HANOVER — For Dartmouth College undergraduates, many of whom are returning to school this week for the first time in months, the campus may look very different than it has in past fall semesters.
The paths that weave between the school’s buildings, normally teeming with students, were nearly empty Wednesday, and many of the students who did venture outside wore cloth masks and walked alone or in very small groups.
Off Maynard Street, campus security officers directed traffic, guiding students toward a large white tent in a nearby parking lot where workers wearing gloves and masks took their temperatures and swabbed their noses to test for COVID-19.
But despite the quiet caution that hung over the campus, many of the students remained optimistic about returning amid a global pandemic.
“There’s been so much uncertainty. We were hoping that we would be able to make it,” said freshman Penelope Spurr, who, along with two classmates, made her way over to the testing tent Wednesday afternoon. She said that uncertainty makes students more eager to abide by the college’s safety rules regarding COVID-19.
“I don’t want to lose this,” she added.
The school just opened its campus to undergraduate students this week, allowing 2,300 students — nearly half of all undergraduates — to return in phases this week before classes start Sept. 14. New students arrived Tuesday and Wednesday, while returning students arrive Thursday and Friday, Dartmouth spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said in an email.
Students must get tested four times within their first two weeks on campus and sign an agreement, saying they will abide by all safety precautions surrounding COVID-19 — including not holding large gatherings — or risk suspension.
Dartmouth is taking extra precautions, too: around 90% of classes will be held online, and the school has suspended its “first-year trips” program, a nearly 100-year-old college tradition intended to help freshmen bond by hiking together, often in the White Mountains, before the start of the semester.
And yet, with the precautions in place, Dartmouth has already had to respond to a major safety violation. On Friday night, 23 first-year students at the Tuck School of Business were found having a party at Whittemore Hall, a dormitory on campus. All 23 are in quarantine now, and Dartmouth and Tuck are investigating the incident to determine whether the students should face disciplinary punishment, according to Tuck Dean Matthew Slaughter. Dartmouth, in recent weeks, has not reported any COVID-19 cases on campus, though one student and one employee are in isolation. Updated numbers are expected on Thursday.
For many of the undergraduate students arriving at school, the news of the party was frustrating.
“People are rightfully pissed,” said freshman Yowis Arias, adding that similar incidents at other campuses have resulted in an outbreak of COVID-19, and prompted other schools to roll back their reopening plans.
Freshman Lindsey Kim echoed his concern, adding that she hopes the school takes disciplinary action to set a precedent against large gatherings.
“I don’t think (the party) is OK. This is a community effort,” Kim said.But she added that she doesn’t think the Tuck party is indicative of things to come. “Most people understand the importance of social distancing.”
That’s an attitude shared by other freshmen who moved to campus Wednesday.
“It’s kind of looked down on if you have a party,” said freshman Scarlett Flores, who joined Spurr on a walk to the testing tent. She said that members of her class, many of whom have gotten to know each other online before coming to Dartmouth, have promised to tell the school if they hear of a large gathering happening on campus. “It’s clear that we’re not going to party.”
“A lot of people in the community assume that we come from perfect situations at home,” Spurr said, adding that’s not the case; many students have family members who are immunocompromised or at high risk of complications if they test positive for the virus. “We don’t want to bring COVID back home.”
For some people in the Hanover community, the concern lies less with whether students will break the rules and more with how Dartmouth will respond if they do.
“I’ve seen non-college-age adults behaving poorly as well,” said Hanover resident and Tufts University professor Holly Taylor. “What matters is Dartmouth’s response. … There needs to be a message that students cannot do this.”
Craig Layne, a Norwich resident and lab coordinator with Dartmouth’s biology department, echoed Taylor, saying that he’s seen adults in Hanover break social distancing guidelines at tightly packed restaurants. So far, he said, students at the college are doing a good job of staying far apart and keeping the campus uncrowded.
“The students want to be here,” he said.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.