The University of Alabama published an update to their COVID-19 dashboard, showing that across their schools they have 566 positive COVID-19 tests.

On their main campus alone, there are 531 positive cases. The campus had its first day of classes only five days ago.

That is a massive spike in cases that may continue to spread.

In early July, the university addressed rumors of "COVID Parties," which are exactly what you expect them to be, parties in which people gather to see who will get the virus.

It was reported that Alabama students were throwing these parties and attending them. And yet in their statement, the university said, "Our students want a return to on-campus instruction and the extracurricular opportunities they enjoy, and we fully expect them to safeguard their personal health and safety and that of everyone at the university and in our city."

More than 560 cases later, and it seems evident that the students have not safeguarded their health and safety.

Yet even amid this jarring time the university is facing, UA President Stuart Bell said, "Our challenge is not the students. Our challenge is the virus and there's a difference, folks."

In Tuscaloosa, where the university is located, bars have begun to shut down for two weeks to help stop the spread of the virus.

The university is doing a bad job preventing the spread of the virus. Reopening the campus to normal operations in the midst of a pandemic was misguided, but not gauging the situation appropriately when more than a month before students were engaging in sketchy behavior was foolish.

In a tweet, the university quoted Stuart Bell saying, "The goal of all of these protocols is to keep our students on campus, and allow our classes to be delivered in that way, and by doing that we're able to flatten this curve and move forward in our semester."

But it is clear that the university is doing anything but flattening the curve.