Administrators Have Spoken: Who Cares About Science?

As Marist continues to grapple with a significant number of COVID-19 cases, it is becoming increasingly clear that the restrictions the administration places on the student body are illogical and contradict basic conclusions that existing science and data present us with. 

I have already commented on the college’s hostile treatment towards the Music Department and how it cannot be reconciled with guidelines set by the CDC, along with other research and facts about the current state of the pandemic. Two other major areas of student life have also unfortunately fallen prey to the college’s excessive and scientifically-deficient policies: indoor gym activities and in-person classes. 

Since writing this article, there is no national study that has concluded that gyms are major vectors of transmission. In fact, published studies have found that transmitting COVID-19 while at the gym is extremely rare in comparison to locations like bars and restaurants, when proper masking and distancing measures are in place, like we have at Marist. One study conducted by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, and MXM, a technology and knowledge transfer company that specializes in tracking members within the fitness industry, found that of the nearly 50 million fitness check-ins that occurred from May to August 2020, only 0.0023% of visitors tested positive for the virus. Even for those that tested positive, there was no evidence that those cases originated in the gyms themselves. 

Moreover, last December, the Governor’s office released contact tracing data detailing exposure sources. This data notes that gyms account for a whopping 0.06% of cases in New York State. Turning to schools and classrooms, the data suggests that “higher education students” comprised 2.02% of cases. While this figure is larger than the others presented previously, I would argue that the vast majority of these cases are very likely linked to activities outside of the classroom. I make this argument because the contact tracing data reveals that elementary and high school students, or students who do not live in dorms where party-going students can spread it easily to their peers, represent less than .50% of the cases each. Even without considering this argument, the figure is still only slightly above 2%, which is quite small. Additionally, Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the CDC, has stated he does not believe schools or classrooms are major sources of transmission. 

It should also be noted that young people are extremely unlikely to experience severe illness or die from the virus. In fact, as of April 1, 1,957 out of the total 533,291 deaths involving the virus in the U.S. were among Americans within the 18-29 age range. This represents about .36% of all deaths from the virus in the U.S. 

How many more fractions of a percentage point or decimal numbers do I need to list before we declare that the so-called “blunt instrument” approach and other policies the Marist administration enacted during the campus pause are insane? When will the college be candid with the student body and admit that the science and data indicate that gyms and classrooms are basically as safe as can be, carrying almost no risk?

The answer: probably never. My pessimism stems from the fact that the school’s physicians and scientists outright admitted during the March 24 town hall that not a single case has been linked to any classrooms or gyms on campus. Yet, the administration has still closed all gyms and moved classes online during the college’s longest pause this year. In other words, they are ignoring their own data and they either don’t care or have other factors motivating their behavior, like protecting reputation and stream of revenue. 

If the college has information and data that justifies their decisions during the pause, this information should be released to the student body immediately. Otherwise, it truly baffles me that these decisions, in light of the science and data, make sense to certain actors within the administration. Personally, I highly doubt this data exists and suspect that the college never traced a case or many cases back to the gyms and classrooms last semester either. They just failed to tell us the truth right to our faces.  

I propose the college run a cost-benefit analysis when choosing what policies to adopt. In the cases before us, I would argue that risks with fractions of a percentage point do not outweigh the costs to student life that these policies have unequivocally had. Gyms, classrooms, clubs, music programs, athletics and other activities are a great way to engage with other students and make our lives better overall. I encourage my fellow Marist students to oppose the pause measures by voicing their frustration.

Fitness centers on campus have closed during the pause. Source: Sarah Lynch ‘21