Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | December 7, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Central Mass. college fall COVID testing Central Massachusetts colleges conducted more than 240,000 tests over the fall semester, with an average positivity rate of 0.1% that generally beat statewide averages, as well as the statewide college average this fall of 0.35%. *Most recent 30 days only Sources: The schools (including those who publish testing data for local campuses; through Nov. 25) Anna Maria College, Paxton 18,297 31 Assumption University, Worcester 31,819 48 Clark University, Worcester 81,609 31* College of the Holy Cross, Worcester 20,967 34 Fitchburg State University 6,959 34 Framingham State University 3,838* 11* Nichols College, Dudley 25,198 28 UMass Medical School, Worcester 38,165 32 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 32,875* 56* Worcester State University 18,882 54 College Number of tests Positive results Older buildings with dated HVAC systems weren't used at all. "e list just goes on and on and on," LaVigne said. Safety measures on campus started proving useful weeks before classes even began. Nichols had some students arrive a few weeks earlier than normal to drop off their stuff and return home so when they arrived for the start of the semester, they wouldn't need family and a car packed with belongings and decor in tow. Crediting students Engelkemeyer and LaVigne lauded one group in particular for making the semester a success: students. "We really owe it to the students for taking it so seriously," said Engelkemeyer, who will retire aer the spring semester aer a decade leading the school. Students were required to show up in the fall showing a recent negative test result. ey then entered the school's own strict testing regimen, including twice-a-week tests for residential students and student athletes, whose games were called off but whose practices and training continued. "For our student athletes, it's a very big part of their lives," Engelkemeyer said. Nichols wanted to let student athletes continue to work with their teammates, so they phased in practices and training starting in small groups. Eventually, three athletes tested positive, but later tests of teammates were negative. Others were tested, too, including faculty and staff, and even third-party vendors such as cleaning companies and public safety. In all, the school spent nearly $1 million over the semester on tests. "But we knew that was an investment we had to make to make sure we were keeping students and the community safe," Engelkemeyer said. Students living on campus were given a bit more room, with nearly 700 living on campus compared to the usual 1,000. e school even gave a small financial incentive of $500 to students to commute to campus instead, with much of the rest of residential students living in suites, doubles or triples with their own bathrooms – not the big restrooms and shower areas serving a whole floor in older housing. Roughly one in five Nichols students commuted to campus previously, making the transition a bit easier. ey tend to be more local, primarily from Massachusetts and other New England states with generally tighter restrictions and lower case rates before the semester began. A rural location in Dudley, which remains at low case levels, helped insulate the campus a bit from areas with higher transmission rates. "We tried to create a bubble as much as possible," Engelkemeyer said. It largely worked. Nichols once went seven weeks without a single positive test result. Nichols is ending the fall semester with students finishing their courses and taking finals remotely. In one last safety measure, students were urged to return home for the holidays and winter break with a negative test. As for the spring semester, it'll start on Feb. 1, a few weeks later than normal in hopes of avoiding the worst of a winter wave of cases. Testing is planned to pick back up again, and most classes will involve a mix of in-person and online components. ere will be one change: Students said they hoped to take more classes in person, so more will be offered exclusively on campus for the spring. For students, those classes will be optional. Nichols College placed signs all around its Dudley campus as reminders to stay healthy, including themes aligned with the school's Bisons athletics nickname. Nichols College benefited in part by its rural campus setting in Dudley to help keep virus cases low during the fall semester. W

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