Pitt-Johnstown social fraternities and sororities provide students the opportunity to become part of a group which shares common ideals and promotes community service, scholastic excellence,  philanthropic endeavors, as well as opportunities for social activities and leadership development. 

​Currently there are only FOUR registered and recognized social organizations on our campus.  They are listed below.  Any other mention of social organizations at Pitt-Johnstown are unrecognized and are therefore not monitored, supported, or endorsed by The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. 

​Fraternities and sororities regularly sponsor service activities, intramural teams, social events, and educational programs. The groups sponsor academic activities and recognition; the scholastic achievement of members is monitored by the organization.

Phi Sigma Sigma International Fraternity was founded at Hunter College (NY) in 1913, and was established at Pitt-Johnstown in September, 1991. The colors are king blue and gold; the flower is the American Beauty rose; the jewel is the sapphire; and the symbol is the Sphinx. “Aim High” is the sorority motto. Phi Sigma Sigma supports the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation as their philanthropy. The Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation supports school and college readiness. 

Delta Chi Fraternity was founded in 1890 at Cornell University (NY). The fraternity’s colors are red and buff and the official flower is the white carnation. Established in October 1972, Delta Chi was the first national fraternity at Pitt-Johnstown, which has raised funds for the Arthritis Foundation of Johnstown and has sponsored a child in Colombia, South America.

Delta Chi was formed by the brothers of local fraternity Phi Delta Psi. Phi Delta Psi Fraternity was founded in the Winter of 1962, the second local fraternity after Lambd Sigma Rho.  On April 2, 1971, the Brothers of Phi Delta Psi were sworn into the pledge program of Delta Chi. On May 15, 1971, they were fully initiated into the Bond of Delta Chi, twenty-four strong , the Penn State Delta Chi Chapter House. 

Kappa Delta Rho National Fraternity was founded in 1905 at Middlebury College (VT), and the Iota Alpha Chapter was established at Pitt-Johnstown in 1982. The fraternity’s motto is “Honor Above All Things;” its colors are Middlebury blue and Princeton orange; and the flower is the red rose. The chapter’s major philanthropic project is the annual Wallyball Tournament which benefits the Cambria County Chapter of the Easter Seals.

Sigma Tau Gamma National Fraternity was founded on June 28, 1920, at the University of Central Missouri, and the Delta Pi Chapter was founded at Pitt-Johnstown in 2007. The fraternity colors are azure blue and white. The members of Sigma Tau Gamma uphold the six principles of value, learning, leadership, excellence, benefit and integrity in their everyday lives. The national philanthropy of Sigma Tau Gamma is Books for Kids; at a local level, Sigma Tau Gamma raises money for cancer research.

The Delta Pi Chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Johnstown, Pennsylvania was originally established in 1988 with 28 Founding Fathers. It was re-established in 2009 with 16 Refounding Fathers. Over 300 men have been initiated since its inception.

All potential new members to our Greek letter organizations must register to go through the recruitment process.  The recruitment period for Spring 2018 is complete. If you are interested in reaching out to one of our organizations, please connect directly with the contacts below.  

While each organization has a set of specific recruitment standards, the university requires that a student have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average.  Further, students must also have a commitment to the values of the Greek community: leadership, scholarship, service, and brotherhood/sisterhood.

The advancement of the Fraternity/Sorority community at Pitt-Johnstown is also a key value in a potential new member.  Students who would like to be considered for the Fraternity/Sorority community must participate in a potential new member education workshop with the Campus Activities and Engagement Office before they are eligible to accept bids through our system.

​For more information about recruitment, please contact Heather Bloom Hall, Fraternity/Sorority Advisor and the Director of Campus Activities and Engagement at hbh7@pitt.edu.

MICK STINELLI
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette DEC 24, 2021

A food service company this week sued the University of Pittsburgh, alleging the school owed the organization $7 million because sending students home amid the pandemic deprived them of revenue.

After telling the Sodexo company to continue stocking Pitt’s Oakland and Johnstown campuses with food and other inventory despite students leaving campus for the semester in March 2020, the company believed Pitt would compensate them for labor and materials costs of over $5.5 million.
Instead, those costs were incurred without any revenue from the on-campus food service to offset the charges, the lawsuit states.

They are suing Pitt for three counts of breach of contract, plus one count of unjust enrichment. A spokesman from the university declined to comment since the litigation is still pending.
According to the complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court on Thursday, Sodexo also signed a 2017 contract with Pitt to contribute to a renovation fund to improve the dining areas in the Oakland campus. Their contributions would total more than $4.8 million paid in three installments over three years.

But those efforts were halted after Pitt students shifted to online class in the spring of 2020, just as Sodexo was collecting funds for its final payment for the renovation effort.

“Sodexo’s revenue stream and its ability to accrue funds for improvements to UPitt’s dining services was almost entirely dependent on students residing on campus,” the lawsuit reads.

Initially, the university told the company to prepare for the student population to shelter in place. But when everyone was sent away from campus, the agreement between Sodexo and Pitt “was effectively discontinued and fundamentally altered.”

The company also claims the university owes it money for other expenses, such as $75,000 for an equipment fund, $23,186 in catering deposits and $106,198 in maintenance billing.

Sodexo and Pitt have been engaged in a contract since July 2007. The contract expired on June 30, 2020, after Pitt declined to extend the agreement, the suit says.
​
Mick Stinelli: mstinelli@post-gazette.com; 412-263-1869; and on Twitter: @MickStinelli
First Published December 24, 2021, 3:37pmMICK STINELLI
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ferrell and Parting. Luke Trotz, Delta Chi

TROTZ – Luke A., 28, of Ebensburg passed away August 15, 2021 at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.  Born September 12, 1992 in Heart of Mary Villa, Manilla, Phillipines, son of Joseph A. and Patti (Ball) Trotz.  Preceded in death by maternal grandparents, Patrick and Judith Ball and paternal grandparents, Frank and Eleanore Trotz. 

Survived by parents, of Florida;  wife, Samantha E. (Makin) Trotz, to whom he was married August 1, 2020, but had dated for 11 years;  In-laws, Mary and Dale Makin, Colver;  maternal aunt and uncles: Sally A. Ball and Jeffrey (Carleen) Ball, both of Ebensburg, and Gregory (Jeanne Jo) Ball, of Salbury, NC., and paternal aunt and uncle, Frank Trotz and Jolene Komara, both of Johnstown, as well as sisters-in-law Stephanie (Dan) Smith and Sydney Makin, two nephews and numerous cousins. 

Luke was a 2010 graduate of Central Cambria High School, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Class of 2014 and received his Masters Degree from Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh. He was working towards his M.B.A. before his illness.  He was employed by UPJ upon his graduation and joined the faculty of St. Francis University in 2016, where he served as Director of E-Sports, served as Assistant Director of Student Life & Engagement. 

His interests were varied, he loved everything with regards to gaming, enjoyed his involvement in musical theatre during high school, and was always available to his students and his university family. In addition Luke had a love of baseball as he played and coached on numerous teams.  Friends will be received from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Askew-Houser Funeral Homes, Inc., Ebensburg, where a vigil prayer service will be held.  Funeral Mass will be held at the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, Loretto,  on Thursday at 10:00 a.m., Very Rev. Fr. Malachi Van Tassell, T.O.R., celebrant.  Private interment at Lloyd Cemetery, Ebensburg.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Luke’s memory may be made to the Dorothy Day Outreach Center, P.O. Box 600, Loretto, Pa.  15940.     

By Shawn Curtis, scurtis@tribdem.com
Aug 18, 2021

As friends and colleagues recounted memories and shared thoughts about Luke Trotz, first impressions and lasting memories came to mind about as fast as a smile or laugh from him.

Trotz, who was the assistant director of student life and engagement along with serving as the director of esports at St. Francis University, passed away at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday. The 2010 graduate of Central Cambria High School and a 2014 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown was 28. He is survived by his parents Joseph and Patti Trotz, now of Florida, and his wife, Samantha, whom he married in 2020.

His easy-going nature made him a dynamo of positivity, even in highly competitive moments.

“He had a magnetic personality that you wanted to be around,” said Brett Marabito, a teammate of Trotz on multiple youth-league baseball squads and the Berkley Hills Renegades of the AAABA League. “He drew people in because he was always happy. Very few things ever got him down. He was always the one bringing everyone else up. That’s what made him such a great teammate. He was always there to pick people up.”

Marabito, now the assistant principal at Ligonier Valley High School, made note of a prodigious power display from Trotz during their first game together as members of the B.Hale Boilers of the Johnstown Recreation Pony League.

“Our first game in the Pony League, we were playing Ideal Market … Ideal had a really good team that year,” Marabito said. “First game as a 13-year-old, Luke goes out and hits three home runs, and we beat them 15-0. … He set the tone for us that season as far as offense goes. The home run he hit to right-center field at the light pole where the fences meet at the Bandshell. The first time I ever watched him play baseball was three home runs against Ideal Market.”

Josh Day, one of Trotz’s coaches with the Boilers, had a similar first impression a few months before that Johns- town Rec debut.

“I remember the first time we saw him play, we were at (East Taylor-Jackson) watching him play as a 12-year-old,” Day said. “He was looking like a man among boys. They have that tree line out there. He had two home runs in the game we went to see him, and they cleared not just the fence but the tree line behind the fence.”

‘Saw the greater good’When Seth Mason, founder of The Esport Company, was beginning to expand the impact of esports in the region, Trotz was at his side as a high school league was launched this past spring.

Mason noted that Trotz was willing to put in the time for the local high school esports scene on top of his duties coaching the esports team at St. Francis.

“Words can’t explain how important he was to our company and to what we’ve developed across the region in high school esports,” Mason said. “He was someone who was going to the schools. He was positive, impactful and saw the greater good of what we were trying to do.”

Trotz’s involvement in esports also allowed him to coach up one of his former coaches as a team was getting off the ground at Greater Johnstown High School.

“He was a big force behind Greater Johnstown School District having an esports program,” Greater Johnstown Athletic Director Kerry Pfeil, who also coached Trotz at the Pony level, said.

“With me being the athletic director, I had someone to go to every single time that I had a question. I still remember thinking, ‘I coached the kid in Pony League and here I am, he’s teaching all about esports and what it can bring to all of the kids in the school district.’ It’s a pretty cool feeling to be able to work with one of your former players and learn from him.”

Trotz was instrumental in helping launch a dedicated esports facility at St. Francis, but that wasn’t his only concern when in Loretto.

“He just didn’t do esports,” Mason said. “He did Greek life.

“He helped with all of those activities. He truly loved what he was doing and esports made him that kid again. He was involved with a lot of community initiatives and projects in Cambria County.
“He made an impact that’s going to last 50 to 100 years from now.”

That spirit of involvement meant that any time that a hand was needed on campus, Trotz was quick to pick up the phone.

“Luke got it,” said Jim Brazill, the senior associate athletic director at St. Francis. “Luke understood his role to serve the students and he did that with a passion. It didn’t matter if the student was Greek life, an athlete or a member of esports – he wanted them to have a great experience at St. Francis. Anytime athletics hosted a championship in any sport, I could count on Luke being one of the first calls I’d receive.

“He’d say, ‘What do you need from student activities and how do we make this the biggest event on campus?’ ”

While Mason said that Trotz was irreplaceable, he is hoping that The Esport Company can honor him in numerous ways starting with awards and scholarships for players in their high school esports league. Mason said that the Luke Trotz Excellence Award would given to one esport player in The Esport Company’s high school league in both the fall and spring seasons, along with a pair of esports scholarship awards in his name.

‘Cared about team success’His coaches and teammates at the Pony League level quickly saw a great talent on the field, but also learned that Trotz was an MVP in the dugout.

“He was the type of kid who always cared about team success,” Day, who is now the varsity baseball coach at Richland, said. “There were days where even if he didn’t have the best day, he wasn’t going to sit and sulk about it. If he wasn’t having the best day and someone else was, he was picking them up. He was cheering them on.

“If you had teams full of guys like that, you’d never have to worry about chemistry or morale. It would all just happen naturally.”

Pfeil, who is also the baseball coach at Greater Johnstown, shared similar thoughts.

“He had a loyalty for who played for, who he represented and his teammates above everything,” Pfeil said. “When it came to competition, he was a die-hard to win, but he wanted to do things the right way.”

As Marabito and Trotz grew older, they were able to link up once more as teammates when the Berkeley Hills Renegades of the then-AAABA League needed to fill out their roster as they claimed the local title and represented Johnstown as its champion in the 2012 AAABA Tournament.

“We were able to share eight championships together,” Marabito said. “That stands out the most, because coming into AAABA, Luke didn’t get a shot with anybody coming out of high school and the Colt League. It took a couple of years to latch on, and whenever Larry McCabe became (manager) of the Renegades, we needed a local guy who could be reliable, be at games and play a few roles for us.

“Being two local guys, we didn’t play for Martella’s, we didn’t play for Delweld. It was that much more special for him and I both to make the AAABA Tournament together.”

Despite having not played for two seasons thanks to an injury suffered during his freshman year at Capital University, Trotz was eager to help when called.

As Marabito explained, it was his nature.

“He put the needs of others above his own so many times,” Marabito said. “That alone tells you the type of person that he was. He was a great son to his parents, and they absolutely adored him. He did everything he could to make them proud.

“He was a great husband to his wife, Sam.”

‘A big kid at heart’While Trotz wasn’t a professional gamer, he was able to collect numerous accolades in online play on titles such as “Halo 2,” “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,” “Overwatch” and “Rocket League.”

He’d never pass up an opportunity to get a game started among friends.

“When we’d go to the facility at St. Francis, he’d always hop on a game with us and play,” Mason said. “He was kind of a big kid at heart. There was definitely a family-first mentality with Luke.”
The penchant for play did not mean that Trotz wouldn’t roll up his sleeves when needed.

Mason recalled that Trotz was one of the first to connect with him as Mason began his esport venture in 2018.

“He took me under his wing and trusted me to succeed when nobody else would hear me or the idea of what I was trying to do,” Mason said.

According to Pfeil, Trotz was always ready with open arms, regardless of the situation.
“Luke Trotz was welcoming,” Pfeil said. “He wanted everyone to feel included in whatever activity or event that he was partaking in.”
​
Shawn Curtis is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5085. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnCurtis430.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020, University Times

Editor’s note: This new series shines a spotlight on Pitt staff who are going above and beyond during the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
​
By MARTY LEVINE

When Pitt decided students shouldn’t stay on campus after spring break, Karen Barrick was on the frontlines as Pitt–Johnstown’s housing coordinator.

“It was quite an experience — one I really don’t want to repeat,” she says.

Quickly, she and her colleagues — her boss, Bob Knipple, executive director of housing and dining services; Judy McGuirk, meal plan coordinator; and Willie Myers of the ID center — created new express checkout procedures, with envelopes to put under everyone’s door to collect mail and room keys as the students packed up and left.

Barrick and her colleagues were “trying to do it in a way that was easy for them but not have a lot of contact” with each other or campus staff, she recalls.

Some students were never able to return after spring break; this fall they will find their belongings locked in their rooms. Those students who had to remain on campus were consolidated into two buildings.

“We wanted them kind of centralized, which was more for their protection,” Barrick says. Some resident assistants volunteered to stay as well, and would frequently text students to find out how they were doing.

After moving her office to her kitchen table, “I must have answered a hundred emails in a day,” she recalls. Parents were calling — many, many parents. “A lot of them were questioning, ‘What are you going to do?’ ” before there were official answers about the moving-out process and partial refunds.
“I can understand, as a parent you need answers. Even if we send emails to students, they tend not to tell their parents about them.” The team’s aim was to do “anything we could do to make them feel better about the whole process … which no one was feeling well about.”

“It was … interesting,” says the 15-year Pitt employee, “but we got through it.”

Suite-style traditional dorm rooms are only one rooming choice for Johnstown’s 1,600 resident students. They can choose from townhouses and apartments that hold four to five people; the campus’ living-learning center with double-occupancy rooms; lodges that hold eight to 16 for fraternities and sororities; two- and four-person apartments; and Willow Hall, which is popular with seniors, holding four to five per suite, but with individual bedrooms.

Move-out wasn’t simple. Nor was calculating the specific refund, which Barrick handled, or the even-more-variable meal-plan refund, which Knipple handled.

In March, Barrick was in the middle of re-contracting the 800 returning students for fall housing, which is usually done February through April. Using software called Mercury, built to handle college housing tasks, she normally creates templates for student housing applications and teaches resident assistants how to use Mercury for their own duties. She also helps to assign rooms and roommates.
“Our job is to make the students as comfortable and happy as we can because that’s their home for nine months,” Barrick says. “Sometimes you can’t please everybody, but I feel our job is to keep the students calm and happy so that they can study because if they’re having roommate conflicts, they won’t be able to study.”

Now, in May, new students are just putting in their housing applications for the fall, to be decided by July. Of course, she is still working at home, “with my two co-workers, a cat and a dog,” while her husband Fred, a lead assembler for Lockheed Martin, is still working outside the home.

She is looking forward most to returning to campus and “seeing everyone. Zoom meetings are nice, but there is something about personal camaraderie and talking to people in the same room. We’re a pretty close-knit department.”
​
Marty Levine is a staff writer for the University Times. Reach him at martyl@pitt.edu or 412-758-4859.

In order to help protect students and keep a safe environment during COVID-19 for the remainder of the semester, a shelter-in-place order has been implemented at Pitt-Johnstown.

The shelter-in-order was implemented at all Pitt regional campuses beginning April 16 at 7 am.
According to Student Affairs vice president Chris Stumpf, students should only leave their rooms or apartments when necessary.

He said Pitt-Johnstown gets its guidance from the COVID Medical Response office in Pittsburgh.
“ During the shelter-in-place period, you should only leave your room or apartment to attend classes, labs, internships, or clinicals in-person; pick up food; exercise safely (the Wellness Center will be open regular hours with smaller capacity limits); work when necessary; and shop for essentials and medical needs,” he said.

“Campus computer labs will be open during shelter-in-place. Getting tested for COVID-19 or receiving a vaccine are considered essential activities and are approved reasons to leave your residences. Group work for classes should be done virtually.”

No visitors are permitted in residence facilities during shelter-in-place and no gatherings are permitted.

The only exception to the no visitors rule is move-out day for students. One guest may help a student move out, but all safety protocols must be followed.

Stumpf said campus dining will remain open, but for takeout only and from PJ’s and orders will need to be placed via the Boost app for the Tuck Shop/Pitt Stop.

In an email sent out to students from the COVID-19 Medical Response Office, the shelter-in-place order was implemented in an effort to minimize the risk of viral transmission maximize the health and safety of students, staff and faculty.

The email said that even if a student has been fully vaccinated or diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last three months, the student is still asked to shelter-in-place.
​
Face coverings are still required on campus as well as social distancing and maintaining proper hand hygiene.

Pitt-Johnstown started in-person classes and labs this week.

Academic Affairs Vice President Janet Grady said, “In general, instruction, including labs, is accomplished in accordance with the Flex and Pitt model and the University of Pittsburgh CoVID-19 Standards and Guidelines for Instruction. These guidelines set forth the safety protocols for in-person classroom and lab experiences.

“This semester, some labs in various academic divisions may be in person, and others may be held remotely. Those that are in-person will comply with all CoVID-19 Standards and Guidelines.

“Most of us prefer in-person classes and labs, and we are hopeful for the day when that will be the norm again on college campuses.

“However, for the time being, many Pitt Johnstown instructors have worked hard to design lab activities that are effective learning experiences even when done remotely,” Grady said.

Natural Science division chair Steven Stern said, “Our lab capacities have been determined by an outside contractor and set aside ample room for each student. Masks are required as they are for all activities on campus. Social distancing when engaged in lab activities is mandated.

“Faculty are not permitted to punish students in any way, shape, or form for choosing to learn from home during the COVID crisis. In the Natural Sciences Division, this is taken with complete seriousness, and I’ve had no reports from students concerning faculty who have been disagreeable about this.

“Although no one at a school like ours would tell you than taking a lab online is optimal, all of our faculty who teach labs have taken the challenge to heart and are doing their best to keep up their instruction. I’m really impressed with their efforts.

“If we all work together, we can educate and become educated. This semester, I am pleased to see more of my students showing their faces during my Zoom classes and participating more actively.
“I am taking my student comments on the OMET evaluations from last semester seriously and doing my best to engage my students in the material.

“The silver lining to COVID and university education is that faculty are learning different ways of engaging students and using technology to their full advantage. Many valuable lessons just might stick with us when most students and faculty return to the classroom in the near future,” Stern said.
Engineering division chair Jerry Samples said, “We are following the University of Pittsburgh COVID-19 Standards and Guidelines. We have an Activity Area Plan that discusses the rules we will follow. All of the labs have been measured and class sizes reduced. Everyone wears a mask and equipment is cleaned after use by each group.

“Some of the students will be attending the lab remotely. Most of the instructors have devised plans to handle these situations. In some cases all the labs are remote, so everyone is doing the same work.

“In some cases, the labs have some remote and some in person. Instructors have devised a plan whereby those that are remote have different tasks – at the same level – than those who attend. We do not punish students for exercising their option to stay home.

“This is all very challenging for all of us, students and faculty alike. We want to ensure that students get the same quality education that they get when attending in person.
​
“That requires work by faculty and students. If either does not execute their responsibilities, then things are missed. We are trying to eliminate any negative impacts on learning,” Samples said.

“Some benefits include easy accessibility for club officers and advisers and the ability to add information as needed to the online submission DropBox.

“There is also the ability for the allocations committee and club and organization members to work closely with one another online if there is not an opportunity to meet in person due to scheduling conflicts. 

“Along with these other benefits, this online format takes out the possibility for human error with the transfer of paper documents. 

 “Budgets in the past have typically been composed of many pages which leads to the chance of papers being misplaced or rearranged upon transportation from one location to another.

 “This decision was made by the allocations committee of the Student Government Association along with the help of our adviser, Heather Hall. 

“This process was carefully orchestrated in order to provide a positive experience for all clubs and organizations on campus.” Albert said.

According to Student Government Association Vice President Tessa Fry, the budgeting process is to remain the same with the exception of the online submission feature.

“The process is now just simpler and more user friendly. 
 
This is the first year for this type of budgeting program.” Fry said.

Student organization members are to be assigned a Student Government Association representative from the allocations committee for information and additional budgeting assistance.

Budgets are to be turned in through the online DropBox by Feb. 14. 

Late budgets are to be accepted through Feb. 17 with a 50% allocations cut.
​
Pitt-Johnstown Activities and Engagement Director Heather Hall did not respond for comment.

The first day of in-person classes is set to be Feb. 1, according to Assistant Academic Affairs Vice President Dr. Kilpatrick.

“We are starting the semester under the Elevated Risk posture, just as we ended the fall semester, which means that students can attend classes in person if they wish.

“As in the fall, we are using the Flex at the Pitt hybrid learning model, so students can also choose to attend classes remotely.

“Classes will be remote for all students until after resident students move back to campus, so the first day of in-person classes will be Feb. 1.

“Please continue to mask, social distance, and practice good habits for your health and safety.” Kilpatrick said.

According to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown website, the acting Elevated Risk posture means that instruction in person is permitted, except for large lectures.

Campus housing is open with virus mitigation and isolation interventions in place. Some shared spaces are open, and gatherings are capped at 25 people.

Pitt’s operational postures define what is allowable across people, places and programs.

While all of the operational postures meet the minimum requirements provided by the counties and state, they are customized by operational posture based on factors unique to the University.
​
This includes cases on campus, adherence to health and safety guidelines and availability of personal protective equipment and isolation beds.

Common Application reports declines of 8 percent. Applications for first-generation students and those eligible for fee waivers are down 16 percent.
​
By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed,  November 16, 2020
​

The Common Application received 8 percent fewer applications through Nov. 2 compared to last year, and 60 percent of its 921 members were reporting application declines.

Applications from first-generation students and those eligible for application fee waivers were down 16 percent.

Those figures are from an update that Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of the Common App, recently provided to members.

It is of course true that -- aside from early-decision and early-action deadlines -- most application deadlines haven't yet occurred. And the Common App notes that many colleges moved deadlines back by one or two weeks, typically to Nov. 15 or 16.

Still, last year, 57 percent of applicants had submitted at least one application by Nov. 2, and 37 percent of all applications had been submitted by that date.

The Common App started primarily as a tool for liberal arts colleges, but it has expanded significantly to public higher education and larger institutions.

In an interview, Rickard said that she was particularly concerned about the figures for first-generation and low-income students. She hopes educators will redouble efforts to "support them in the process."

Numerous studies have shown that first-generation, Black and Latinx students are not enrolling this year at the same levels as white and Asian students.

Rickard said the Common App was working to analyze the data in the hope of offering colleges advice and ideas.

One of the things the Common App is examining is the role of standardized testing requirements. A majority of colleges are not requiring applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores this year, as so many students have reported that it is impossible for them to register for and take the tests even once, let alone more than once.

Colleges that are not requiring test scores "experienced stronger first-year application volume through November 2," Rickard's letter said. (Florida's public universities, which require the SAT or ACT, are experiencing a decline of up to 50 percent in applications.)

On application fees, 22 institutions dropped their application fees for first-year international students in 2020, and application volume at those institutions rose nearly 29 percent. Institutions that introduced fees for this population experienced a nearly 12 percent decline in application volume for international students through Nov. 2.

Other findings:

• Colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest regions experienced the largest declines in application volume, each down 14 percent.
• Colleges in the West saw a 10 percent increase in applications relative to 2019.
• First-year application declines were mostly consistent among members across enrollment size, with the exception of those with the smallest enrollments (fewer than 1,000), which were down substantially more, at a loss of 14 percent.
• Public four-year institutions saw an 11 percent drop relative to 2019, while private four-year institutions saw a smaller (5 percent) fall in volume over the same period.

One group experiencing positive results is historically Black colleges and universities, which are seeing a 2.4 percent increase. Many HBCUs have been getting high student compliance with social distancing and mask wearing and are reporting lower coronavirus infection rates.

The Coalition for College is a competitor to the Common App and has more than 100 members, most of them also members of the Common App.

A spokeswoman for the Coalition said via email, "While some member institutions are seeing an increase in applications, numbers are trending downward so far over all. Nationally, [Free Application for Federal Student Aid] completions are running about 16 percent behind last year’s completions at this time, and lagging further behind for students from Title I-eligible high schools and high schools with higher percentages of students of color. We know that the pandemic is impacting students’ current and future plans in significant ways, and we’re continuing to work as a Coalition on outreach and engagement with students who are especially at risk, and creating and refining tools, including our application, that aim to remove barriers."

Angel B. Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said the numbers from the Common App indicate that "institutions that are seeing success in application numbers thus far are those that worked hard to put students at the center of the process and remove barriers." For instance, he said the data show "that institutions that did not remove the testing requirement are seeing fewer applications, and particularly from marginalized populations. Institutions still have time to consider ways to simplify the process for applicants."

He said it was important to remember that "simplification does not mean a lack of attention to academic rigor -- these two are not mutually exclusive." Pérez said, "This is a time for institutions to ask themselves, 'What do we really need to make informed decisions about student's ability to succeed?'"

Pérez also said it was important to look at FAFSA completion rates, which have been falling. "This will create serious challenges this winter when schools are running their econometric models to figure out how much money they need to disburse in financial aid to meet enrollment targets," he said. "A strategic focus on creating FAFSA completion campaigns will be critical to success this year."
​
In the end, Pérez said, it is important to convince everyone at a college to help in the recruitment process. "When I sat in the chief enrollment chair, I always reminded my institution that it takes a village to enroll a class," he said. "It's never been more important to call upon the entire community to help recruit the class. Students, staff, faculty, trustees, alumni and parents can make a significant difference this year. Every constituency should be a cheerleader for the institution, not just the admissions office."