Students shouldn’t take the blame for COVID outbreaks

University administrators across the country are blaming students for increases in COVID-19 cases as campuses begin to re-open for in-person classes. But are students really the ones to blame?

 Hallie Wiltshire/ Asst. Opinion Editor

As colleges and universities around the country begin to welcome their students back to campus, the rhetoric surrounding COVID-19 outbreaks becomes increasingly toxic; if cases on campuses increase, students are to blame with their reckless behavior and lack of responsibility. 

Students are an easy target, it’s true. Older generations who struggle to accept change have been scapegoating millennials and Gen Z for years, blaming them for all of the issues we face in our country today. Students arrive back on campus and seem to almost immediately attend parties and other large social gatherings. Human decency indicates that this is a wrong, even selfish, choice. But students are not the only ones to blame.

University administration has a responsibility to keep their students safe. The weight of these decisions should be on the shoulders of administrators instead of students. USD sent out an email on Sept. 23 urging students to take the Student Pledge to prevent the spread of COVID-19 seriously, and also to prompt students to anonymously report concerning behavior. Zero-tolerance policies and a communication tactic that condemns socializing students is ineffective and is likely making the entire situation worse. 

After an uptick in cases at Cornell University, the Vice President for Student and Campus Life sent out a message to the student body, reprimanding those who showed “irresponsible behavior and disregard for others in our community,” and threatened suspension and bans from campus. Erica Woodley, the Dean of Students at Tulane University, scolded students for their behavior over the July 4 holiday weekend as “indefensible and truly shameful.” She went even further to say, “Do you really want to be the reason that Tulane and New Orleans have to shut down again?”

It is important to remember that tactics such as these will do little to discourage students from attending social events. Students will inevitably socialize, and if the environment around COVID-19 testing and reporting is threatening, students will likely avoid them altogether. They may downplay symptoms, fail to get tested, or even lie about where they have been and who they have been with, leading to difficulties in tracing outbreaks.

USD began reopening procedures on Monday, Sept. 21, which is expected to increase USD’s COVID-19 case count. As of Sept. 28, there have been 72 reported cases. Eighty-nine percent of these cases are from non-residential students. USD administration is encouraging students to be cautious and show concern for the well-being of their peers.

Universities have unrealistic expectations for the behavior and maturity of student bodies made up primarily of individuals under the age of 24, according to Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School. Expecting students to act perfectly and remain isolated from each other at all times is an impractical strategy. 

Not to mention, forcing students to stay isolated from each other can have detrimental effects on their mental health. If students are not able to escape from school, their performance in the classroom may suffer. For me personally, the expectation that students have nothing to do except school has led to an increase in workload, one I am struggling to keep up with. We end up with a perfect storm of more work and less time relaxing with friends, all leading to inevitable breakdowns later in the semester. 

The narrative that college students are selfish for socializing is unfair, particularly when students are not given other opportunities or suggestions for how to see each other in a safe and healthy manner. Few universities have outlined detailed plans for how students can engage safely, an omission from reopening plans that is more crucial than anything else. 

It’s easier to blame students than to consider that maybe the public health plans created by the universities were not thorough, realistic, or effective enough. No one likes to admit when they’ve failed, and what we have here is a perfect example of this. Rather than admit that they messed up, administrators turn the attention to students. 

It’s also easier to blame students in order to avoid questions of why administrators are bringing students back at all when they know it’s not safe. While university administrations blather on about maintaining the first-year experience and creating an on-campus community, the true motivations for opening campus are more profit-focused. USD in particular lost a significant portion of its revenue when student housing was closed. Through reopening, they may be able to make some of that money back. 

This does not mean that students are off the hook. If you attend a large party with limited social distancing and no masks, you are making a conscious choice to endanger yourself and others. Not all of the responsibility falls onto students, but we are still adults and should act as such. Wear your mask and do your part to stop the spread.

“The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.”