The coronavirus pandemic is reshaping the most basic aspects of social life at college — playing Cards Against Humanity in the common room with a few friends, or going off campus for beer pong and dance parties. Now, most activities involving non-roommates are forbidden fruit, limited by area universities to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The penalties are big — being kicked out of student housing, barred from campus, and unable to take fall classes at some universities.

But some experts now say that those measures could be counterproductive, causing students to clam up about symptoms or where they had spent time if they become ill. 

Students who host or attend on- or off-campus gatherings of more than 25 people will face suspension for the remainder of fall semester, Boston University’s dean of students, Kenneth Elmore, announced in an email to students Monday.

At Northeastern, more than 100 incoming freshmen who responded affirmatively to a poll on the Northeastern Class of 2024 Instagram account (some in jest) about attending parties this fall received an email from the university warning them of consequences if they fail to follow social distancing restrictions. Organizers of parties have been told they will face consequences if they don’t cancel the gatherings.

Students at Northeastern must sign a “Expectations for Return to Campus Attestation,” an agreement required of all students returning to the campus. If students don’t adhere to the rules, their offers of admission will be rescinded. Students are also asked to sign an agreement to practice social distancing, take coronavirus tests, and wear masks. 

At Boston University, a similar agreement was pushed at undergraduates, graduate students, and even faculty, with the latter at risk of losing their jobs if they break the rules. The latter two groups are protesting those harsh punishments.

At Emerson College, guidelines say that students not following COVID-related policies “will be subject to sanctions up to and including suspension from housing, suspension from the college, and separation from the college.”

Across the country, there have already been known incidents of students not taking COVID rules seriously. But should the penalties be so extreme? And might the threat of those penalties undermine the very cause they aim to further?

Julia Marcus, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, thinks so. “Policing of students on social media and in-person is counterproductive and will hamper public health efforts.” she told “Greater Boston” host Adam Reilly. “Expectations for student behavior are largely unrealistic right now,” said Marcus, pointing to things like requiring students close their doors at all times when they’re in their dorm rooms.  

What officials don’t want, she said, is students being reluctant to disclose COVID-19 symptoms or an event they attended out of fear of being kicked off campus. Knowing where and when students interacted with each other in large groups is integral to maintaining effective contact tracing and keeping the infection rate low.

Norman Siegel, a civil liberties lawyer, told the New York Times that it is unfair of colleges, which invited students back to campus, to punish nonconforming behavior too harshly.  

He said the institutions have a responsibility to persuade students to put public health above the desire to get into large group settings. “If they don’t set that up, they can’t transfer the problem to teenagers,” Siegel said.

Proactive measures like testing that covers the entire student body should be conducted every 72 hours, Marcus said. “That’s a tall order, but that seems to be what needs to be in place to contain the spread,” she said. 

At BU, five testing sites are set up with the plan to process 6,000 to 8,000 tests a day. The university invited its 22,000 students back to campus, but it’s unclear at this point how many plan to return for in-person learning.

SARAH BETANCOURT

FROM COMMONWEALTH

A survey of Greater Boston employers indicates the “new normal” will be very different, with nearly half of workers working remotely. 

Angela Menino endorses Joe Kennedy III even though it was Kennedy’s opponent, Ed Markey, who last week called for a statue of her husband, late Boston mayor Tom Menino, to be erected. “I know my husband would have stood with Joe,” she said.

New research shows promising academic results with early college programs.

A state judge blocks an attempt by two landlords to end the ongoing eviction moratorium.

Opinion: Paul DeBole of Lasell University runs the numbers and finds casino slot revenues at reopened casinos off to a strong start….Elizabeth Turnbull Henry of the Environmental League of Massachusetts says New England needs to go all in on offshore wind development.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

BEACON HILL

Advocates declared that now was the moment for real change when police reform legislation passed by the House and Senate, but weeks have gone by without a bill emerging from a conference committee trying to settle differences between bills approved by each chamber. (Boston Globe)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

Local officials weigh in on the state’s new COVID enforcement team. (WGBH)

The parent company of South Shore Hospital may be looking for a merger. (Boston Globe)

Telehealth business is taking off. (Boston Globe)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

The Wisconsin Department of Justice identified Rusten Sheskey as the Keosha police officer who fired seven shots into the back of Jacob Blake. The agency said Blake had a knife in his possession. (NPR)

Led by NBA teams, strikes and boycotts are rippling through the WNBA, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer in response to systemic racism and police violence. (New York Times) 

The Brockton family of Sergeant Elder Fernandes, a 23-year-old soldier whose body was found hanging from a tree 25 miles from Fort Hood in Texas where he was stationed, says they’ve received few answers from the military about his death. (Boston Globe) The leadership at the base created an environment that led to the death of Fernandes, his family’s attorney said. (The Enterprise) 

ELECTIONS

Vice President Mike Pence and other speakers sent a law-and-order message at the third night of the Republican National Convention. (New York Times)

The Republican endorses incumbent Rep. Richard Neal over Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, citing Neal’s crafting of the CARES Act, a federal stimulus package that has supported millions of unemployed Americans. Morse has said he would have voted against the package. The publication also takes issue with Morse accusing media organizations that reported on his alleged inappropriate sexual relationships of being homophobic. Gov. Charlie Baker makes a rare cross-party endorsement and throws his support behind Neal in the Democratic primary. 

In a powerfully laid out narrative, Globe editorial writer Alan Wirzbick explains why Ed Markey, who is now leading the fight against climate change, was very much part of the effort that helped accelerate it. (Boston Globe) Three new polls show Markey leading primary challenger Joe Kennedy by margins of 7 to 12 points. (Boston Globe)

The Salem News, Eagle-Tribune, and Gloucester Times endorse Markey for Senate. “We believe Democrats should stick with Markey and his decades of experience,” the editorial said. Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards says she identifies more with Markey’s humble roots than Kennedy’s privileged background. (Boston Herald)

Wellesley businessman Chris Zannetos becomes the second candidate to drop out of the crowded Democratic primary in the Fourth Congressional District and endorse Jesse Mermell, who is seen as one of the leading contenders in the race. (Boston Herald) 

The Boston Globe, which has yet to offer an endorsement in several congressional primaries, throws its support behind civil rights lawyer Gretchen Van Ness in her Democratic primary race against former Boston city councilor Rob Consalvo for an open state representative seat covering parts of Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury.  

Like it or leave it: The five immigrants sworn in as US citizens during the second night of the Republican Convention were only told minutes beforehand that President Trump would attend their swearing-in, and they were not told that it would part of the Republican convention. (Wall Street Journal)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

The Catholic Church pays $1.4 million to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit brought by 11 children who attended St. Mary’s School in Lawrence in the 1970s. (Eagle-Tribune)

The state gambling commission will consider new oversight measures today in response to an enormous party held at the Encore Boston Harbor casino in violation of state coronavirus guidelines. (Boston Globe)

The policy for a Westport town beach pass is a burdensome process and a punishment to “poor people,” according to Selectman Brian Valcourt. (Standard-Times)

EDUCATION

North Carolina State University begins moving students out of dorms after the COVID-19 situation became untenable. (News & Observer)

Braintree students will return to school under a hybrid model of in-person and remote classes. (Patriot Ledger) 

ARTS/CULTURE

The Rockport Art Association & Museum is putting on an exhibit of “postal art” featuring nearly 150 entries after the museum put out a quarantine call for people to submit small works of art on postcards. (Gloucester Daily Times)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

A coalition is focused on pushing New England state legislatures and governors to make commitments by 2022 to offshore wind farms that could provide for one third of the region’s power needs. (Cape Cod Times)

PASSINGS

Former Springfield mayor William Sullivan, who lived at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in recent years, dies at 96. (MassLive)