Education administrators at levels ranging from pre-K to colleges and universities, along with public health officials throughout the U.S., continue to observe their best laid plans being stymied by a virus known as COVID-19 that refuses to conform to expectations. Some higher education officials decided that if instruction were to be provided during the fall semester, it would be offered electronically instead of in classrooms. Other administrators were willing to admit students, but had a backup plan ready that would enable a rapid conversion to online education either for a certain number of weeks or for the entire semester in the event a spike in infections occurred. Installing hygienic measures on school grounds and promoting social distancing policies were viewed as measures that would allow students to return safely. Unfortunately, for some college students the urge to socialize and attend large parties both on- and off-campus has contributed to a rise in the number of individuals becoming infected with the coronavirus. Even if extraordinary efforts have been made for a campus to be a safe environment, off-campus gatherings and the arrival of students each day who do not reside on school property are examples of the major challenges involved in efforts to achieve and maintain high standards of hygiene.

Financial Aspects Of An Inability To Be On Campus And Attend Classes

A major item in the budgets of a great many families with college-age offspring is the costs of higher education. Factors such as tuition, room and board, and activity fees often are beyond reach from the standpoint of being able to finance them out-of-pocket. Assistance in the form of loans has become a necessity. Whether students ever graduate within six years, and many of them never do, with and without degrees they are saddled with substantial loans that will take many years of payments before their debt is settled. Accordingly, many families currently are unwilling to pay on-campus rates, particularly when education has shifted to online instruction because of the pandemic. Some institutions have responded by reducing tuition rates for courses offered online or by offering to defer payment until the fall semester in 2021. Meanwhile, litigation moves forward throughout the U.S. by students and families seeking to obtain refunds for unoccupied dormitories and unused food serve halls that were closed in the spring semester when students were compelled to leave campus after the coronavirus emerged as a serious threat.

Addressing The Need And The Demand For Mental Health Services For Students

Even before the appearance of COVID-19 earlier this year, many campus mental health centers were unable to provide assistance to the large number of students who sought help for conditions, such as depression and high anxiety. Currently, most of these same individuals are at home and they are joined by other students who find it difficult to cope with the strains imposed by social lockdowns and worries about what the future may have in store for them. As this infectious disease subsides and the economy achieves a fuller recovery, millions of unemployed workers will be eager to return to whatever old jobs still exist or seek new opportunities. Recent graduates and the class of 2021 may find it difficult to compete with that group of recently displaced individuals. As depicted on page six of the July-August 2020 issue of this newsletter, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for August 14 of this year indicates that younger adults in the 18-24 age group are among the groups reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation. College-age students that are part of this cohort may benefit through telehealth interventions emanating from campus, but the quality of assistance could vary from what occurs in face-to-face encounters in a clinical setting.

Expansion Of Educational Opportunities For Students

An announcement from the U.S. Department of Education on August 19, 2020 describes a new grant program designed to help institutions of higher education emerge from the coronavirus pandemic more resilient and better able to expand educational opportunities for students. The grants can be used in a variety of ways that include resuming operations, supporting students, reducing disease transmission, and developing more agile instructional delivery models for students who cannot or choose not to attend classes in person. This program also recognizes the benefits to high school students of starting their college career early, while still in high school, and gives priority to applicants who plan to expand those opportunities to students who live or attend high school in an Opportunity Zone or rural community. More information can be obtained here.

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