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In Praise of Colleges

December 28th, 2021 by Kenneth Abrahams

Recently, the Boston Globe ran an article with the headline “Colleges consider more restrictions as Omicron outbreaks increase but concerns about student mental health give pause.” Post-Thanksgiving outbreaks at Middlebury, Cornell and Princeton had caused the administrations to close their campuses and move the last week or two of classes and finals online. Shortly after this story broke, several schools cancelled athletic competitions or banned fans from the stands if the games were allowed to continue. All I could think of was here we go again. In the fall of 2020, we were treated with front page stories of significant outbreaks at schools in the Providence area. Later, Springfield College shut down when they had students testing positive. There were pictures of schools in the South and Midwest showing huge, unmasked crowds at bonfires and tailgates. There was also no shortage of commentary about the irresponsible behavior of these students. Some institutions were chastised for even trying to bring people back on campus in the fall of 2020. They were called crazy and irresponsible, yet they did it and, in many cases, successfully. What got glossed over were the facts.

In the case of the Providence area schools, most of the infections were among off campus students living in one particular area in the city. Springfield shut down after 2, yes two, students tested positive to contain the spread. Luckily, the threat was contained, and they returned to 2020 normal fairly quickly. In terms of COVID, many of these colleges and universities did incredibly well. Students often policed themselves to stay on campus and have a somewhat “normal” experience. Students, staff, and faculty were tested, in some cases, 2 and 3 times a week. Residence halls were put on lockdown if students tested positive or those students were moved to segregated housing to ride out the quarantine. Schools also put tents outside to allow more space for students to eat and study. Keeping those tents up at some institutions all year. Hard to believe but few members of the student body ever complained.

There is no question that the 2020/2021 academic year was hard. After a promising start to 2021/2022, Omicron decided to come and rain on the parade. With many schools requiring vaccinations of students, faculty, and staff, this past fall was going to look and feel more normal. Testing, which had become an integral part of life on college campuses along with masks, was going to be a distant memory. Turns out that many schools kept testing protocols in place. After all, the information that was out there told us that fully vaccinated people were protected against COVID and its multiple variants. If you by some small chance got it you would not get as sick, there would be no need for hospitalizations, and you wouldn’t die from it. Vendors and entertainers were welcomed back to campus at some institutions if they were vaccinated or tested negative. While other universities had no restrictions. Some of the projections about breakthrough cases not being as deadly proved false but overall, the start of fall 2021 was great, especially when compared to fall 2020.

It is not only the way that some of these schools handled the virus itself, but it has also been what they have done for their students and their communities that is truly impressive. Despite a number of student involvement and residential life offices being severely understaffed, they have provided an incredible campus and community environment. They have worked tirelessly to provide a level of programming that, in some cases, is more robust than pre-pandemic levels. Often, they are doing this with budgets that have been decimated by the pandemic. At some institutions we saw the return of homecoming and family weekend programming. It is important to note that along with being short staffed, many schools have a completely new core of student leaders. A large number of student leaders were still in High School in 2019 and have never seen some of these signature programs done live. While many of the students that were highly involved in 2019 have graduated or are in their senior years with their focus being on life after college. It is truly impressive when you look at what they have accomplished.

Unfortunately, we have seen a mass exodus from the field of Higher Education, especially in the area of student involvement and residence life. For many, the pandemic was the last straw. Unlike many faculty members, they didn’t have the option of working remotely because their jobs required them to be in person. Many faculty members questioned what they even needed these people for, since there were few if any students on campus. They never bothered to investigate what these folks were doing to keep students engaged and coming back to these institutions. College presidents and administrators at many institutions pushed these folks incredibly hard and when a thank you would have been appropriate instead, they asked why you haven’t done more. We have lost some very good people, and more are certain to follow.

As a company, we have worked and programed with a lot of schools, students, and professionals. It has been an honor. Speaking as an individual, I am immensely proud of what our clients have done. Many of you haven’t heard this enough but I thank you. Your efforts and commitment haven’t gone unnoticed. If you are a parent about to pick up the phone and complain to the president’s office that there isn’t enough for your little angel to do, perhaps you should hang up the phone and instead call that child and encourage them to get involved. Join a club or an organization, help plan a program in the hall they live in. After that, call the Residence Life and Student Involvement Offices and thank them for all that they have done for your kid and countless others. They could really use a pat on the back and an atta boy, girl or other right about now. It has been a tough 2 years and it doesn’t appear that it is going to be any easier in the near future.

It has been said that tough times don’t build character, it simply reveals it. Some say that stress and pressure reveal who we really are. There seems to be a lot of truth to that. These are hard times, and some have excelled, others have survived, and there are those that have packed up their toys, waved the white flag of surrender, and called it quits. Few, if any, of us haven’t been negatively impacted by this pandemic. We have all learned a lot about ourselves and others. For me, the lessons taught by my clients have been positive. They have shown ingenuity, creativity, and an unbelievable work ethic. These people are committed to their students and making their communities better and stronger. I look forward to seeing what the rest of this year looks like. Happy New Year to one and all.

About the Author

Ken Abrahams ([email protected]) is the VP of Client Relations and works almost exclusively with colleges and universities across the country. Some who know him would describe him as an opinionated pain in the neck. Opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and don’t represent FUN Enterprises.

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