Quinnipiac students were notified in an email Friday afternoon about the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The statement sent by Senior Medical Advisor Dr. David Hill informed students that the university has seen 115 new positive COVID-19 cases since Wednesday.

Since Oct. 30, Quinnipiac has seen a total of 179 confirmed cases at a staggering 7.1% positivity rate. With this, the total number of active isolation cases has grown exponentially, as the amount of cases has climbed to 212. 

This comes days after Hill informed the Quinnipiac community that it would be moving to an orange alert.

The surge in cases comes after a party that approximately 500 Quinnipiac University and Southern Connecticut State University students attended at Anthony’s Ocean View on Oct. 30 was shut down by the New Haven Health Department.

Senior theatre major Nicole Gibson is not surprised by the news, as she expected this would come sooner or later.

“I actually predicted from day one of the semesters that this was going to happen from the beginning,” Gibson said. “I wasn’t surprised at all.”

She went on to suggest that she was more shocked in the manner in which news was delivered, believing that students should have been given more of a heads-up.

“I think that Quinnipiac should have given more notice to everyone about going to the red alert,” Gibson said. “If students were given more notice, people would have more time to figure out arrangements for going home, if that ends up being the situation.”

This was not the first time students were given such short notice. On Wednesday, Nov. 4, students that were in the university’s quarantine buildings were notified that due to the rise in positive cases on campus, they would either have to continue isolating at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wallingford, Connecticut or make arrangements to head home. Those in this predicament were given a specific timeframe to respond with what they were going to do.

BREAKING: Students who are in quarantine in founders residence halls are be forced to move into a hotel.

This is being done so that there is more room for students who need to isolate. pic.twitter.com/uJv7DeoPSK

— Q30 News (@Q30News) November 4, 2020

In response to the red alert, the university outlined an eight-step plan on how it plans on moving forward, most notably a 14-day campus-wide quarantine period, which was effective as of Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Another step that has Quinnipiac students like junior occupational therapy major Christopher Watts concerned is how Quinnipiac plans to test all residential students this upcoming Monday.

“I am not sure how Quinnipiac is going to be able to do this,” Watts said. “There are still so many students on campus, which are going to create long lines, increasing the risk of exposing COVID-19.”

While most of the steps remain the same, one that upsets junior health science major Aryanna Mercado-Santana is forcing students to remain in their dorms between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

“I am very upset about this rule,” Mercado-Santana said. “I mean I understand while they put it in place, as they do not want a repeat of last weekend, however for students like myself who are anxious during these times, a late-night walk helps calm me down.”

The measures provided by Hill look to help mitigate the spread of the virus through the Bobcat Bubble, as well as look to keep the Quinnipiac community updated with the most recent news.

For the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19, be sure to stick with Q30 News.