House Republicans are investigating the University of Maryland for their continuation of COVID-19 isolation policies if a student tests positive for the virus, raising questions as to how the college has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief aid.
"Maryland seems to be reinstituting the same negative policies it implemented during the beginning of the pandemic at the expense of its students," wrote the Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) to the president of the University, Darryll Pines.
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UMD last month updated its COVID-19 isolation policy, requiring students living in residence halls or university-owned Greek life housing "to isolate at their permanent home or another off-campus location if they test positive. The university does not provide designated isolation housing on campus," according to the school's website.
The institution requires self-isolation for a minimum of five days. A student can return to school on the sixth day only if they test negative for the virus, the fever has resolved without medication, and other symptoms are improving.
Students living on campus are required to isolate at their own expense, and the university provides a list of nearby hotel locations for isolation.
Wenstrup's chief concern, however, is that the university recognized during the height of the pandemic that isolation and corresponding online education programs were detrimental to student progress.
Through various pieces of legislation, including the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan, UMD received over $115 million from the federal government to, among other things, "'prevent, prepare for, and respond to [the] coronavirus,' to 'defray expenses associated with [the] coronavirus,' and 'provide financial aid grants to students, which may be used for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, [and] health care,'" the GOP letter states.
Wenstrup cited economic research from the Hoover Institution estimating that pandemic-era learning loss due to school closures and isolation policies could result in children of the pandemic earning 2% to 9% lower incomes during their lifetimes, contributing to a loss of up to $1.3 trillion in state GDPs.
UMD responded to the Washington Examiner's request for comment by saying that the institution will "stay focused on the health and safety of our community."
"Throughout the pandemic, the University of Maryland has made decisions that prioritize the safety of our community and designed policies in full alignment with local and national public health guidance," a university spokesperson said.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are low in Prince George's County at 4.60 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, according to state data. Case rates also remain low.
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The Select Subcommittee Majority members are asking that UMD provide a detailed summary of how it spent its federal COVID-19 relief aid funds and how the university will ensure students do not fall behind while in quarantine.
A spokesperson for Democrats on the House committee did not respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment regarding the newly launched investigation.