Emerson College Responds to Spike in COVID Cases

  • By Matt Jones
  • April 09, 2021

Emerson College, located in Boston, Mass., has imposed several temporary restrictions in response to a spike in positive COVID-19 cases on campus. The changes took effect at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7, and will last for at least a week, according to a community-wide email from Emerson’s assistant vice president for campus life, Erik Muurisepp.

In-person classes will continue, but all other in-person student activities have been cancelled. Both indoor and outdoor athletics and student organization meetings are on hold, as are on- and off-campus film productions. The Dining Center will offer to-go meals only. The fitness center is closed, the library is available only for socially distanced studying and reserved study spaces, and student travel is temporarily prohibited.

The capacity for all on-campus spaces (besides classrooms and dorms) has been reduced to one, according to an email from Student Engagement and Leadership Director Jason Meier.

The college took these measures following a week in which 36 students tested positive for coronavirus out of 7,112 tests given for a positivity rate of 0.51%. The campus newspaper, the Berkley Beacon, reports that 28 community members are in isolation on campus, while 48 are in quarantine. This compares to the one community member in isolation and three in quarantine on March 30.

“We also request that students not attend social events or gatherings in the community and not host any guests in their residential rooms or apartments,” Muurisepp said in his email. “Visiting other residential rooms or lounges other than where you reside is not permitted.”

On April 1, Muurisepp said that seven community members had tested positive, and that the cases seemed to be linked within a group of people. An additional anonymous source linked that initial cluster of positive cases to campus athletic teams. “There do seem to be some connections between some cases, and there also seem to be just general positives from the general community—outside Emerson community exposure,” he told the campus newspaper.

Many Emerson students expressed dismay at returning to the kinds of conditions and restrictions in place at the beginning of the fall semester. “I have been working really hard with my roommate to follow the rules. We keep our circle very small,” said sophomore Kathleen Nolan. “We’re both involved in various organizations that have been cut down a lot because of the pandemic, and we’re both missing out on a lot of things, and it is frustrating that it’s a small group of people that are ruining it for everyone.”

Although Muurisepp said that the college hasn’t seriously considered sending students home for the semester, calling it a “super last resort,” some of them wonder whether it’s all that far-fetched.

“Why aren’t we just going home at this point?” said freshman Evan Taylor. “There’s so little time in the semester. It seems like a lot of things to sacrifice in order to preserve a very small amount of time here.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • Electrified Latch Retraction Locks Key Benefits for Retrofits

    Building owners and facility managers increasingly rely on electrified hardware to enhance security while meeting accessibility standards. Among these technologies, electrified or motorized latch retraction locks are especially effective for retrofit projects where existing door and frame conditions complicate upgrades. Latch retraction capable locks combine security, accessibility and code compliance benefits, making them ideal for retrofitting fire-rated and non-rated openings in schools, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings and more. Read Now

  • How Cloud Security Solutions Are Transforming Campus Safety

    Campus administrators today face a challenging mandate: deliver stronger security across their facilities while working within tighter budget constraints. From school districts focused on student safety to hospitals protecting patients and staff, the question remains the same: how do you build security infrastructure that evolves with your needs without requiring massive capital investments? Read Now

  • Rethinking Campus Security From the Inside

    For decades, campus security strategies focused on keeping threats outside school walls. But since the tragedy at Columbine High School, data has shown that many attacks begin inside the building, often in classrooms and corridors. This shift has prompted schools to rethink security from the inside and place greater emphasis on interior elements such as classroom doors. This shift is evidenced by a new generation of classroom door systems engineered to delay inside intruders and an ASTM standard that raises the bar on how these systems must be designed to defend against attack. Read Now

  • AI in Security: Advancing Campus Safety and Considerations for Implementing

    Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to capture attention across every sector, and the physical security industry is no exception. Once seen as experimental, AI-enabled analytics now underpin how organizations monitor environments, detect threats, and make decisions. What was once futuristic is now a practical necessity for safety professionals managing growing volumes of data, tighter resources, and increasing expectations for faster, more accurate responses. Read Now

Most   Popular