Monday, Jan. 10, the United States reported 1,433,977 new COVID cases in one day — an indication of the Omicron variant’s ability to rapidly spread. By Friday, Jan. 21, the number of new cases had dropped to 825,052, still more than double the pre-Omicron nationwide high of 301,138. Facing this ongoing challenge, the College of William and Mary will resume in-person classes this Wednesday, Jan. 26, using vaccines and mask mandates to keep students.
Wednesday, Jan. 19, the College’s senior administration officials held a community conversation to address the College’s health policies, answering pre-screened questions from students, faculty and staff. Three members of President Katherine Rowe’s Public Health Advisory Team (PHAT) joined Rowe for the conversation, which some students, such as Class of 2024 President Mia Tilman, found dissatisfying.
“I find it frustrating that the university would advertise a community ‘conversation’, implying a back and forth where students can express our opinions and share our thoughts in hope of influencing college policy,” Tilman wrote in an email. “Yet having this conversation a week before classes start, when policies are clearly already set in place, makes it difficult for student opinion to have the type of influence we want it to and are told it has.”
During the conversation, Rowe began by outlining the administration’s six basic principles when making public health decisions: keep goals simple, make decisions in a phased way, adapt with intentionality and care, remember that everyone is in the same storm but not everyone is in the same boat, recognize that every semester is different and communicate consistently and thoroughly. The representatives of the PHAT then went through different questions, the responses to which emphasized the college’s use of its ‘tools’ to keep students safe from COVID.
“We’ve got three big things: we have vaccines, we have boosters, and we have indoor masking,” Professor of Kinesiology Carrie Dolan said. “And all three of these things work together to help decrease and minimize the transmission as well as the severity of disease.”
“We’ve got three big things: we have vaccines, we have boosters, and we have indoor masking,” Professor of Kinesiology Carrie Dolan said. “And all three of these things work together to help decrease and minimize the transmission as well as the severity of disease.”
Despite the surge in cases nation-wide, the College has no plan to delay the start of classes. Officials emphasized pre-arrival testing, the College’s system of COVID case managers and high-quality masks as preventative measures against a COVID surge on campus. The College also recently ordered 40,000 K-N95 masks for distribution among students, emphasizing their reliance on masks as a preventative tool.
Sebring explained the decision to not delay in-person classes in a follow-up.
“William & Mary has relied on delayed opening and/or remote starts in past semesters, and we are in continual communication with peer institutions in terms of discussing our COVID response,” Sebring wrote in an email. “For the Spring 2022 semester, William & Mary benefited by a start date that is later than many other institutions; many that were scheduled to start in early January opted to delay to mid-January. In contrast, undergraduate classes at W&M start January 26. That said, delays are very disruptive, especially for a highly residential campus community.”
“William & Mary has relied on delayed opening and/or remote starts in past semesters, and we are in continual communication with peer institutions in terms of discussing our COVID response,” Sebring wrote in an email. “For the Spring 2022 semester, William & Mary benefited by a start date that is later than many other institutions; many that were scheduled to start in early January opted to delay to mid-January. In contrast, undergraduate classes at W&M start January 26. That said, delays are very disruptive, especially for a highly residential campus community.”
However, Tilman views the the College’s decision with skepticism.
“I trust the decisions of medical professionals and feel that for the most part, W&M does have appropriate measures to keep students safe (and hope these aren’t further rolled back throughout the semester, regardless of what our Governor may say),” Tilman wrote. “However, I would deeply disapprove of William & Mary returning to a solely in-person format. It is clear that these last few Covid semesters have been hard on students, physically and mentally…. While I am glad we are returning in-person for those of us who need in-person education, I hope the university is adequately prepared to accommodate ALL students.”
Meghan Gates ’22 also expressed her frustration with returning to class amidst the Omicron wave.
“I’m pretty anxious about going to class in person,” Gates wrote in an email. “We started online in past semesters & with the VA/national case levels the way they are, it makes no sense to me why WM isn’t doing the same now. If WM admits omicron transmits more easily & more quickly, why aren’t we doing what’s safer? WM can decide to start online for a few weeks & even bring back prevalence testing, but it’s not, and the community will suffer for it.”
However, some students, like Student Assembly President Meghana Boojala ’22, remain cautiously optimistic about the College’s operating procedures.
“No plan is going to be 100% effective — even the University will be modifying its plan and guidelines as the semester unfolds,” Boojala wrote in an email. “I think students should expect a spike in COVID-19 cases at some point in the semester, and that they should make decisions accordingly. However, I also believe that we will be able to overcome any disruption, just as we have in the past. We have to protect ourselves by wearing the right masks in academic buildings, following school and CDC guidelines, and familiarizing ourselves with new University updates as they come out.”
City Councilman Caleb Rogers ’20 echoed this sentiment, emphasizing caution among students to control the spread of the variant.
“Personally, I have not heard concerns from constituents about the return of students to campus,” Rogers wrote in an email. “We did hear that frequently before the Fall semester of 2020 started, but it became clear that the University’s administration and the students were taking COVID-19 seriously as outbreaks never reached the extent they were at other colleges. Omicron is a quickly-spreading variant that I’m sure students will take seriously.”