CLEVELAND — As college students try to make the best of a new school year, administrators could still change course.
Concerns are now growing over the rising rate of positive COVID-19 tests at Ohio State. Numbers have more than tripled since classes started, and on Friday, crept up to 3.8%. Students have been told they would have to go home if infection rates passed 5.5%.
“We’re in unprecedented times here,” said Arun Ponnusamy, Collegewise. “I think every student's family needs to sit down and not panic.”
Collegewise is an admissions counseling service, and Ponnusamy warns that leaving this fall could have consequences, especially for families with fewer resources.
“They don’t start college this fall the likelihood of them re-engaging is a lot lower. Those kids may never find their way back into college,” he said.
But they may not have a choice, as schools do what they can to stop the spread.
At the University of Toledo, move-in weekend was stretched out over 14 days in an effort to distance people. Administrators also set up a dashboard to share the latest information on cases.
“I feel safe because in my class, there’s about 20 to 30 people but it’s a larger classroom, we’re all spread out. I don’t really sit by anyone,” freshman Bridget Bremer said.
On Monday, John Carroll University and Oberlin College will resume class.
Freshman Baily Brewer says she is anxious to begin and aware that her experience will not be the norm.
“Instead of being able to go out and make a ton of new friends at like mixers and stuff I’ve kind of been kept to the same social group which hasn’t been terrible cause I haven’t been alone, which is nice, but it’s been a little restrictive,” she said.
In some ways, she believes it might even make her a better student.
“Maybe I’ll be able to focus more on school,” she said, “Than some of the more ‘college-related’ things.”