Herd Immunity on Campus

As university students undergo their third semester of the COVID-era, a lot has been learned about the virus. I am senior at Boston College, studying marketing and entrepreneurship. To be completely honest, senior year has been quite dreadful. We live on the sixth floor of a completely full dorm building, in a six-man room. Some classes are completely online, some are completely in person, and some are hybrid. Ten days ago, my direct roommate, the one who shares my bedroom, was called by the university’s contact tracing team. He was in contact the day prior with a friend of ours who tested positive that morning. While on the call, they told him to pack his bags for a two-week stay at Hotel Boston, a motel down the street. Jared, one of my other roommates, was also in contact with her and would be sharing the minivan over to the motel. This has become the reality on campuses around the country: a sort of Soviet-style secret police that comes in the middle of the night to whisk you away, and anonymous hotlines to snitch on friends.

In line at the asymptomatic testing center, Boston College

While talking with some friends the other night who had just tested positive, I quickly realized that their attitude toward the virus was very different than mine. For them, it was only a matter of time before they became sick. High-risk behavior, such as attending sporting events and crowded bars, was worth any negative downsides that could come with the disease. Once someone…