28 SCIENCE NEWS | February 27, 2021FEATURE | COVID-19 ON CAMPUSC. CHANGRice University, Houston
A foundation of Rice University’s reopening plan
was weekly COVID -19 testing for undergraduates,
says Yousif Shamoo, vice provost for research.
After seeing Texas residents wait days for test
results in the summer, the school lined up two
Houston-based testing partners, Baylor Genetics
and Houston Methodist Hospital, for 24-hour
turnaround on test results.
Starting in the summer, student leaders helped
the university prepare educational materials on
COVID -19 and set up a system to discipline those
who broke the rules and reward those who fol-
lowed the rules, says Emily Garza, director of
Student Judicial Programs.
Inspired by Rice’s student-run Honor Council,
the COVID -19 Community Court includes rep-
resentatives from all 11 residential colleges who
are selected by student leadership and trained by
student Judicial Programs. Students on the court
try their peers who break COVID -19 protocols on
campus; students, staff and community members
can report misconduct through an online portal.
The court has been criticized as an outlet for
students to police each other. But Shamoo sees it
as a means for education, reminding students that
their actions have consequences.
As punishment for being caught without a
mask, for example: “We’re gonna make you writea three-page essay on whether you think masks
are good ideas or not,” he says. Students wrote
their essays after watching videos and reading
articles about public health and safety concerns
around COVID -19. Another common penalty was
community service hours, in which students cre-
ated and posted flyers on campus buildings about
COVID -19 precautions.
During the fall semester, about 130 student vio-
lations were reported, half on campus and half off
campus. The university’s staff judicial office inves-
tigated the off-campus violations.
Rice also trained over 100 student health
ambassadors to serve as resources for their
peers who have questions about COVID -19 but
don’t want to ask administrators. Case numbers
remained low at Rice, with no single day seeing
more than six reported cases. Over 75,000 tests
were conducted during the fall semester and only
135 cases were confirmed. sExplore more
s U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. “COVID-19. Colleges, universities
and higher learning.” December 29, 2020.
bit.ly/CDC-COVIDcollegeBetsy Ladyzhets is a freelance science writer and
data journalist based in Brooklyn, N.Y.Students: 3,000 living on
or near campus
Testing: Weekly PCR
testing for undergrads
in dorms or who attend
in-person classes;
intermittent testing for
staff, faculty and grad
students every two to
three weeks
Safety measures: Masks
and social distancing
required indoors and
outdoors; contact
tracing (priority is to first
reach those exposed
to more contagious
students, based on
viral load on PCR test);
international travel
logged in a Rice registry
Spring semester plans:
Due to high case
numbers in Houston,
all classes online and
campus closed to
students until February
15; LAMP testing
surveillance added to
detect superspreader
eventsRice University — COVID-19 casesNew cases (reported weekly)DateDateAugust 1, 2020August 1, 2020September 1September 1October 1October 1November 1November 1December 1December 1155,0002,000104,0001,0000053,000Rice University — testingNew tests (reported weekly)First week of
COVID-19 courtLast day
of classesWeekly testing beginsData were provided by
university staff. Cases
and tests are reported
on a weekly basis.Classes startcovid-colleges.indd 28covid-colleges.indd 28 2/10/21 9:25 AM2/10/21 9:25 AM