Health

Boston College survey: Go home for Thanksgiving or stay?

BOSTON — Boston College is polling its students before making a decision on a remote or in-person return to classes for the remainder of the fall semester following Thanksgiving break.

BC Vice President for Student Affairs Joy Moore emailed students a survey Tuesday asking them their preference between two options: return home for Thanksgiving and stay there, attending classes remotely until the end of the semester; or remain in Massachusetts – either at BC or at home – for the holiday and finish out the semester on campus, with some classes and exams provided remotely.

Junior Jennifer Harris believes the option favors students from Massachusetts. While she would like to see her family in New Jersey, she voted to stay at BC.

“We have three weeks after Thanksgiving, and that’s a lot of time to be at home,” Harris said. “And we’re already going to be at home for Christmas.”

But senior Mike Griglak, whose family lives in Wisconsin, chose the remote option. He believes BC should have offered the survey sooner.

“I’d like to be able to see my family. It’s important for me to do that,” Griglak said. “I think it’s kind of unfair they’ve put it off for this long. It’s only a month out. It’s going to be really expensive for me to get plane tickets at this point. So I think they should’ve already made the decision.”

Both Harris and Griglak would have preferred to go home for the holiday and be tested before returning to campus.

“That would be ideal,” Griglak said. “But they didn’t give us that option.”

Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn told Boston 25 News BC has had “tremendous success in controlling COVID-19” since last month’s coronavirus spike. BC reported 73 positive cases between Sept. 7 and 13.

“The survey will help inform our final decision for the semester, and is being conducted from a position of strength, given our successful turnaround with COVID-19 cases,” Dunn said in an email Wednesday.

Dunn cited 12 positive cases reported last week out of 7,187 tests, for a weekly positivity rate of 0.16 percent, well below the state average of 1.1 percent.

More than 53,000 tests have been performed at BC, Dunn said.

At least six people have tested positive so far this week.

Students told Boston 25 News they are satisfied with those numbers and the college’s testing protocol.

“I think it’s pretty good,” Harris said. “I’ve been called in to get tested nearly every week, and I think at least one person in my room has been called in to get tested every week.”

The deadline to respond to the survey is Thursday at 5 p.m. BC will make a decision by Monday.

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