The Berkeley Beacon
October 28, 2021
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Emerson’s testing center. / Beacon Archives
College shifts to pooled testing model Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff
Emerson introduced a pooled testing model for select community members on Monday, a process administrators hope will streamline the college’s testing process. Under the new testing model, individual samples will be collected in a group of ten to be tested together. The pooled model yields either negative or inconclusive results, and those who receive inconclusive results will be required to test again, individually within 24 hours. The system in place prior to pooled testing saw each sample tested individually, returning a positive, negative, or inconclusive result. “Pooled testing is a model that K-12 has used for some time,” said Associate Vice President for Campus Life and “COVID Lead” Erik Muurisepp in a September interview. “They’ve been able to get more testing done with less resources, through streamlining the process.” The model’s accuracy is dependent on how rapidly COVID-19 is spreading in a given area, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency explained that because pooled testing requires the mixing of samples and different sam-
ples contain different amounts of “viral genetic material” or mucus from the nose or throat, pooled tests cannot ensure the diagnostic accuracy of an individual sample and has a higher risk of false-negative results. “In general, the larger the pool of specimens, the higher the likelihood of generating false-negative results,” the centers wrote. Muurisepp explained that the new model reduces processing costs, as the college no longer has to pay for each individual test conducted. During the 2020-21 school year, Emerson spent $5 million on testing. were supported by Tufts University President Anthony Monaco. “Even with the re-testing required after a pool test is positive, the program is less expensive than large-scale individual testing because it requires only a fraction of the analysis,’’ Monaco said last October. However, a study conducted by the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory found the cost effectiveness of the model decreases as the positivity rate increases. “As the incidence of COVID-19 increases the cost savings of a pooling strategy decreases because more pooled tests will return positive results and those specimens will need to be re-
tested individually to determine which individual(s) are positive,” it states. Under the new system, community members will continue weekly testing at the Tufts Medical Center facility on Kneeland Street and Harrison Avenue—but instead of tapping their IDs at one of the three Emerson-designated stations, they will instead report to a “pooled testing area” and place their swabs into a large test tube after administering their test. The model will be introduced to different elements of the Emerson communities in stages, according to Muurisepp. Currently, faculty, staff, and vendors are being tested under the pooled testing model. Students are still testing individually and the college has not announced when students would make the switch to the new model. “That will be happening slowly over the next few weeks,” Muurisepp said. The college initially planned to roll out the new system on Sep. 7, according to a community-wide email sent went, and in a COVID update on Sep. 15, Muurisepp stated that the transition to pooled testing would instead be assessed “in the coming weeks.” The original date coincided with a spike in COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the fall semester; in the two weeks before Sep. 7, Emerson reported 21 positive COVID-19 tests and a positivity rate of 0.24 percent—the highest recorded in a two week period. Muurisepp, however, stated that the delay was not brought on by the surge. “It was delayed because the process was [still] being worked out,” he said. “Seeing some other institutions roll it out, we needed to make sure we could do it appropriately.” Muurisepp did not attribute these logistical challenges to either Emerson or The Broad Institute, which is responsible for providing and processing tests for a number of colleges in the Boston area. For its part, the Broad Institute has already overseen the pooled testing of hundreds of Massachusetts schools since February; as of Sept. 14, it had processed approximately 170,000 testing pools, representing over 1.1 million swabs of K-12 students, according to its website. Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.
frankie_rowley@emerson.edu
Students studying in a classroom. Jiaxin Xu / Beacon Staff
In-person exams a stressful change Cont. from Pg. 1 First-year Jasmine Bonds, on the other hand, welcomed the opportunity to take tests in-person again, adding that her midterm experience went smoother than she’d expected. “It wasn’t as stressful as I thought it was going to be because it was about things I was interested in,” Bonds said. But Bonds seems to be in the minority. Even professors have taken note of the stress midterms put on their students. Mneesha Gellman, a political communication professor, said she noticed students struggling to balance this semester’s increased workload. “I do believe that students are re-
ally having a hard time this semester, in the number of requests for extensions,” Gellman said. “I do absolutely see the stressors of the pandemic playing out in the classroom in terms of students’ wellbeing that is seen in a variety of ways.” The concern for her students’ mental health and wellbeing has caused Gellman, who teaches both Human Rights and Collective Action courses, to omit midterms from her curriculum. “I don’t think I’ve administered an in part as a response to trying to have as inclusive pedagogy as possible,” she said. “I feel like exams increase student stress levels; also, because of
accommodations, there are divides in terms of students that have accommodations getting more time than students that don’t. I really tried to structure my classes in a way where exams are not part of the assignment structure at all.” Instead, Gellman said she relies on a “sequence of writing assignments” throughout the semester for students to combine into a short research paper around the time of midterms. “Students know about it from the moment they start the class in the fall and they really work at their own pace to research a topic of their choosing that is connected to the classroom,” she said. contact@berkeleybeacon.com
Just days before election, Wu tells students to get involved
Michelle Wu speaks to a constituent. Charlie McKenna / Beacon Staff
Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff
City Councilor at Large Michelle Wu outlined what a Wu mayoralty would look like and urged the younger population to participate in the upcoming Nov. 2 election in a student press conference on Wednesday. “We are in a moment of generational crisis,” Wu said at a press conference held for students attending universities in Boston. “The decisions we make in the next three to five years will determine the lives and livelihoods of the next three to five generations.” Wu, a progressive, and fellow councilor Annissa Essaibi George, viewed as a moderate, are both running for the city’s top job in Tuesday’s elections. The two are the only remaining candidates of the selection that started running earlier this year. Regardless of the election outcome the city will see its first female mayor of color this fall. Wu’s platform seeks to build a “resilient, healthy and fair Boston,” by bolstering education, expanding food access and increasing jobs, according to her campaign website. On the contrary, Essaibi George seeks to “prioritize building an economy” and make Boston more affordable for all its residents. Wu said she intends to collaborate with students and young people to facilitate change in Boston, noting that she worked closely with Youth for Wu to create her campaign policy and “drive change across every single department.” “From day one of this campaign, we have been partnering with, centering and following the lead of young people who … are pushing for the type of transformational change that Boston could really step into,” she said. The “transformational change” Wu plans to implement includes taking the lead on climate justice. Climate justice forms a crucial part of Wu’s platform. She has long been a vocal supporter of the Green and Blue New Deals, and has articulated several steps the city can take to decarbonize and transition to renewable energy, which will create jobs and further the push for environmental justice in the city. “I’m really excited to ensure that Boston is a leader when it comes to climate justice and showing the urgency we need to take action,” she said. “We need to electrify ev-
erything, clean the sources of electricity … and ensure that racial and economic justice are driving our decision making.” In addition to climate change, Wu also addressed her commitments to reducing food insecurity and combating homelessness, mental illness and drug addiction—issues given particular importance given the recent clearing of the homeless encampment at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. “We need leadership and accountability here,” said Wu. “We’ve been turning a blind eye to the depth of the humanitarian crisis at Mass. and Cass.” She said she plans to hire a cabinet-level chief to focus specifically on the area, adding that her administration will seek to connect the people of Mass and Cass with public health workers, mental health resources and low-threshold supportive housing. In addition to her plans for Mass. and Cass., Wu said her administration will focus on reducing food insecurity for Boston residents and students. While state and federal funds will continue to go towards increasing food access around the city, Wu said her administration will push for systemic change. “We need to change our underlying systems so that we are connecting food access with jobs and culturally responsive food access points that can actually empower communities to be more economically stable,” she said. Wu has repeatedly called for eliminating fares on the MBTA, which she argues is public and, like libraries and parks, should be free. Her campaign website outlines the importance of free public transportation, saying it will limit traffic, connect Boston communities and bolster the city’s economy. Wu emphasized the importance of student involvement in the upcoming election, calling on young people—who she recognized as a “huge voting block”— to show up to polls and mail in their ballots. She added that this election has potential to affect politics on larger levels, too. “The city of Boston is in a unique place to really change the conversation on what’s possible across the country,” Wu said. “We need to ensure that we’re setting the tone and leading the way to build momentum for state and federal action as well.” vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu
