Rob Jenkins offers Martin Center readers a case for opening the doors at colleges and universities.
Higher education media has gone “all in” for keeping college campuses closed this fall, with articles like “The Case Against Reopening” in The Chronicle of Higher Education and “Colleges Are Deluding Themselves” in The Atlantic, just to mention a few.
Their basic premise: Reopening would be irresponsible because many students, faculty, and staff will get sick, some will die, and it will be our fault. The author of “The Case Against Reopening,” Stan Yoshinobu, asserts that there can be “only one right decision,” which of course is the one he advocates.
Attempts to portray those of us who favor reopening as insensitive, uncaring, or mercenary are uncivil and unjust. We, too, are concerned about students and others on campus, not just in the short term but also over the long haul. We believe the health—nay, the very survival—of our campuses is vital to the long-term health and well-being of all concerned.
With all due respect to Professor Yoshinobu, there is another possible answer—one I believe is better supported by the evidence. Here are four good reasons campuses should reopen in the fall.
Demographics. …
… Acknowledging that coronavirus poses little danger to the young and healthy, 22 European nations have reopened their schools and several are in the process of reopening universities. …
… Coronavirus bias. For whatever reason—fear of the unknown, media hype, political gamesmanship—our response to the coronavirus seems disproportionate. …
… Herd immunity. People scoff at the notion of herd immunity, but its effectiveness has long been acknowledged by epidemiologists and immunologists. …
… Extinction avoidance. The last reason to reopen our campuses is that if we don’t, many will cease to exist. Some may go under, anyway, but others can be saved if they have enough enrollment this fall. Failing that, it will just be a matter of time before they close their doors permanently.
