It has been over four months of Zoom meetings, phone calls, text messages with the Connecticut College administration, and countless “unprecedented times.” Here is what I have learned about higher education:
Higher Education is a Business.
I can say with absolute certainty that, before I began working closely with administration, I lived in a complete state of naivete over what the bureaucracy of higher education was really like. To be clear, colleges are mainly in pursuit of one thing that triumphs all else: securing tuition. There is a reason universities felt compelled to shut down at less than 10,000 nationwide cases, but felt it necessary to reopen at six million total. Institutions set their first sight on securing tuition. However, it’s unfathomable that these countless hours were spent planning simply to have students sent home in the first month, at least in the case of Connecticut College. In the world of higher education, COVID has been an exposé on the critical dialogue many universities are missing and their lack of well-rounded leadership.
No Two Universities are Created Equal.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Pennsylvania State, among other larger universities, are currently under fire for their students not only blatantly disregarding COVID, but the universities failing to put policies in place that protect their students. After looking at other American universities, it is clear which prioritize health, safety, and well-being and which colleges neglect it, or lack the resources and/or state guidance to do so. Documents have recently been uncovered at UNC hinting that the University’s administration received early warnings from medical professionals of future outbreaks on campus, but their reopening plan failed to adjust to such warnings. This, coupled with the fact that UNC’s decision to go remote came only one hour after tuition was collected, gives the impression that tuition comes before health and safety. The student presence on Connecticut College’s COVID working groups are attempting to mitigate this and prioritize well-being. Despite our administrator’s 30+ years of experience in higher education, no one understands the student experience better than the students themselves, nor does anyone understand the behavioral tendencies of young adults better than we do. This is crucial for understanding how to draw a line between policies that discourage student contact for our collective well-being, versus being unrealistic in how we expect eager college-aged students to act in a social context.
Higher Education is Inherently Convoluted.
There have been multiple occasions where I have compared college deans to government officials: similar to politicians, the very nature of being in that leadership position rejects moral high ground. However, this isn’t to say that the actions of those who work in higher education are inherently calculated, but rather their jobs demand a certain level of obstinance. Anything administrators do and have done can be criticized at virtually any angle, particularly in such a dynamic, extraordinary time.
The State Presides over Everything.
Until we were issued the comprehensive reopening manual from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, it became apparent that very little is within our jurisdiction. Regarding COVID, any decisions the College made had to pass through the vote of the state of Connecticut. “Decisions” themselves were few and far between, since so many reopening policies were state mandates. Oftentimes, it seemed like everything was out of our control, that we had so little to work with to satisfy students. There were multiple points over these past four months where my anxiety was heightened just at the thought of how everything could get done. Multiple meetings were spent simply discussing how COVID at a liberal arts institution was in any way something we could manage. I saw administrators on the brink of tears, or in tears, at the chaos of day to day demands. As Dean McKnight put it in our last meeting, it is a “thankless job,” and what normally would be three months spent with his family quickly turned into three months of answering ambiguous emails, Zoom calls with NESCAC deans, and phone calls from parents.
Connecticut College Really is Prepared for Reopening.
A liaison of the State of Connecticut, Ulysses Wu, recently toured our campus for repopulation, and we have the policies and procedures in place that beat most other institutions in the nation, let alone NESCACs . That is not to say we shouldn’t expect to encounter obstacles along the way, and it certainly is not to say that the repopulation of campus will inevitably feel smooth and natural. It will feel unfamiliar, and likely overwhelming. As for the health and safety of our campus community, however, our plan has us covered if we choose to abide by it. It runs against the principle of the liberal arts mantra: an interdisciplinary climate, socialization, and emphasis on a close community. To do this while discouraging student contact is almost an incomprehensible task. However, we have more than ourselves to protect; we have faculty, staff, their families, and the New London community. We are a part of the greater community of New London shop-owners, restaurants, front-line workers, and school teachers, just to name a few.
