Over the last week NC numbers have gotten worse, probably as a result of outbreaks at colleges and universities. Hopes are the fact that so many of the new cases are young people will mean the hospitalization and death numbers won’t be so impacted. We’ll see.

Heres what’s happened so far:

• On Aug. 19, UNC shifted all undergraduate instruction to remote/online learning and began immediately moving most students off campus.
• NCSU moved undergraduate courses online beginning Aug. 24.
• UNC-Charlotte is opening all online and won’t be allowing students on campus until at least Oct. 1.
• ECU moved undergraduate courses online effective Aug. 26.

Duke seems to be more successful at controlling the virus. All students had to be tested before returning to campus, and the school is serious about enforcing safety stands, even to the extent of suspending students who throw big parties or violate other standards. They just started back a few days ago, so only time will tell.

The same pattern is showing up nationally, but interestingly, HBCUs don’t seem to be part of it, perhaps because they are smaller and better able to social distance. 

Things have continued to get worse even after the schools shifted to online education. The cause appears to be social activities, mostly big off campus parties and students going to bars, and much of the blame has been placed on fraternities and sororities. I’m not sure if there’s actual data to support this conclusion or if like so much of what we’ve heard since all this started, it is mostly supposition. My speculation is that the main problem is sororities and fraternities mimic the aggregate living situation in nursing homes that has been so problematic. Students eat together, study together, sleep together. I certainly haven't heard suggestions that students or anyone else should sleep in a mask. I know parties and failure to wear masks when appropriate is part of the problem, but unless we are willing to isolate students the way we’ve isolated nursing home residents, it may not be fixable.

UPDATE 8/28: Northwestern announced today that they would be open online only this fall for first- and second-year students. It seems like good planning to me, but there are lots of parents complaining on the school's website. Apparently students already have plane tickets and in many cases have already shipped their belongings to Evanston. They’ve announced that fraternities and sororities will be closed for the first quarter. That puzzles me. NU must own the buildings or have some sort of contractual agreement that gives them that power.

PHOTO: Northwestern University.