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Experiment or essential education? Texas colleges head back to school in the time of coronavirus

Universities spent months trying to make campuses safe for students and employees, but many worry it's not enough.

Fewer than 200 students were on campus at Southern Methodist University this July as athletes returned for practice and the school held its first run at operating in-person classes during a pandemic.

That gave officials a chance to see what would work and what wouldn’t as SMU and other colleges across the country prepared to open back up for the fall semester with the new coronavirus still a threat to communities.

Students showed up to classes with masks — as frequent signage reminded them to do. Administrators got a feel for what kind of distancing setups and cleaning protocols work best for dorms, classrooms and other common spaces. Operation teams adjusted ventilation systems to keep fresh air flowing.

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But even so, SMU reported 37 cases of COVID-19 last month that involved students, staff or contractors who had connections to the university. By comparison, the University of Texas at Arlington — which did not have in-person lessons during the summer — reported seven confirmed cases.

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It’s hard to know which individuals may be carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 when they arrive on campuses. But colleges face particular challenges as many young adults seek experiences that would traditionally include sports, Greek parties and a flurry of socializing activities. Universities are eager to provide as much normalcy as possible to not only keep students on track toward graduation but to stave off financial catastrophe.

Some worry that officials aren’t going far enough to protect students and employees as the great “experiment” of school in the time of coronavirus begins on Monday when some universities kick off the semester. They want more widespread testing — including those not showing symptoms — expanded notifications of possible exposure and protocols that would close down campus spaces where an infected person has been to allow for deeper cleanings.

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For their part, college leaders say they are following federal health recommendations and have launched plans that include limiting campus activities, conducting contact tracing, reconfiguring spaces and training staff on enhanced cleaning and safety measures. And they’ve also planned for isolating students when the inevitable presence of the coronavirus hits campuses. Some universities, for example, have entire dorms set aside for quarantine needs.

Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas County’s health department director, has been working with local schools for months on how to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. But the “x factor” is implementation in real-world settings.

“We can have all these plans, but what it will be like in the real world is important,” he said. “That’s the bottom line: How is this going to impact our community?”

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Already we’ve seen a glimpse of what to expect as campuses open up when the new school year starts rolling out.

Two employees at a Frisco high school tested positive just as professional development training started. Special education students in Plano were asked to self-quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 during summer school.

Many fear the worst. In the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district, for example, two custodians died in July when a limited number of staffers were working on site. It is unclear how the workers acquired COVID-19, but school officials there said they did immediate contract tracing and quarantined any employees who may have been exposed.

A POLITICO/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday showed that nearly 60% of surveyed registered voters opposed fully reopening K-12 schools and colleges, up from closer to 50% a month ago.

The surge of cases across the country had hundreds of colleges this month backtracking efforts to open up campuses or to greatly alter their plans, according to Inside Higher Ed. But the financial strain of offering only online classes could be disastrous for many schools already struggling.

Colleges had to refund millions of dollars last spring when their campuses suddenly shut down in March and students no longer needed housing, dining and other services that typically are a large source of revenue for schools.

The new coronavirus has brought the most significant disruption to colleges since World War II, said Ray Martinez, a deputy commissioner at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

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“In terms of the financial hit, there’s no question. … It’s dramatic,” Martinez said.

SMU, for example, estimates that it lost about $12.4 million for the 2020 fiscal year. UT-Arlington estimates it lost nearly $11 million and spent another $3 million to respond to the pandemic.

Maddie Eby, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, adjusts her mask...
Maddie Eby, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, adjusts her mask before leaving her on-campus apartment. Colleges have implemented various protocols to help curb the spread of COVID-19, including requiring those on campuses to wear masks.(Juan Figueroa / Staff photographer)

Martinez said there hasn’t yet been a survey to see what the ballpark estimates are statewide on how much was lost.

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Texas’ public colleges, universities and technical schools were asked to report such information to the state House’s Higher Education Committee by Sept. 1 along with their reopening plans, testing protocols and other related information.

And then there’s student demand.

An SMU housing survey in early June found that more than 90% of those responding wanted to live on campus with the vast majority of those wanting a roommate. And so far, only about 15% of undergraduate students have opted for an all-virtual semester.

So colleges spent months on safety protocols aimed at maintaining social distancing that include limiting classroom capacity, removing furniture, installing partitions and completely redesigning course offerings.

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The Coordinating Board hasn’t issued directives on what rules must be followed, which the Texas Education Agency did in a few instances for K-12 public schools. And it won’t be tracking campus cases though its officials will be in frequent communication with leaders across the state to help them respond, Martinez said.

The Coordinating Board is helping schools navigate a wide range of concerns from funding to state support to getting access to personal protective equipment. The agency also has posted dozens of FAQs and updated guidance that includes recommendations — not requirements — for reopenings that schools can use depending on their situations, Martinez said.

“Having a one size fits all template, certainly would be ideal,” he said. “But for a state as diverse and as large as in Texas, it is much better to make sure that the decision making rests with institutional leadership.”

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This week the Texas Faculty Association, which represents employees at colleges and universities across the state, called for strict safety standards that included testing students and employees before they return to campus and regular screening for COVID-19 symptoms throughout the year.

“How many asymptomatic students will be sitting in our classrooms because we did not test them?” TFA president Pat Heintzelman said in a statement. “How many will come in with fever because we did not take the time to check their temperatures? As a result, how many other students and faculty members will be infected with this potentially deadly disease?”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that testing of all students and staff on college campuses hasn’t been systematically studied. Since it’s unknown if that would provide any reduction in transmissions, the CDC doesn’t recommend it.

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Schools want student buy-in on protocols so they are enlisting them to talk to classmates about guidelines, requiring them to complete health and safety training or pledges and, in some cases, even asking them to self quarantine for at least 14 days before arriving on campus.

The Coordinating Board’s six pages of recommendations stress that school officials should take actions based on common sense and local conditions.

The summer allowed schools to refine logistics, which include moving many classes to virtual-only settings or hybrid models where about half the students enrolled are in class at any given time while the others watch online.

They also had a chance to iron out testing and contract tracing protocols.

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Christine Regis, SMU’s chief business and financial officer who oversees the university’s emergency operations, said the high number of cases SMU had in July reflects rigorous testing put in place as athletes returned to campus for practice and conditioning. They were closely monitored because of frequent interactions during activities where masks wouldn’t always be possible.

“I would say it’s responsible that we have that number of cases because it means we were properly monitoring those groups and testing them as appropriate,” Regis said.

To get ready for the fall semester, SMU has taken three residence halls offline and has 15 residential trailers to use when students need to be quarantined. Regis said officials consulted with experts to ensure such spaces address not only physical health but mental health needs.

“You need to make sure that you are putting students into a warm and welcoming environment so that they don’t feel isolated — although they are isolated — so that you can also maintain a proper mental attitude for these students as well,” she said.

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But if the isolation stations reach 50% capacity, quarantined students may have to return home if they live within 120 miles of campus. If occupancy in them reaches 70%, then students who live within 300 miles of SMU may have to return home.

Some SMU employees are concerned about the university’s operations plans saying they want strict adherence to CDC guidelines, such as waiting at least 24 hours before cleaning areas used by a person who tests positive for the coronavirus to ensure the safety of custodial staff.

The university has countered that CDC guidelines note that officials should wait as long as possible if 24 hours isn’t feasible. Moreover, they say SMU has specially trained teams outfitted with additional protection to allow for rapid response while still maintaining safety of custodial staff.

Like SMU, UT-Arlington has set aside an entire dorm for students to be quarantined. The schools will provide students with meals, WiFi and online access to classes.

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Only about 20% of classes at UT-Arlington will be in person only. About 40% will be offered in a hybrid mode and another 40% online only. Most of the in-person classes will be for underclassmen.

“We wanted to do face-to-face as best we could for freshmen and sophomores because that’s really the time where they are still in their first sessions into college,” said Pranesh Aswath, interim provost at UT-Arlington. “We want to give them a good start.”

A handful of colleges aren’t taking any chances with a widespread return to campus.

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Paul Quinn College, a small historically Black college in Southern Dallas, will be virtual only. Dallas College and the University of North Texas at Dallas will largely be online except for a few select courses.

That’s the safest option right now, said Bob Mong, president of UNT-Dallas. Classes could always move to an in-person setting if the pandemic starts to wane. Being a smaller university of about 4,000 students and only one residence hall makes it easier for schools like his to pivot, Mong concedes.

The UNT-Dallas campus, which lies in the southern part of the city, is designed to serve nontraditional, often older local students who are either the first in their family to attend college or who are already working full-time jobs. Officials scrambled to provide laptops and internet hotspots for as many students as possible so that degree plans wouldn’t be disrupted too much. They also cut some fees to reduce costs.

“The ZIP codes all around us — to our immediate north and to our west — have had some of the highest cases numbers in the city,” Mong said. “We surveyed our students and there was just a lot of uncertainty about what they were going to do. We felt best to be conservative about opening up.”

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