The New York Times - USA (2020-07-31)

THE NEW YORK TIMES, FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 Y A

Tracking an Outbreak Planning for the Fall Semester

As college students and pro-
fessors decide whether to head
back to class, and as universities
weigh how and whether to re-
open, the coronavirus is already
on campus.
A New York Times survey of
every public four-year college in
the country, as well as every
private institution that competes
in Division I sports or is a mem-
ber of an elite group of research
universities, revealed at least
6,600 cases tied to about 270
colleges over the course of the
pandemic. And the new academ-
ic year has not even begun at
most schools.
Outbreaks have emerged on
Greek Row this summer at the
University of Washington, where
at least 136 residents were in-
fected, and at Harris-Stowe State
University in St. Louis, where
administrators were re-evaluat-
ing their plans for fall after eight
administrative workers tested
positive.
The virus has turned up in a
science building at Western
Carolina, on the football team at
Clemson and among employees
at the University of Denver.
At Appalachian State in North
Carolina, at least 41 construction
workers have tested positive
while working on campus build-
ings. The Times has identified at
least 14 coronavirus-related
deaths at colleges.
There is no standardized re-
porting method for coronavirus
cases and deaths at colleges, and
the information is not being
publicly tracked at a national
level. Of nearly 1,000 institutions
contacted by The Times, some
had already posted case informa-
tion online, some provided full or
partial numbers and others
refused to answer basic ques-
tions, citing privacy concerns.
Hundreds of colleges did not
respond at all.
Still, the Times survey repre-
sents the most comprehensive
look at the toll the virus has
already taken on the country’s
colleges and universities.
Coronavirus infections on
campuses might go unnoticed if
not for reporting by academic
institutions themselves because
they do not always show up in
official tallies, which generally
exclude people who have perma-
nent addresses elsewhere, as
students often do.
The Times survey included
four-year public schools in the
United States, those that are
members of the Association of
American Universities and those
that compete at the highest level
of college sports. It has not yet
expanded to include hundreds of

other institutions, including most
private schools and community
colleges.
Among the colleges that pro-
vided information, many offered
no details about who contracted
the virus, when they became ill
or whether a case was connected
to a larger outbreak. It is possi-
ble that some of the cases were
identified months ago, in the
early days of the outbreak, and
that others involved students
and employees who had not been
on campus recently.
This data, which is almost
certainly an undercount, shows
the risks colleges face as they
prepare for a school year in the
midst of a pandemic. But be-
cause universities vary widely in
size, and because some refused
to provide information, compar-

ing case totals from campus to

campus may not provide a full

picture of the relative risk.

What is clear is that despite

months of planning for a safe

return to class, and despite dras-

tic changes to campus life, the

virus is already spreading widely

at universities.

Some institutions, like the

California State University sys-

tem, have moved most fall

classes online. Others, including

those in the Patriot League and

Ivy League, have decided to not

hold fall sports. But many institu-

tions still plan to welcome fresh-

men to campus in the coming

days, to hold in-person classes

and to host sporting events.

At the University of Texas at

Austin, where more than 440

students and employees have

tested positive since the spring,

in-person classes will be capped

at 40 percent of capacity and

final exams will be taken online.

At Peru State College in Ne-

braska, where there have been

no known cases, classes are

expected to resume on schedule,

but with stepped-up cleaning

procedures and a recommenda-

tion for dorm residents to wear

masks in common areas.

The University of Georgia has

announced plans for in-person

classes despite rising deaths

from the virus in the state. The

university has recorded at least

390 infections involving students,

faculty and staff.

O’Bryan Moore, a senior at the

school, said he was worried

about the safety of his class-

mates and teachers. He said he

was skeptical that students

would widely follow guidelines to

wear masks once they return in

August.

“There is no way I can see this

ending without outbreaks on

campus,” said Mr. Moore, who is

studying to become a park rang-

er.

Mr. Moore said that online

classes have not been as effec-

tive as in-person classes, but

that he still hoped the university

would change its plans for stu-

dents to return to campus.

“I think we should remain

online for this semester, even if

it’ll hurt my education,” he said.

“Because it’s the right thing to

do.”

Case numbers may be larger

at some universities with tens of

thousands of students, including

Central Florida and the Univer-

sity of Texas at Austin, and at

others where many university

employees work in hospitals

where coronavirus patients

have been treated, including at

the University of Texas South-

western Medical Center.

Though hundreds of universi-

ties responded to The Times’s

request for data others declined

to cooperate. Some said they

were not tracking such cases.

Others invoked privacy con-

cerns, even though The Times

asked for aggregate case totals,

not a list of individuals who

were infected.

A spokesman at Arizona

State, for example, said they

“chose months ago to not re-

lease data/names/results” on

coronavirus cases. A spokesman

for Montana State University

said the school “does not pro-

vide health information on its

students, faculty or staff, even

on general subgroups.” The

United States Naval Academy

cited “operational security”

concerns. A spokeswoman for

Washburn University in Kansas

said she believed giving such

information would violate pri-

vacy laws. And while the Uni-

versity of Missouri’s athletic

department confirmed 10 cases,

a spokesman at the flagship

campus would not provide infor-

mation about other students

and employees.

As students have started

trickling back onto campuses in

recent weeks, the early returns

have been troubling. After 10

students tested positive this

month at West Virginia Univer-

sity, officials pledged to deep-

clean the places on campus

where they had been. At Kansas

State University, off-season

football workouts were paused

last month after an outbreak on

the team.

Many of the first arrivals on

campus have been athletes

hoping to compete this fall. A

separate Times survey of the

130 universities that compete at

the highest level of Division I

football revealed more than 630

cases on 68 campuses among

athletes, coaches and other

employees.

As universities make plans

for the fall semester, administra-

tors have had to weigh shifting

public health guidance and

financial and academic con-

cerns, as well as the difficult

reality that some students and

faculty members are likely to

test positive no matter how

classes are held.

“There is simply no way to

completely eliminate risk,

whether we are in-person or

online,” Martha E. Pollack, the

president of Cornell, wrote in a

letter explaining the decision to

bring students back to campus.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Analysis Shows Infections on Campus Before Classes Start

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CALIF.

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TEXAS

UTAH

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MAINE

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MISS.

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NEB.

N.H.

N.J.

N.M.

N.Y.

N.C.

N.D.

OHIO

OKLA.

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PA.

S.D.

TENN.

VA.

WASH.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

The college case data is current as of July 28. It is based on reports from colleges and government sources and may lag. Colleges and government agencies report this data differently, so exercise

caution when comparing institutions. Some colleges declined to provide data or did not respond to inquiries. At some institutions, cases may be spread across multiple campuses.

Boise

State 50

B.Y.U. 51

Utah State 52

Missouri State

57

Rice 59

U.H.D. 61

Montclair

SSSStSStSSStSStSSStSSStSStSSStatte 6333333333333333333

U.C. Irvine 77

Georgetown 80

Missisiiiiiiiiiiiiisippi

818888888188188888811

OregonHeHeHHHHHHHHHHHeHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHealth

& Science 83

Sam Houststststststsstssststststststsststttttttton

StaSSte 88

West Point

89

Appalachian

Staaaaate 94

GeoGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG rgigigiggiggiggigggggiiiia Ta Ta Taa Taaa Ta Ta Taa Ta T TTTTTTTTTech 94994994949499494949494949949494944444

U.T. Rio Grande Valley

95

Stanford 99

U.C.L.A. 101

UConn

112

California 123

Penn 167

South Florida

182

U.T. Southwestern

Medical Center 207

Florida 217

Washington

249

Georgia 390

Central

Florida 438

Te x as 449

Texas A&MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM 3330333333333333333333333333333332

More than 50 cases 11-50 cases 10 or fewer cases

Confirmed Coronavirus Cases on College Campuses

University of Texas at Austin 449

University of Central Florida 438

University of Georgia 390

Texas A&M University 302

University of Washington 249

University of Florida 217

U.T. Southwestern Medical Center 207

University of South Florida 182

University of Pennsylvania 167

University of California, Berkeley 123

University of Connecticut System 112

University of California, Los Angeles 101

Stanford University 99

U.T. Rio Grande Valley 95

Georgia Institute of Technology 94

Appalachian State University 94

West Point 89

Sam Houston State University 88

Oregon Health & Science University 83

University of Mississippi 81

Georgetown University 80

University of California, Irvine 77

Montclair State University 63

University of Houston-Downtown 61

Rice University 59

Missouri State University 57

Utah State University 52

Brigham Young University 51

Boise State University 50

Southern Methodist University 49

University of Southern Mississippi 49

Princeton University 48

University of California, Davis 47

Clemson University* 47

University of Oregon 42

Baylor University* 42

Northwestern University 41

Georgia Southern University* 40

Southern Univ. and A&M College 39

University of Pittsburgh 39

Cal State, Long Beach 38

Oakland University 37

North Carolina 37

Greenville Technical College 36

Mississippi State University 33

University of Nevada, Reno 33

University of Nevada, Las Vegas 33

Jacksonville State University 33

U.N.C. Wilmington 33

Worcester State University 33

University of North Alabama 32

South Texas College 31

SUNY New Paltz 31

East Carolina University 30

Kansas State University* 29

University of Southern California 28

New Mexico State University* 27

Texas Woman’s University 27

University of Chicago 26

Texas A&M University-Kingsville 26

University of Maryland, College Park 25

Manhattan College 23

Texas Tech University* 23

Austin Peay State University 22

Ramapo College of New Jersey 22

West Texas A&M University 22

University of Iowa* 21

Prairie View A&M University 20

Wayne State University 20

Michigan State University* 20

Pepperdine University 18

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 18

Georgia State University* 18

University of Oklahoma 18

San Jose State University 18

West Virginia University* 18

University of Missouri-Kansas City 18

San Diego State University System 17

North Florida College 16

University of Kansas* 16

Marshall University 16

University of California, Riverside 16

Central Michigan University 16

College of Southern Nevada 15

Tyler Junior College 15

Southern University at New Orleans 15

Cal State, Northridge 14

Oklahoma State University* 14

University of Texas at Arlington 14

Florida State College at Jacksonville 14

University of Evansville 13

University of Central Oklahoma 13

Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County 13

University of Texas at Dallas 12

Winston-Salem State University 12

Angelo State University 12

Morgan State University 12

SUNY Purchase College 12

St. Petersburg College 12

Santa Monica College 12

California Institute of Technology 12

Valencia College 11

University of California, Santa Cruz 11

University of North Georgia 11

Western Carolina University 11

Troy University 10

Mercer University 10

Florida Gulf Coast University 10

Iowa State University* 10

Indiana University Bloomington* 10

University of Missouri* 10

Midwestern State University 10

Rutgers University-New Brunswick* 10

U.N.C. at Pembroke 10

Bradley University 10

Cases by School

The list includes public, four-year universities in the United States, as well as private

colleges that compete in Division I sports or are members of an elite group of

research universities. Only schools that reported 10 or more cases are shown.

SCHOOL CASES SCHOOL CASES

WEEKLY LOCAL

CASES PER CAPITA

FEWER MORE

MARCH 1 JULY 28 MARCH 1 JULY 28

THE NEW YORK TIMES

*All reported cases were in the athletic department.

Note: The charts show the cases per 100,000 residents reported each week in the county where each school is located. The

location of a university’s main campus is listed unless otherwise specified. In several instances, colleges noted that some cases

were tied to branch campuses or satellite locations. Local case data comes from a New York Times database.

This article is by Weiyi Cai ,
Danielle Ivory , Mitch Smith , Alex
Lemonides and Lauryn Higgins.

Reporting was contributed by
Jordan Allen, Yuriria Avila, Eli-
sha Brown, Alyssa Burr, Sarah
Cahalan, Matt Craig, Yves De
Jesus, Brandon Dupré, Timmy
Facciola, Bianca Fortis, Grace
Gorenflo, Barbara Harvey, Shawn
Hubler, Jacob LaGesse, Alex Lim,
Alex Leeds Matthews, Jaylynn
Moffat-Mowatt, Ashlyn O’Hara,
Cierra S. Queen, Natasha Rodri-
guez, Alison Saldanha, Emily
Schwing, Sarena Snider, Brandon
Thorp and Billy Witz.

Hybrid 51

Primarily or fully online 87 schools

In-person 95

Waiting to decide or no information 38

More than 50 cases 11-50 cases 10 or fewer cases

Plans for Fall Instruction

The chart shows how schools with reported coronavirus cases plan
to offer instruction for the fall semester, according to a database
from Davidson College.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Reopening data as of July 24.

Source: College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College.

‘There is no way I can

see this ending without

outbreaks on campus.’

O’BRYAN MOORE, a senior at

the University of Georgia

BD