What Mattered More? An Analysis Of Factors That Affected The Success Of University Response To COVID-19

This analysis seeks to understand the causes affecting variations in COVID-19 case rates at American college campuses during the Fall 2020 semester. The literature suggests that certain university policies like testing and community factors like partisanship will impact case rates in a significant way. Data is reported by university COVID-19 dashboards, and the dependent variable is measured as the percent of students, faculty, and staff on each campus to test positive for COVID-19. Testing frequency is shown to increase, not decrease, COVID-19 case rates, and Greek life percentage, in-person opening decisions, county partisanship, state COVID-19 case rates, and county COVID-19 case rates are the statistically and substantively significant variables in the model. These findings indicate that while university decisions can play a significant role in shaping university COVID-19 case rates, external factors like community behavior and COVID-19 spread hold the most explanatory power. The results tend to not support the reasoning for widespread angst by frustrated students and faculty toward university administrators regarding university re-opening in Fall 2020.