The Decree
since 1960 “of, by, andfor the Wesleyan community. ”
October 23, 2020
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
Wesleyan Sees Uptick in Covid Cases among Student Body
NC Wesleyan has reported 33 cases
of Covid-19 among members of the
college community since the beginning
of fall semester.
The total includes several new cases
among a group of friends who contracted
the virus off campus, according to Jes
sica Brys-Wilson. a licensed physician’s
assistant and the college’s Health Center
Director. She said that many of the 33
total positive cases involved students who
were not wearing masks at the time they
contracted the virus.
The recent uptick led the college to
suspend on-campus group activities,
including sports practices, but it is con
tinuing to offer face-to-face classes.
The Decree interviewed Brys-Wil
son about the pandemic in September
and October.
Q. Does Wesleyan perform Covid-19
testing on campus? If not, what's done
when a test is needed?
A. We don’t do Covid tests on campus. If
one is needed, students and employees must
leave campus to get that done. There are mul
tiple options in the Rocky Mount area. Most
often we're seeing students use HaloHands,
a Rocky Mount medical group that cares for
underserved communities. It provides free
walk-in testing Monday through Thursday.
We have performed limited surveillance test
ing, but have decided against campus-wide
surveillance at this point.
Q. What is surveillance testing?
A. It’s testing of individuals who don’t
have symptoms and aren’t known to have
been in direct contact with someone that’s
infected. Surveillance testing is a possibil
ity in the future. We do have a couple of
A Self-Described ‘Data Junkie,’
Dr. Kelly Provides Election Insights
Editor s Note: The Decree talked to Dr. Jarrod
Kelly, a specialist in American politics at Wesleyan,
about the presidential election. Interviews took place
in late September and early October
Q. As a professor of American politics, what
is a presidential election year like for you?
A. Between the conventions and election
day. I’d say I’m a data junkie. I look at dozens of
polls per day and can almost always tell you the
latest polling averages between the two candi
dates. Politics has always replaced sports for me
(I don't watch many sports; I somewhat follow
the Steelers, though less so now that I’m not in
Pittsburgh), and I think I get the same sort of
satisfaction from it. So presidential elections are
like the Super Bowl, though perhaps the World
Cup is a more appropriate metaphor. You might
also say that I'm insufferable to anyone who
doesn't want to constantly hear about the elec
tion, and my wife is certainly in that camp.
Q. What's been most surprising to you
about the presidential campaign so far?
A. From my perspective, the biggest surprise
has been how willing certain political actors
have been to undermine confidence in the elec
tion and. to some extent, to deliberately sabotage
the process. I don’t want to sound like an
alarmist, but our republic is in serious peril if the
results of the election aren’t perceived to be clear
and valid. President Trump has done everything
he can to prepare a rationale for invalidating the
results, should he lose to Joe Biden.
Q. What advice do you have for mem
bers of the Wesleyan community who may
be having trouble sorting through the claims
made on social media about both President
Trump and former Vice President Biden?
A. It takes a balanced media diet to sort
through all of the misinfomration. First, try to
tune out politics on social media. A lot of what
is shared is patently false. Even trusted friends/
family get it wrong (I love them, but most are
not a reliable source of information). Instead,
you can follow credible news outlets on
social media to get more accurate information
directly within social media feeds. Second,
stick to reputable media outlets. I recommend
newspapers, such as The Washington Post,
The New York Times, and The Decree. They
typically offer amazing student deals, as low
as a couple of dollars a month. I only pay
around five dollars for my Washington Post
subscription. The value is fantastic and you
are supporting great journalism. And, you
can’t beat the price of The Decree.
Q. There was talk after the last election
about eliminating the electoral college.
Candidates Hillary Clinton (in 2016) and Al
Gore (2000) both won the popular vote in
their respective elections. Do opponents of the
different companies who can perform bulk
testing for us with 24-hour notice.
Q. When it comes to testing, how does
Wesleyan compare with colleges its size?
A. To the best of my knowledge, our test
ing approach is in line with similar schools.
Q. What does a test cost?
A. Depending on the company, the type,
the turnaround time, and your insurance, a
test can cost between $0 and $130 each.
Q. How many tests have been done on
members of the Wesleyan community?
A. There have been 179 as October 19.
Q. How many cases of Covid-19 have
been diagnosed since school resumed?
A. We’ve had 33 cases among Wes
leyan community members, including
four employees.
Q. Were any of the cases connected?
Did the Covid-19 cases fit a pattern?
A. Early in the semester, there was one
set of roommates but, otherwise, they were
all individual cases who were thought to
have contacted it off campus.
More recently, we’ve had one "cluster"
among a group of friends. Most of the
infected were members of an athletics
team, but their infections were not tied
to athletic participation. Their contact
tracing indicates it was spread among
them in non-athletic interactions. Among
students, most positive cases had contact
(off campus) without a mask with an
individual who later tested positive.
Q. How are the students doing?
A. So far. all have experienced an
unremarkable disease course with mostly
mild symptoms.
Q. What happened with the staff members?
A. They generally felt worse and took
electoral college express serious concerns, or
are they just bitter? In brief, what are the argu
ments for and against the electoral college?
A. Discrepancies exist between the
Electoral College and nationwide popular
vote that have favored Republicans, spuming
calls by some Democrats to eliminate the
Electoral College in favor of a nationwide
popular vote. But I wouldn’t say that they’re
just being bitter. There are serious differ
ences between states for the number of Elec
toral College votes per citizen. This benefits
rural states and, as a result, the Republican
Party. Consider this: in the past 30 years,
a Republican presidential candidate has
won the popular vote a single time (Bush in
2004). Yet, we’ve had Republican presidents
for nearly half of that time.
What’s more, the Electoral College
“math” results in candidates only having to
pay attention to about 10-15 states (luckily
North Carolina is included). Yet, there are
a few benefits. First and foremost. can you
imagine how difficult it would be to resolve
a close election with a nationwide recount?
Most of our students were either not alive,
or were too young to remember, the 2000
election. Imagine that event, but times 50.
Federalism is enshrined in the Electoral
College, with states rather than individual
citizens, playing a crucial role. Overall,
though, you’ll find few fans of the Electoral
College among political scientists.
Q. President Trump has cast doubt on the
security of mail-in balloting. Has he got a point?
A. No, he doesn’t. There’s no evidence
to suggest that mail-in voting is less secure
than in-person voting. All states have some
form of absentee voting and others have all
voting by mail (Oregon, for example). It
does get a little tricky when states are forced
to offer both types of voting on a large scale,
and with little time to prepare. And there are
concerns about the U.S. Postal Service being
able to handle the capacity of mail-in ballots.
But my sense is that the Trump Adminis
tration is just seeking to cast doubt on the
outcome of the election, should he lose.
Q. What concerns, if any, do you have
about the voting process in 2020?
A. What keeps me up at night is the
confusion about the voting process, including
its security. I fear- that many people will not
vote because of the conflicting advice being
offered. I also fear that the election will not
be called in a timely manner, which will cre
ate doubts about the outcome. The longer it
takes to determine the outcome after Election
Day, the more people with distrust the result.
Q. What do you expect turnout to be like?
longer to recover, but none experienced
serious complications.
Q. Describe what happens when you
suspect a case of Covid-19.
A. Every case is a little different. In
general, a student will report symptoms on
Campus Clear (before 10 a.m., as required).
Occasionally I’ll just ask them to quarantine in
place for 24 hours and then reassess tliem the
next morning. This is the case if I have a very
low index of suspicion that they have Covid.
If their symptoms haven’t resolved the next
morning, they’re placed in formal quarantine
and sent for a test.
If my index of suspicion is higher
based on the Campus Clear screening
and a follow-up with the student. I’ll
send them for a test that day and place
them in strict quarantine until their results
are back. Their teachers are contacted
and their meals are delivered to their
room. They’re asked to disclose direct
contacts and those individuals are also
quarantined until the results come back
for the PUI (person under investigation
for Covid-19). If that result is positive,
the symptomatic patient is moved into
strict isolation at the Wesleyan Inn. All
direct contacts are also moved to isolation
rooms at the Wesleyan Inn for 14 days.
Q. Describe the typical symptoms presented
by the patients who have contracted Covid.
A. Most commonly, I’m seeing body
aches, congestion, and headache. We have
had about 10 percent of patients lose then-
sense of taste or smell. We have not had
any students or staff require hospitalization.
Q. What are pros and cons of the "Cam
pus Clear,” based on your experiences so far?
A. When used properly, Campus Clear
A. This is difficult to predict, simply
because there are so many (unprec
edented) factors: the pandemic, changes
to rules regarding mail-in ballots, Trump's
rhetoric about mail-in voting, etc. My gut
prediction would be that turnout increases
slightly compared to 2016, to perhaps 57-
58 percent of the voting-age population.
By comparison, in modern elections, the
highest turnout was in 2008, at about 58 per
cent of die voting age population, and in 2016
it was about 555 percent. I expect turnout in
2020 to look more like 2008 than 2016.
Q. In 2016, pundits felt that many
votes for President Trump were really
“anti-Hillary” votes. To what extent do
you see that happening this year, in the
opposite direction, with voters picking
former Vice President Biden as a way of
repudiating the Trump presidency?
A. There’s a great term for this in political
science: negative partisanship. Partisans aren't
so much motivated by warm feelings toward
their own party and candidates, but are motivated
by disdain for the other party. Democrats have
consistently reported that they’re more motivated
to cast a ballot against Trump than for Biden.
Q. A related question: How strong
is support for Biden among Democrats,
particularly Sanders supporters and other
more progressive members of the party ?
A. Biden seems to have lukewarm sup
port among Sanders’ voters and progressives,
though they appear to be more favorable
about casting a vote for Biden than they were
for Clinton. But a few will almost certainly
sit out this election. I think they’re wanting
to get Trump out of office, first and foremost,
and then once Biden is president they’ll put
a lot of pressure on him to support a progres
sive agenda. For the most part, progressives
see Biden as too moderate and. with the
benefits of hindsight, consider some of his
past positions and legislative accomplish
ments problematic. Biden was known as a
bipartisan deal-maker during his decades in
the Senate, which means he has a long track
record of passing compromise legislation.
Q. Do you think, in general, most vot
ers this year will cast a vote based on the
issues or the candidate? Explain.
A. I think it depends on how you look
at it. Many Americans will vote against
President Trump, but probably more
so based on personality and character,
particularly the ethical questions that arise
from his actions. This relates more to his
temperament, than his actual policy views.
But a large group will be voting based
SEE ELECTION pg 3
allows me to check on every campus mem
ber every day and catch anyone with any
possible Covid symptoms immediately. It’s
imperative that everyone do their screening
every day and that they do it on time every
day (10 a.m. on week days and noon on
weekends.) It’s important that symptoms
are reported as soon as they develop. I’ve
had a few students wait two or three days
to report symptoms, which makes it dif
ficult to contain a potential infection.
Q. Does it concern you that Campus
Clear depends on self-reporting?
A. I do have some concerns. But it’s the
best tool we have at this point. Anyone can
be untruthful in any screening, but I have
President Duff Optimistic about
College’s Finances, Fall Graduation
Resident Evan Duff said he’s been pleased
with the response of the Wesleyan community
to the pandemic crisis, adding that the college
is in a strong financial position and that it plans
to proceed with a fall graduation ceremony.
He was interviewed by the Decree in
late September.
Q. We’re at the end of September, almost
halfway through the semester. In general,
how has the college responded to life in the
pandemic since fall semester began?
A. Our college has done extremely well.
We have students, faculty, and staff following
guidelines. Air purifiers were installed in all
classrooms and main areas throughout campus.
We’ve offered staggered start and stop times for
our classes, which has reduced density in the
halls. And we’re adhering to all of the Wesleyan
Wise protocols. I’m proud of our community.
Q. What's an area where the Wesleyan
community can improve?
A. We can all do a better job of being
vigilant and providing friendly remind
ers to others who are not following our
Wesleyan Wise guidelines. We should all
refrain from large gatherings (on and off
campus) and maintain our Wesleyan Wise
standards when we're not on campus.
Q. Did the college ever consider adopting a
regular Covid-19 test regimen? What factors went
into the process the college is now following?
A. The Viral Infection Response Team
(VIRT) explored all possible avenues based
on Centers for Disease Control and World
Health Organization recommendations as
well as what peer institutions were doing. The
path we ultimately took was to test those who
are symptomatic, in contact with someone
who tested positive, or who attended an event
where people were not socially distanced
and who may not have worn masks. The
approach has been working well for us. In all
cases, students are quarantined until their test
results are received. If they’re positive, they
are isolated off campus. Wesleyan was one
of the few schools in the state (maybe 1 of 2)
that required a negative test within seven days
of arriving back to campus. We feel this was
a major contributor as to why we have seen
fewer cases on campus this fall so far.
Q. How is the college doing with
respect to its budget? What most pleases
you and what most concerns you?
A. Based on our generous donors and
CARES Act funding, the college ended the
2020 fiscal year very well. We have made a
significant turnaround over the 2019 fiscal
year. We're already starting to see promising
donations come through this year as well,
and we expect to see a surplus in operations
again for the 2021 fiscal year. I'm always
concerned by things I can't control. My hope
is that the economy fully recovers, and medi
cations or vaccines are developed to control
Covid, allowing us to continue to invest in
our students, faculty, staff, and operations.
confidence that the majority of our commu
nity members are honest and generally want
to do the right thing, both for themselves
and to protect the rest of the campus.
Q. What advice do you have for
students, not to mention employees, who
leave campus on the weekends, to stay with
family and/or take trips?
A. VIRT (Viral Illness Response Team)
has asked students not to leave campus unless
absolutely necessary. Our county continues
to do very poorly, and risk of infection is con
siderably greater once they leave Wesleyan’s
campus. So far, most infections are the result
of students leaving for the weekend. If they
See COVID pg 2
Q. On a related note: Do you foresee
furloughing or making job cuts during
the current academic year?
A. Not at all. We are Wesleyan Strong.
Q. When it comes to classes, do you ex
pect spring semester to follow the same for
mat with many hybrid and online courses?
A. Yes. We haven’t seen any remark-
able strides yet to reduce Covid cases na
tionally so we'll continue to be cautiously
optimistic and develop a spring schedule
that is similar to our fall schedule.
Q. Let's turn to enrollment. What's current
enrollment for traditional and APS programs?
A. We have around 1,000 traditional stu
dents and 750 adult students. Over the last
several years we've seen a combined enroll
ment fluctuate between 1600 and 2000.
Q. What is the total number of new
traditional students enrolled at the col
lege this fall? What was the goal? For
comparison purposes, what was the
number of new students for fall 2019?
A. New traditional student enrollment
was 276 and the budget goal was for 300.
In fall 2019 our total new traditional student
enrollment was 368.
Q. What was the number of new
international students?
A. It was 34 in 2019; it’s 16 in 2020.
Q. Do you seen notable trends in the
cohort of new students?
A. We did not see any major trends other
than some students taking the semester off or
some international students who choose not to
return for the fall semester. These students do
have plans at this time to return in the spring.
Q. Some colleges have already can
celed spring break for next year, due to
the pandemic. What is NCWC's plan?
A. The provost is working on the spring
schedule now, with input from faculty. We
will have a condensed schedule similar to
fall and we most likely will not have a spring
break scheduled, but we may consider an
extended Easter to allow students and faculty
a “mini” break at that time.
Q. And what can you say about plans
for fall and spring graduation?
A. We’re considering moving forward
with a December Sth graduation that would
only include the students, faculty, and the
platform party. That’s the only way we can
hold a socially distanced ceremony. We will
live-stream the event and record it so that
family can watch from their homes. We’re
not opposed to family traveling to Rocky
Mount and staying in a local hotel, but they
will not be permitted at graduation. This way
they can be local and celebrate with their
graduate after the event. More information
will be communicated to students soon.
As far as spring graduation, it’s
on schedule to be held as it normally
would, but we may impose restrictions
if the Covid situation is not better.