College is an opportunity for students to enjoy social freedoms — many for the first time in their lives. But COVID-19 has altered college social life to a way nobody’s seen before.
Quinnipiac has reported 23 positive cases this fall, with 17 students currently in isolation. Recently there has been an uptick in cases at the university with 12 from Oct. 7 through Oct. 13.
Earlier this month the University of New Haven reported 92 positive cases in a week. Although Quinnipiac’s spike wasn’t as big as New Haven’s, Quinnipiac students have taken notice of the rise in COVID-19 cases and are continuing to social distance.
“It has changed the way we are socializing because we are more cautious of the people we surround ourselves with,” said Jackie DelPlato, sophomore criminal justice major from Commack, New York. “Just trying to make the best out of the restrictions.”
However, some students like 21-year-old Jonathan Brigati, a senior business student from Huntington, New York, said the rise in cases at Quinnipiac is a direct result of some students not following social distancing rules.
“Students are going out to parties with a lot of people where the virus can spread easily,” Brigati said. “I also believe students living on-campus are going to their friend’s dorms without a mask when QU res-life clearly states that students are not permitted to do this.”
Brigati said he and his roommates have been diligent in cleaning their off-campus house and they are no longer allowing visitors.
Halloween weekend is usually spent with many students cramming into dorms and off-campus houses before trekking to New Haven’s bars and clubs. Although most of New Haven’s nightlife won’t be open, there is concern that potential “Halloweekend” parties will lead to COVID-19 outbreaks. Nonetheless, some students said they will continue to stay in, to stay safe.
“It’s not worth the risk of exposing ourselves to COVID and doing things that could potentially get us in trouble,” said Thomas Kayal, an 18-year-old first-year student from Mahwah, New Jersey. “For Halloween, we’ll probably watch movies, chill and probably order a jersey as a costume.”
Maddie Collins, an 18-year-old freshman criminal justice major from Westport, Massachusetts, isn’t surprised by the recent COVID spikes. Although she plans to stay in for Halloween, she thinks the university isn’t taking the pandemic seriously, and because of that she believes cases will continue to rise.
“I am one of many students who haven’t gotten randomly selected since I took my second (COVID-19) test at the school,” Collins said. “I think that (Quinnipiac) isn’t taking (COVID) very seriously and therefore students are starting to party more as the semester goes on.”
Collins is disappointed with Quinnipiac’s response to the pandemic, saying how parents got an email after the first positive case but they haven’t gotten one since. Collins added that the suite below her is in quarantine but nobody from the university told Collins and her roommates.
“The girls below us in our dorm are quarantining; and yet my suite found out because they were getting food delivered to their dorm. Everything is like a big secret, don’t they think people who live in the same building as these people would want to know if they’re possibly at risk?”