As Middlebury College students returned to campus last week, town residents and college staff members expressed confidence in the school’s ability to avoid Covid-19 outbreaks.
That’s a stark contrast to the concerns voiced last August, when students moved in for the fall semester.
Before that move-in, the college received letters from state Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, 60 college employees and town residents, requesting that the administration reverse its decision to invite students back to campus and expressing fears that students would spread the virus to the local community.
Despite those concerns, the college proceeded with its in-person plans. It conducted more than 11,200 tests over the course of the semester and had just five student cases total.
Brian Carpenter, Middlebury Selectboard chair and a signer on Hardy’s letter last August, said attitudes have changed because of how well the college performed in quelling Covid cases.
“The college had a plan, and they rocked it,” Carpenter said. “The students were very responsible, and they proved to those who were worried that they were able to stay safe and do the right things by the college, by the town and by their peers.”
About 2,200 students arrived on campus on Feb. 21 and 22 and each has been tested four times in the past two weeks. As in the fall, students completed a 14-day pre-arrival quarantine and remained in room quarantine on campus until they received their first negative test result.
Of the 5,943 tests administered between Feb. 21 and March 3, six were positive, 5,870 were negative, and 67 individuals are being retested because of an insufficient sample or inconclusive result. There are currently five active student cases on campus and eight student contacts in quarantine. Updated numbers are available on the college’s Covid-19 Reporting Dashboard.
Carpenter has not received any negative emails or comments about the college students’ return from his fellow Middlebury residents, and finds that the initial test results have only supported the confidence people have in the college.
“I don’t sense that same foreboding that was present during the fall,” he said.
Dr. Mark Peluso, the college’s chief health officer and the college physician, cites strong connections with the town of Middlebury and the Vermont Department of Health as critical factors in last semester’s successful in-person learning experience. Peluso intends to strengthen those relationships in the coming months.
“Our experiences and success in the fall semester provided a firm foundation upon which to build, both operationally and in terms of our relationship with the town,” Peluso said.
This spring, the college is following many of the same safety guidelines from the fall term, with the addition of more frequent testing for the time being. Students are being retested on March 8 and again on March 11 — and, of course, updates will be posted to comply with new state guidelines as they are released.
Peluso is confident in the college’s policies but expects more cases than in the fall semester, given the higher prevalence of the virus in Vermont and worldwide, and the experience of other colleges.
“We could still see additional cases in the coming weeks and expect that we will have more cases in the months ahead,” Peluso said. “This is the reality of the pandemic. Our goals remain prevention and quick and early containment.”
Although the college has succeeded thus far in mitigating the spread of the virus, Gloria Estela González Zenteno, a professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies at the college, questioned how well it has addressed mental health issues.
González elected to teach her courses entirely online last semester but, after seeing many of her students’ mental health deteriorate without adequate in-person interaction, she decided to hold some sessions on campus this spring.
Dean of Students Derek Doucet announced in a campus-wide email on March 4 that the college will offer a weekly online support group for all students in isolation or quarantine. The college has also increased in-person outdoor activities for students, including an ice skating rink, fire pits around campus, and free admission and rental equipment to the Snow Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center.
Students were released from campus quarantine and permitted to travel within the town of Middlebury on Thursday, March 4. In-person classes and dining began on Friday, March 5.
