Despite this possibility, let’s not loosen things up too soon & have a resurgence in cases. In addition to having national changes for testing & monitoring, colleges & universities need to devise strategies to address possible spread on campus or in the surrounding community. https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1247673527135764487

Thinking about students living on-campus, what happens if cases are found in a residential hall? How does the size & layout impact minimizing spread? What do you do with students not exposed to the virus nor were in close proximity to affected students?

Faculty & administrators will have to consider the possibility of one course being taught in multiple ways for students who are quarantined & those who are not. That will add a large burden on faculty to adjust assignments, for example, & even what’s included on their syllabi.

Here’s a disturbing possibility to contemplate: what are you going to do about sporting events? That large stadium for football & tailgating parking lots look much different today than a mont ago. What protective measures & responses need to be in place now?

If public health experts say we need to monitor people entering a large gatherings similar to what’s occurred in different forms across the globe, how are you going to discern a fever of a possible infected person from a drunk tailgater in 90* heat in September?

What campus health investments are needed? Current discussions of large scale budget cuts leave little room for thinking about what could our current & future needs be to prevent campus from being a hotspot of COVID-19 in the coming year. This includes more mental health support.

The pandemic also sheds light on the entrenched inequalities on campuses. Who are responsible for cleaning, feeding, & fixing campus are underpaid, under-resourced, too few, & disrespected. All of that must change now or you risk the health of your campus in more ways than one.

Universities are suspending standardized test requirements in admissions; noting impact on students’ education. If we can admit great students & adjust opportunities for marginalized groups during a global pandemic, do we need those test requirements at all in the future?

Turning dorms & other facilities into field hospitals & homes for medical staff support arguments about the nimbleness, innovation, & overall strengths of higher ed. How can campuses work with policymakers to harness these & other examples to expand support for higher ed?

There’s many university areas in need of reexamination including accountability. Accountability for whom & for what in a post-pandemic higher ed world are central to promoting equity, inclusion, & ultimately sustainability in the years to come.