Tents At Rice, Foggers At Central Florida, Plexiglass At Purdue: The Extraordinary Expenses Of Campus Re-Openings – Forbes
Colleges and universities across the nation are spending millions of dollars to purchase special supplies, equipment, tests, and cleaning services, all in an attempt to reopen safely – even if only to a reduced number of students – in the fall.
But as cases of Covid-19 surge in many areas of the country and death rates begin again to increase, it’s questionable how successful these investments will be in allowing campuses to move forward safely with plans to offer on-campus instruction. Already we are seeing universities reverse earlier decisions to re-open physically in the fall, and others are now delaying their fall opening.
A few months ago, most colleges and universities indicated they would re-open their campus in the fall, but regular tracking of those plans by The Chronicle of Higher Education shows that percentage to be gradually diminishing. Summer outbreaks of the virus at fraternities, positive tests for the virus among athletes at team workouts, and recent deaths of students and staff from Covid-19 have increased the stakes – and the doubts – over whether campuses should re-open in the fall.
And then there are the costs that colleges – many already in financial peril – must bear to make campuses as safe as possible. Here are just a few examples of the extraordinary steps and expenses some institutions are incurring in order to reopen.