The esteemed University of North Carolina has proven why it earned its stellar reputation. In handling covid, UNC went down in history.
From the start, the university chose a unique handling of the virus, one which wasn’t exactly endorsed by the Orange County Health Association and CDC. But that’s okay, UNC is still top-tier! No testing happened before students came, probably because of UNC students’ superior health. This plan was specifically suited for their students, the best of the best, whose elite status should have granted them immunity to the virus. At least, that was the hope.
When you throw a bunch of college students together, it is expected that they will gather in groups larger than 10. Since UNC already knew this, why would they take precautions to try and limit parties? They are going to happen regardless. That’s probably why one of the first clusters appeared at Sigma Nu, a well-known party fraternity. The frat, however, was only one of many lucky residences with clusters. How could this be UNC’s fault, when some lackluster students clearly didn’t prepare enough or sharpen their immune systems?
Although these clusters spread, and the documented cases reached over 1,000 as the infection rate multiplied, the country is being way too harsh on the university. The administration rightfully assumed the magic of campus would keep their kids safe, even after the warnings of multiple health organizations. Now, if a student goes home and gets grandma sick, it’s the student’s fault, or maybe even grandma’s, but certainly not UNC’s. They simply planned a campus return without precaution, disregarding government recommendations, and their students to know better. College students should always know better. UNC may have accidentally supplied the perfect environment for spreading the pandemic, but technically it was the students who actually got and gave it to each other.
However, the most noteworthy and respectable move UNC made was inviting all their students back for the two weeks they stayed. They moved in and made friends, settled into their routine, and paid for university facilities, only to get sent back home. The students made the decision to come back, and they obviously made the decision for any of their suitemates or roommates to get exposed to the virus and infect each other. UNC tried their best to make students happy, only to have them go and ruin it.
Good job, UNC!
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