Last week we wrote how Denmark’s social mindedness and collective spirit helped manage its first coronavirus surge. And described how its people trusted each other to bring their part. Today, we review an intriguing post on NPR about smaller US colleges coping better as teams during COVID-19 too. It’s a positive spin on some winding down, due to students migrating to larger, eclectic big names.
First Principles See Smaller US Colleges Coping Better as Teams
Recent years have seen a struggle for survival among some niche educational institutions. However, it seems their overarching missions, whether religious or secular are giving them a distinct edge over the virus. That’s because there is a sense they are all in this together. This is according to president Barbara Mistick of National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
She explained to NPR how this works. A shared sense of overarching purpose is behind some smaller US colleges coping better as teams when they face adversity. It can be easier to get students to obey college policy on face masking and distancing. Benedictine College president Stephen Minnis provides an example of how this dynamic works in Atchison, Kansas.
They Now Know What Happens When They Get COVID-19
Benedictine College wears its overarching mission on its virtual sleeve. They have an abbey on campus, a prayer grotto, and statues of the Virgin Mary. Students fast and pray when they break masking rules. When county health wanted to lock down the entire student body, Stephen Minnis had other ideas.
He quarantined the infected students for 14 days in a hotel to get the message through. ‘They now know what happens when they get COVID,’ he says. ‘They are sent to a hotel and the key is not given to them, so that is not very much fun.’
The student body now understands they are responsible for ensuring their friends obey their quarantines. When you’re in a small school, that word gets out pretty quickly he told NPR News. Within a month, the outbreak had shrunk from 66 to a handful of positive cases. And that’s breath of joy for parents too.
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Preview Image: New Soccer Field and Dorms
