Fewer UMass Dartmouth students on campus will take toll on local economy

DARTMOUTH — The news that only about 25 percent of residential students will be in UMass Dartmouth dorms this fall and lectures at the university and UMass Law will be held remotely will continue to hurt the region's economy, officials said.

Students resume classes Wednesday at UMass Dartmouth.

Mike O'Sullivan, co-chief executive officer of One SouthCoast Chamber in Fall River, said when UMass Dartmouth is at full capacity it is "a wonderful economic driver" that greatly aids the economies in Greater Fall River and Greater New Bedford. Rick Kidder is co-chief executive officer of One SouthCoast Chamber in New Bedford and was not available for comment.

When the university is not at full capacity, O'Sullivan said the absence of the students definitely hurts businesses throughout the region. However, there is nothing that can be done about it, since it is related to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The news about the fall semester at the North Dartmouth campus is really a continuation of the situation that started in March when all UMass students were sent home because of the pandemic and learned remotely and much of the region went into lockdown, he said.

"It hurts and will continue to hurt," O'Sullivan said. 

Ryan C. Merrill, a spokesman for UMass Dartmouth, acknowledges that the continuation of remote learning for many students and limiting the number of residential students on campus will have a negative impact on the region's economy.

According to a financial impact report for the 2018 fiscal year, the economic impact of UMass Dartmouth on the region is $549,773,282, a figure that includes salaries, operating expenses, student spending and construction expenditures. UMass Dartmouth also supports 3,802 jobs in the region.

"I agree there's an economic hurt on the region" from the decisions to learn remotely and limit the number of students in residential housing, he said. 

About 800 students will be housed in a new dorm finished earlier this summer behind the Administration Building in parking lots 6 and 7, he said. Last fall, there were 3,200 students in all the dorms. Four dorms will be offline for the fall semester.

Students in labs, studios, clinicals and other instruction that require on-campus facilities will remain on campus, according to the school's website. For students who will be on campus, there will be testing, quarantine and isolation protocols, if necessary, as well as requirements for face coverings, social distancing and daily personal health assessments.

Those are the two most significant changes at the university for the fall semester and they are being made to ensure the health of the college community and to allow students to progress with their education, the website said.

Merrill said these policies may change for the spring semester, depending upon conditions, ("the science and the data,") not just on SouthCoast, but on "a wider level" that includes Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"The decision to limit the use of physical instructional spaces was driven by a need to reduce the number of people on campus," Mark Preble, chief operating officer and acting chancellor, said in a statement on the school's website.

Detective Kyle Costa, a spokesman for the Dartmouth Police Department, said the primary public safety impact caused by the university is traffic. With fewer students on the roads around the school that will mean less traffic enforcement.

The university has its own police department, which handles complaints on campus. The only time Dartmouth police get involved is when their help is requested by UMD Police. 

Marisol's Cafe on State Road, Dartmouth, has been a popular spot for years for UMass Dartmouth students to spend some down time, relax, have a cup of coffee and chat.

Chris Georgiadis, general manager of Marisol's Cafe on State Road, Dartmouth, said he will miss the business he receives from UMass Dartmouth students, but "to some extent" he wonders if the loss will be offset by local students who are not returning to their colleges and will learn remotely from home for the same reasons.

"We're just making the best of the situation like everyone else," he said, adding there is so much uncertainty about the future because of the pandemic.

He said he does miss the vitality and the energy that UMass Dartmouth students bring to his establishment. "It is a different kind of energy," he said.

Follow Curt Brown on Twitter @CurtBrown_SCT