Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    College Advising
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
Public Health

Some Universities Have Less Space to Isolate Students This Fall. Is That a Problem?

By Nell Gluckman August 10, 2021
Parents and volunteers help new freshman move into their dorms ahead of New Maroon Camp. (Robby Lozano, Mississippi State University)
Mississippi State U. is among the campuses with limited space for students to isolate if they’re infected with Covid-19.Robby Lozano, Mississippi State University

Despite rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, many college campuses expect to be back at full capacity this fall. So do hotels.

That’s left some institutions without the robust quarantine and isolation housing that had been critical to their reopening plans in 2020.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Despite rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, many college campuses expect to be back at full capacity this fall. So do hotels.

That’s left some institutions without the robust quarantine and isolation housing that had been critical to their reopening plans in 2020.

The more-transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, once again raising the possibility that infected or exposed students might need to isolate — a difficult task in communal housing like dorms.

Mississippi State and Texas Tech Universities are among those warning students that they could be on their own finding quarantine housing. Both are in states with high numbers of cases of Covid-19, according to data collected by The New York Times.

“Limited isolation and quarantine space is available,” said Regina Hyatt, vice president for student affairs at Mississippi State. “For students who have to isolate or quarantine, we’re asking them to have a plan.” The university used hotels to isolate students last year, but this year, hotels are booked.

At Texas Tech, students will not be provided with a location to self-isolate, the Daily Toreador reported. The university will also not cover any expenses associated with isolation.

Last year, many colleges that operated in person did so with fewer students on campus, leaving them with otherwise-empty dorm space to isolate students when they were exposed to Covid-19 or developed symptoms.

This year, a limited supply of isolation rooms might not be a problem in areas where vaccination rates are high and mask-wearing is common, said Crystal R. Watson, an assistant professor in the department of environmental health and engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. She’s more worried about it in areas where those public-health efforts are less common.

“I don’t think there’s the same level of need for isolation spaces, proportionally to last year,” she said. “It still may overwhelm some campuses, especially in places that decide not to implement indoor masking.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Watson said she is worried about the possibility that students who get infected will go home to quarantine. The American College Health Association discouraged campuses from sending students home to isolate or quarantine because students could spread the virus during transit. Though the Covid-19 vaccines have been effective at keeping young people out of the hospital, they can still get infected and spread the disease to their family members.

“What we’re also seeing with Delta is that older people may be more likely to be hospitalized even if they’ve been vaccinated,” Watson said. “I do worry about sending people home.”

Edwin Michael, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida, said the situation is far less worrisome than it was last year. Most students coming back to campus this fall will have some immunity, whether it’s through the vaccine or because they’ve already been infected.

“The landscape has definitely changed with the vaccine,” he said. Compared to last year, administrators “feel they can manage this better,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

In some states, including Texas and Florida, bans on mask and vaccine mandates may limit colleges’ ability to hamper the spread of the virus on their campuses.

In Arizona, there is also a law against mandatory Covid-19 testing. Kristen M. Pogreba Brown, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Arizona who is helping with the university’s plans to reopen, said there were fewer isolation spaces available compared to last year. The institution still has one dorm of about 150 beds available for isolation, she said. Under normal circumstances, nearly 8,000 students live on campus, according to the university’s website.

“Two months ago when we were planning for the fall semester, we were still hopeful that we would be able to get a vaccine mandate,” she said. That would lower the risk of the spread of the virus, which could reduce the need for isolation space.

But Pogreba Brown said that the more-limited space for isolation isn’t one of her biggest concerns.

ADVERTISEMENT

“There’s bigger issues,” she said. “It’s not that this isn’t one. It’s not an unsolvable problem.”

Students might be asked to isolate in place, she said. If they have roommates, the roommates might have to isolate, too.

The bottom line, Pogreba Brown said, is that she hopes students get vaccinated. “It really is our best chance of reducing the spread of Covid on campus.”

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Gluckman_Nell.jpg
About the Author
Nell Gluckman
Nell Gluckman is a senior reporter who writes about research, ethics, funding issues, affirmative action, and other higher-education topics. You can follow her on Twitter @nellgluckman, or email her at nell.gluckman@chronicle.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Protesters attend a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, March 10, 2025, in New York.
First-Amendment Rights
Noncitizen Professors Testify About Chilling Effect of Others’ Detentions
Photo-based illustration of a rock preciously suspended by a rope over three beakers.
Broken Promise
U.S. Policy Made America’s Research Engine the Envy of the World. One President Could End That.
lab-costs-promo.jpg
Research Expenses
What Does It Cost to Run a Lab?
Research illustration Microscope
Dreams Deferred
How Trump’s Cuts to Science Funding Are Derailing Young Scholars’ Careers

From The Review

Vector illustration of a suited man with a pair of scissors for a tie and an American flag button on his lapel.
The Review | Opinion
A Damaging Endowment Tax Crosses the Finish Line
By Phillip Levine
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan keeps his emotions in check during a news conference, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Charlottesville. Va. Authorities say three people have been killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at the University of Virginia and a student is in custody. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Review | Opinion
Jim Ryan’s Resignation Is a Warning
By Robert Zaretsky
Photo-based illustration depicting a close-up image of a mouth of a young woman with the letter A over the lips and grades in the background
The Review | Opinion
When Students Want You to Change Their Grades
By James K. Beggan

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin