Western Carolina University announced via email on Tuesday that a cluster of 17 students have tested positive in Harrill residence hall. The university said that they are prepared for many different scenarios, including changing instruction modality if warranted.
Harrill Hall. Photo by Max Maier.
“Public health is a shared responsibility – and it is one that we take seriously,” WCU’s Chancellor, Dr. Kelli R. Brown said. “We’ve implemented a series of standards including a mask mandate, lowering classroom density, extensive PPE and cleaning procedures and many other protocols through our Catamounts Care initiative. Additionally, we have erected outdoor tents throughout campus for student, faculty and staff use. We continue to evaluate conditions that may influence our ability to deliver residential operations.”
While Chancellor Brown believes that the students are as accountable for public health as the administration, other students see it differently.
“We are paying the university to provide a service to us, and part of this service is supposed to be safety. By not properly enforcing [health standards like mask wearing] they are failing us. That’s grounds for a refund,” said Ron Gash, a senior.
Multiple students have reached out to The Journalist expressing concerns about their safety and the safety of others by being on campus. But to the university, this is all part of the plan.
Chancellor Brown said, “we expected there to be cases related to our campus as more than 9,000 students returned for residential in-person instruction this fall. We have extensive protocols in place and will continue to execute our quarantine and isolation procedures.”
To some residents of Harrill, the fact that the university expected cases does not make them feel any safer.
“I feel unsettled more than anything,” said Harrill resident, Alex Kroeger. “Seventeen people testing positive out of nowhere, that’s weird to me. Why were we not told about this sooner?”
Many students shared similar concerns, like residents Stephanie Germaine and Jeanie Vorwald, who were worried about their proximity to the positive cases. Vorwald cited medical concerns for both herself and her roommate. Germaine said, “I wish I knew what floor it was.”
A question on many students’ minds is when, not if, the university will make the change to online instruction. While no definitive answer has been given, several university officials have explained that the institution will stay in-person as long as they can manage the number of COVID cases; in other words, as long as they don’t run out of beds for infected persons.
At the time of publishing, 26 out of the 95 beds made available for quarantine are in use. There are also 98 students in self-isolation off campus. WCU will continue to post COVID-19 updates on their dashboard.
