Chief Experience Officer, Tom Ellett, sent out an email on March 21 to students, informing them about the start of dorm tours for accepted students. Only students who have been admitted to Quinnipiac’s Class of 2025 will be allowed to take these tours.

First-year students were surprised to find tour groups walking outside their dorm the next day.

“We have a lot of restrictions here on campus so I think it’s kind of strange how these random people can just kind of walk-in whenever they want, really no warning. I didn’t get a warning this morning when I just opened my door and there was a tour going by,” Alyssa Carroll, a first-year student said.

To ensure the safety of everyone involved, Quinnipiac has a few protocols in place.

• A designated “showroom” in Irma and Commons will be presented to the tour groups.
• The showrooms were picked so that they were closest to the exterior entrance/exit door to avoid walking the hallways of the residence hall.
• Tour participants are not allowed to enter any other part of the residential buildings.
• Every tour group consists of 9 people.
• All participants are required to complete a health form and their temperature will be checked prior to the start of the tour.
• Four people are allowed inside the residence hall at a time for less than five minutes.

Despite these precautionary measures, students were confused and angry that the school was taking such a step.

“I don’t really understand where it’s coming from because these people on these tours don’t have to be negatively tested. They could just come in, and they can come in and walk through my hallway while my door’s open.” Another first-year student, Julianna Nennella stated.

Students suggested that dorm tours should have remained virtual. They felt that it was unnecessary for the school to bring the tour groups into the residential halls.

Nennella said, “I think that dorm tours should’ve continued to be virtual. I go to this campus, I’m a  first-year student. I get tested once a week and the fact that our sophomore dorm tour was done on zoom and I couldn’t go into a dorm, yet someone from miles away, who’s just looking at this school can walk into the dorm.”

Loosening the restrictions on campus has left some students uneasy about whether the school is moving too fast.

“I think we’re all moving a little bit too quickly in terms of like, the cases are going down, people are getting vaccinated but there’s still millions of positive cases. There’s still a huge death toll across the country,” Carroll said.

The campus positivity rate is 0.6%, a 0.3% increase since last Sunday, currently at 0.6%. While the school continues to lift restrictions and hold more activities in person, it is still unsure whether it will help the bobcat community.

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