The "Will Centre County Be Able to Coexist With Penn State University?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just hung up from my weekly phone call to my good friend, Jere, whom I have been friends with for close to 70 years.  We enjoy our weekly phone calls and try to catch up on what we each have been doing since the previous call.  Jere and his wife Sue have been traveling buddies with my wife Carol and myself since he and I both retired from the Manheim Township School District together in 1999.  Over the past 20 or so years we have made a few trips to Hawaii as well as trips to exotic locations such as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Barbados, Antigua, St. Martin, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas and a few cruises to places such as Aruba, Curacao, locations in Mexico and a trip through the Panama Canal.  Jere and Sue moved after he retired to State College, Pennsylvania, but we still find time to visit as often as we can.  Since this past March we have not been able to travel together or even make visits to see each other.  The weekly phone calls have to do until we can feel safe once again to visit without fear of giving one another the COVID-19 virus.  During our talk today I brought up the fact that Penn State University will be opening soon and our local newspaper featured a story about the town of State College growing by about 47,000 people soon.  

Old Main is less than a mile from my friends home in State College.

From their back door you can see housing that is usually filled with students from the college.  No matter which direction  you drive from their home you will see apartments, sorority and fraternity houses and plenty of dormitories that will soon be filled with students.  And, as you are aware, after watching television, reading the newspaper or looking around in your neighborhood, college-aged students of both sexes don't seem to have a mask on their face.  They seem to think they are invincible!  Perhaps some are, but for those that aren't and might come in contact with the virus, they too will come down with the virus.  And...if they happen to be in the same grocery store, fast food place, Walmart, The Creamery or even passing Jere or Sue on the street by their house, they could spread the virus in a second.  

Downtown streets will be filled soon with students.

Penn State researchers wondered from the outbreak's early days if it was a possiblity that it could spread throughout the campus and surrounding neighborhoods as well as the entire Centre County.   One University researcher said there may be no other community in Pennsylvania where the population in the neighboring community is affected by the reopening of a university than Centre County.  Residents are concerned about a potential increase in cases when students return, given the high level of interaction with the community.  After Penn State shut down their campus last March, Centre County has had fewer than 300 confirmed coronavirus cases.  Penn State researchers have been sought throughout the faculty to study what the influx of students may cause in the very near future.  

The Nittany Lion awaits anxiously!

$2.4 million in grants was offered to fund these researches.  One local State College borough member voiced concern about the health impact of students' return, including the move-in process.  She claims that no one at the university has laid out any real cogent plan for how we're going to deal with the start of school.  Another council member said that it takes only a few virus carriers to move into each apartment or dormitory to cause major problems.  She also said that she sees this as the beginning of a pandemic in more than one building.  Penn State officials said it is prepared to move all instruction online if problems occur.  But, who and when will they decide when that time arrives?  When is it going to be bad enough to make changes?  The article I read also pointed out that the town relies on their student population for the town's longterm viability and needs the students.  But, will there be a happy balance in Happy Valley?  For my friends, I hope they are able to stay safe while being able to co-exist in the University influx.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.