At St. Olaf College, an off-campus party has forced 50 students to quarantine and suspended 17 students for the fall semester, St. Olaf President David Anderson wrote in a message to students Thursday. The party was attended by a large group of students before moving into campus housing.
“At least one” of the people at that party had COVID-19 and exposed others, according to the message.
“We have since learned that too many people congregated in the space, masks were not worn, physical distancing was not observed, and the predictable results ensued,” Anderson wrote. “This is the kind of reckless behavior that will put an end to our in-person semester, and it must stop.”
St. Olaf has administered 3,459 COVID-19 tests so far to its students, faculty and staff when their campus reopened, Anderson wrote, and out of results received for 3,055 of those tests, eight have come back positive — all from students.
St. Olaf administered tests to all students as they moved into on-campus housing, according to another message sent to St. Olaf students Aug. 5. Students there are being asked to self-quarantine for two weeks after moving in, where then all students will be tested a second time. Afterwards, students, faculty and staff will be subject to random testing throughout the semester.
Unlike St. Olaf, St. Thomas community members will not be tested randomly or upon move-in; however, students are able to obtain a COVID-19 test at the Center for Well-Being. Students are also subject to disciplinary action if they are seen violating guidelines stated in the campus COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.
“Students who are repeatedly documented for being noncompliant with COVID-19 established expectations or who engage in egregious violations will enter the student conduct process and may be subject to discipline in accordance with the Student Conduct Code,” the plan states. “These expectations extend to students who live off-campus in our neighborhood, where Neighborhood Relations and Public Safety will continue to educate and respond to reports.”
A number of colleges have had to dial back their plans, including Macalester College which announced Aug. 10 that it will be limiting the number of students in on-campus housing, testing all students for COVID-19 upon arrival on campus and again two weeks later. The school is also asking students to quarantine for two weeks before arriving and, upon arriving through Sept. 16, asking students to minimize in-person interactions and holding classes remotely for the first two weeks.
St. Thomas also advised students in an email Wednesday to quarantine for two weeks before their arrival to campus.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.