Saint Anselm College’s COVID-19 prevention efforts: more reactive than proactive

As the average daily number of new cases in New Hampshire continues to rise, more than doubling now, from 40 new cases a day to 100 new cases a day, worries stir on campus over the college’s COVID-19 response. 

With COVID-19 cases rising in New Hampshire as well as nationally, the second semester will provide a new set of challenges for the college. The Hilltopper spoke with some of the students who have spent time in isolation housing as well as Director of Health Services Maura Marshall to better understand how these circumstances will impact the remainder of the year.

Saint Anselm College has seen a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases compared to other schools in the area such as the University of New Hampshire. Marshall attributes the low transmission rate across campus to the college’s ability to quickly find and isolate outbreaks on campus.

“It has to do with how quickly we can identify the cases,” said Marshall. “I think being from a small campus . . . we can get to the students a lot quicker.”

Students that have been in isolation housing agree with Marshall’s sentiment that the college has been quick with placing students in isolation once they have tested positive.

One student that tested positive said, “I got a call from Maura an hour after my [positive COVID] test. Then she told me I tested positive and she told me to pack my stuff.”

Most students in isolation housing were placed in Collins house, across the street from the college. Students that were in Collins say that they were provided adequate provisions, such as personal protection equipment (hand sanitizer, masks, and disinfectant wipes).

“Those big air loud purifier machines, every floor had one of those. Every floor had hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipe dispensers,” said one student. “Every floor had their own supplies basically.”

Students that were placed in Collins house were given some guidance on what to do in the case of a severe incident. One student recalled a particularly stressful moment in isolation.

“One night, one kid had really bad symptoms, and he was feeling really bad. And we were like, at what point [do we call 911]?” said one student. Students were given guidance in a pamphlet, but unsurprisingly, it was discarded by most students. 

“I’m pretty sure the paper said something, but like you know, in the moment, you’re not gonna like [remember],” they said.

That student has since recovered, but students still say it is unclear why more was not done to inform students about how to respond to medical emergencies while in Collins.

Contact tracing and quarantine for close contacts

The Hilltopper spoke with some students who went out of their own way to request a test out of their own moral responsibility.

“I went out with my friend, and then my friend’s roommate tested positive. So then me and the kid I was with, who hung out with him, went to health services and requested a test.”

Students that do not voluntarily request tests have to be tracked down through contact tracing. The State of New Hampshire leads the contact tracing effort throughout the state, including all colleges in New Hampshire.

“The state is in charge of contact tracing, so as soon as a student tests positive, we have to report that to the state,” said Marshall. “We have to identify close contacts, the state does this, but I help them a little bit . . . A close contact is defined as anyone that you’ve been in contact with less than six feet for more than ten minutes in the last 48 hours.” 

Close contacts are placed in quarantine for 14 days, either in their room or another residence hall. 

“They sent me to Holy Cross and Holy Cross has a pod that’s completely empty that they save for people that are close contacts. I would get tested like every four days,” said one student who was placed in quarantine and later tested positive. 

In this specific instance of quarantine, The Hilltopper was told that close contacts were not completely isolated from each other. 

The close contacts that were placed in Holy Cross had individual rooms, but still shared a kitchen and bathroom, presenting the possibility for transmission among the close contacts if one did carry COVID-19. 

The student that tested positive in Holy Cross said that they were the only one to test positive in that specific quarantine. 

“The rest of the pod, they were getting tested after me, none of them tested positive . . . I was the only one that tested positive. I told them to stay away since I figured I had it,” they said. 

Only slightly harsher policies

After the recent spike in cases, the college has had to clamp down harder on off-campus travel. A little more than a week ago, President Favazza sent a stern letter reminding students to not go off-campus, especially if going to more high-risk areas such as bars. The most notable part of the letter was the announcement that there will now be gatekeepers at all entrances and exits.

“Starting today, gatekeepers will be taking down the names of all students who leave campus and the time of their departure. They also will be time-stamping the time students return to campus,” said Favazza in the letter.

While the letter suggested that gatekeepers will always be present, they are normally only there during the evening on Thursday through Sunday, the days when most off-campus travel happens.

Additionally, the gatekeepers’ exact time schedules have been observed to be inconsistent, sometimes staying until midnight, and other times, leaving their post by 10:00 pm. 

The college has emphasized they want to avoid draconian-like policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The gatekeeper’s schedule reflects the college’s hesitance to establish stricter and harsher policies on campus. 

“Little ticking time-bombs”

The semester is ending which means around 2,000 students will be going home for winter break. This is happening as COVID-19 cases are rapidly surging in New Hampshire. Gov. Sununu has estimated that by the end of November, new COVID-19 cases will reach 1,000 per day. Only a small number of colleges and universities are requiring students to test negative for COVID-19 prior to their departure. 

Saint Anselm College is not one of these institutions requiring exit tests. 

The college has also not encouraged students to take exit tests before leaving. The most recent data regarding COVID-19 sent out to students reveals that as of November 12th, 81 students are currently either in quarantine or isolation. 

In an interview from The New York Times, A. David Paltiel, a professor of health policy and management at the Yale School of Public Health, said “there’s a responsibility not to unleash little ticking time bombs.”

Without mandatory exit testing, or even encouraged exit testing, there is a real possibility of students carrying COVID-19 back home. In the most recent COVID-19 health update from Marshall, the college has opted to ask students themselves to plan ahead with their families for when they return home.

In a recent email from Marshall, she told students, “If you foolishly decide to take a risk this weekend, please have a conversation about a plan and arrangements with your family.” 

Meghan Query contributed to this story

Live Updates on the 2020 Election

On the day before the election, both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are hoping for unprecedented voter turnout. So far we have already seen early voting reach two thirds the level of total votes cast in 2016, which already is a great sign for participation in this year’s election. According to FiveThirtyEight’s 2020 Election tracker, an interactive site showing predictions by election analysts, Joe Biden is leading going into November 3rd with an 89 out of 100 chance of winning, whereas Donald Trump has a 10 out of 100 chance. On November 3rd and the days following, many people will have their eyes on what will likely be some of the most important swing states: Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and Ohio. These four states account for a total of 105 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the electoral college. When these states are called it is likely we will have a sound idea of who will emerge victorious in the 2020 Election.

Follow along with The Hilltopper’s Coordinator of Off-Campus News, Bryan Lavoie, and Coordinator of On-Campus News, Meghan Query, as they provide live reporting on the results as they come in

Live Updates:

1:35pm 11/3:

Texas, which hasn’t voted blue in a presidential election since voting for Carter in 1976, is listed as a tossup this year, with Biden polling just 1.5% behind Trump according to FiveThirtyEight. Texas has already had record voter turnout this election, with more people voting early than total voters in 2016. More democrats are voting early than republicans this year, so Texas is definitely a state to keep an eye on over the next couple of days, as it will likely play a significant role as a battleground in this election.

Ohio is also an important battleground this year, with Trump polling just 0.6% ahead of Joe Biden. No republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio, so both candidates are hopeful that they will take Ohio’s 18 electoral votes.

Pennsylvania is arguably the most important battleground state in this election. Should Biden take Pennsylvania, as polls predict, FiveThirtyEight expects that his chances of winning go from 89/100 to 99/100. Should Trump take the state, as he did by 1.6% in 2016, his chances of winning a second term go from 10/100 to 60/100. Pennsylvania is expected to play a significant role this year, and may even be the deciding state in this election.

Politico has listed Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as the deciding states in this election. These 8 states hold 127 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the electoral college, and all 8 states are polling in favor of Joe Biden. All of these, except for Minnesota (which has voted exclusively for democratic candidates since 1976), voted for Trump in 2016. 

Both candidates are hoping to take these crucial states in the electoral college this year. Keep an eye out for more updates on these battleground states as results start to come in from each of them later tonight, and as votes are counted over the next several days.

5:35pm 11/3:

Just hours before the first polls are set to close, several states are reporting instances of voters receiving suspicious robocalls spreading false information about voting. Some calls told voters to “stay home, and stay safe” while others attempted to convince voters to vote tomorrow due to long lines at the polls. In recent weeks, other messages have been sent to voters from “Proud Boys” email addresses, attempting to intimidate voters into voting for Trump. Investigation into these issues are ongoing, and state officials are very concerned by these attempts at interfering in the election process this year. It is unclear whether any of these issues have impacted voter turnout, as several states are on track to see record turnout this year.

6:10pm 11/3:

Be very wary of exit polls. As always take these polls with a grain of salt. With a record breaking number of mail in votes being tabulated throughout tonight and deeply into tomorrow morning, expect exit polls to swing in favor of Donald Trump as many in person voters today will be voting his way and many of the mail in votes will go to the former Vice President. Pay closer attention to specific precincts and counties reporting rather than any exit polls. The Hilltopper will be providing updates on the confirmed results from precincts rather than these exit polls.

8:30pm 11/3

Oklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee are going to Trump

Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, and D.C. are going to Biden

Biden leads 44-42

9:00pm 11/3:

Arkansas is projected Trump

New York is projected for Biden

Biden leads 73-48

9:20pm 11/3:

Trump takes South Dakota

Biden takes Connecticut

Biden leads 80-51

9:25pm 11/3:

Trump takes North Dakota and Alabama

Biden takes Colorado

89-63 for Biden

9:35pm 11/3:

An Update on Ohio

A couple of hours into reporting, Biden holds a lead in the Electoral College with 89 electoral votes to Trump’s 63, and all eyes are on Ohio. In our first update, we mentioned that no republican has ever taken the presidency without winning Ohio. Prior to today, Trump was polling just ahead of Biden, and was counting on taking the state. According to FiveThirtyEight, without winning Ohio, Trump has a <1/100 chance of winning a second term. With 59% of the vote counted, Biden is in the lead by 3%, or about 130,000 votes. Trump was undoubtedly counting on taking Ohio’s 18 electoral votes in his reelection campaign. Tensions are high, as expected, this election night, and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon.

10:30pm 11/3:

Louisiana and South Carolina go to Trump

New Hampshire goes to Biden

Biden leads 93-80

10:40pm 11/3:

Trump is projected to take Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska-at-Large

Trump leads 95-93

10:45pm 11/3:

Trump takes Missouri

Biden takes Illinois

Biden leads 113-105

11:00pm 11/3:

Biden takes California, Oregon, and Washington

Trump takes Wyoming and Mississippi

Biden leads 187-114

11:50pm 11/3:

Trump wins Idaho

Biden wins New Mexico

Biden leads 192-118

12:05am 11/4:

Trump takes Ohio

Biden takes Virginia

Biden leads 205-136

12:45am 11/4:

Trump takes Florida

Biden leads 205-165

1:45am 11/4:

Trump takes Iowa, Texas, and Montana

Biden takes Rhode Island and Minnesota

Biden maintains his lead, 220-213

2:50am 11/4:

The Electoral College has not shifted significantly in either direction, but President Trump has declared victory in his reelection campaign from the White House. This election is far from over, with several states not expecting to declare a winner until later in the week, possibly as late as Friday.

Biden takes one more electoral vote in Maine. Maine’s other 3 votes remain undecided.

Biden holds his lead 221-213

5:30am 11/4:

As we continue to wait for results in several key states, Biden takes Hawaii

Biden leads 225-213

6:25am 11/4:

Vote totals continue to come in, as officials in several states return to counting early this morning. There are still many votes to be counted, and results will likely continue to come in throughout the day.

7:55am 11/4:

As the day continues, the divide between the two candidates is narrowing in several key states. Michigan is expecting to have a full report at some point today, but it is unclear when we will get results in some other states.

Biden continues to lead, 225-213

12:15pm 11/4:

Biden gains two more electoral votes from Maine and keeps his lead

227-213

2:30pm 11/4:

Biden takes Wisconsin

He leads 237-213

4:19pm 11/4:

Michigan called for Biden

Biden’s lead increases, 253-213

9:05pm 11/4:

About 24 hours after most polls closed, election officials have not finished counting ballots in several key states. Going into the second night of counting ballots, Biden holds the lead in the Electoral College, as well as in Nevada and Arizona, both of which have not yet been called by ABC News. Trump leads in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alaska, but his lead has been narrowing throughout the day. Results are expected to continue coming in throughout the night and into tomorrow, and some states are not expected to have full results until Friday.

Biden leads in the Electoral College, 253-214 after Trump picked up one vote from Maine earlier today.

12:30pm 11/7:

After several days of counting votes, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris become President-Elect and Vice President-Elect, winning 290 votes of the 270 needed to win the Electoral College. Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina have not been officially called yet, with President Trump in the lead in Alaska and North Carolina, and Joe Biden in the lead in Georgia.

Biden wins, 290-214. 34 electoral votes remain.