Students no longer have access to free COVID-19 testing on campus after the college closed the Student Health Center in August.
Through last spring, students were able to get free PCR testing on campus. The PCR test is considered the most reliable and accurate test for detecting active infection.
The Health Center, which also provided outpatient clinical evaluation, treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, and triage or referral for more serious illnesses and injuries, closed on Friday, Aug. 16 after nearly two decades, as the Chronicle previously reported.
“The college got away from doing COVID testing as they relaxed the requirements and campus restrictions, and so if a student was wondering if they had COVID-19, they were able to go to the Health Center and get the COVID test,” said Doug Eck, dean of students. “We don’t currently have plans to replicate that or provide COVID tests.”
U.S. households will be eligible to order four free COVID-19 tests later this month.
Eck encouraged students to request them.
“All those things that we’ve lost, to replicate them would just be more financial costs,” he said. “So we’re not eager to replicate services that can be accessed because replicating those usually involves us having to find more money to pay for those things, and where does the money come from?”
As the new school year starts, Chief of Staff Laurent Pernot said the college does not have campus-specific protocols anymore. Columbia lifted its mask requirement in February 2023.
The college has not had any formal COVID-19-related requirements on campus or at Columbia-sponsored activities since May 2023.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and taking other precautionary measures similar to any respiratory illness. That means staying home and not returning to regular activities for 24 hours and then only if symptoms have improved and people are fever-free.
“As always, we recommend everyone on campus follow the CDC recommendations for vaccination,” Pernot said.
Senior Associate Provost Nathan Bakkum said faculty members should work with students who miss class or deadlines due to illness.
“Individual adjustments will necessarily depend on the requirements of the individual course and the time of the semester,” he said. “Students who need to miss class or assignment deadlines due to illness should always communicate with their instructors to ensure they are aware of the situation and able to plan for adjustments.”
By the numbers:
The CDC recorded a fluctuation in the percentage of weekly test positivity in the United States in August 2024. The positivity rate rose to 18.1% in the second week and has since decreased to 17% as of August 24, 2024.
According to the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Respiratory Virus Weekly Surveillance Report released on Aug. 30, COVID-19 activity remains high in Chicago.
However the percentage of emergency department visits due to COVID-19 diagnoses has dropped from 2.1% to 1.9%, while the positivity rate for SARS-CoV-2 tests has also decreased from 13.1% to 12%.
What the students are saying:
Gysel Alvarez, a sophomore fashion major, said she is disappointed that students no longer have access to testing on campus or to an on-campus health facility.
A new Center of Student Wellbeing was opened on Sept. 3 on the third floor of 623 S. Wabash, which will offer both long-term mental health care and rapid interventions. TimelyCare, the new virtual healthcare provider, was also introduced to students. It will provide 24/7 assistance and access to virtual meetings with medical professionals.
“COVID still exists,” Alvarez said, “and the fact that they’re not letting us have COVID tests for free and not updating [us] on regulations just puts students more at risk.”
Aliejha Cullick, a sophomore music major, said Columbia is still situated in a largely populated area where it is still a risk to get COVID-19.
“A lot of us pay a very big portion of money to go here and to fulfill what we would like to do with our lives,” he said, “and there are so many factors that contribute to how comfortable we are here as a collective and with our friends.”
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
