculty back on campus, a decision that has stirred up controversy among members of the USD community. While many are in favor of the limited return due to the benefit of in-person learning, others believe USD should hold back on its plan, arguing that health and safety should be prioritized over in-person education and financial gain.
Senior undergraduate, Natalie Tasca, expressed her concern for USD’s plan for a limited return to campus.
“The benefit gained through in-person classes doesn’t outweigh the increase in cases among students and the people they interact with,” Tasca said.
Those in opposition to USD’s limited return are primarily concerned about the health issues involved, concerned the university will fall victim to the ongoing trend of reversing in-person learning.
USD will have first- and second-year students moving in on campus starting Sept. 18 and specialized labs and courses will begin in-person classes starting Sept. 20. At this point, only time will tell how the university’s plan will play out.