Our Say: Loss of college student population the latest coronavirus blow for Annapolis | COMMENTARY

The bad news seems to gang up on us some days.

Friday, St. John’s College announced its fall classes at the Annapolis campus would be held remotely as a precaution during the coronavirus pandemic. Its 36-acre campus in the heart of Annapolis will be empty of students this fall.

That’s roughly 500 students whose contributions to the fabric of city life will vanish.

On the same day, the Naval Academy announced the remainder of the Brigade of Midshipmen will join the plebes in returning to Annapolis for classes. But just like the plebes who arrived last month, they’ll be spending almost all their time behind the brick walls surrounding the Yard.

That’s a loss of 5,000 students and their contributions. Just as importantly, visitors won’t be allowed onto the grounds of the academy.

And many of the college events that mark life in a college town, from Navy football games to seniors ringing the bell at McDowell Hall upon completion of their class essays.

Annapolis just got a lot grayer, a little duller and probably a lot poorer.

The impact of this sudden population shift will be felt in a number of ways. Certainly, the economy will contract again.

In a May story, the Wall Street Journal examined the impact of the decision to move to online classes in three college towns last spring. It divided this fallout into three categories: Operations, visitors and student spending.

Operations — civilian payroll and purchasing — could remain strong for the academy but not for St. John’s. The number of visitors, whether parents coming to see their college students or tourists looking to tour the academy, will undoubtedly decline.

Downtown bars and restaurants, already a sector of the economy struggling in the coronavirus recession, will have more reasons for woe as student spending vanishes. Midshipmen are likely to have few if any, days of town leave.

Landlords who specialized in leasing second-floor apartments in buildings to “Johnnies” downtown will find themselves struggling for tenants willing to rent these cut-up spaces that make up a significant portion of affordable housing available in the Historic District.

Less tangibly, but just as importantly, Annapolis will suffer from the loss of vibrancy that thousands of college students contribute to the character of the city.

Because of the cost of renting an apartment in Annapolis — a one-bedroom apartment can cost $1,700 a month — many people in their 20s and 30s choose to live elsewhere, even if they work in Annapolis. The longstanding reluctance by political elements of the city to allow construction of the kind of apartment and condo buildings that attract younger residents is the major contributor to this, but so are the kind of employment opportunities here.

The full impact of this has been masked by virtue of the city’s status as a two-college town.

It’s a common sight to see groups of Mids in summer whites this time of year walking around downtown, taking their business to the movie theaters in Parole or out with parents or sponsors.

St. John’s students are harder to spot in coffee shops, or working behind the counter of a downtown store in a part-time job.

Both mids and Johnnies frequently provide the muscle for volunteer efforts. It’s not clear how civic-minded programs such as the Midshipmen’s Action Group will be affected by the virus restrictions.

We have faith that these two student bodies will return to their normal place in the city life Annapolis, if not in the spring semester than hopefully by fall 2021.

We’re not alone, we think, in wishing they would hurry back.