While university policies and protocols have shifted this semester regarding COVID-19, the virus remains a threat to student health. University health officials recommend staying up to date on vaccinations to combat the continued spread of COVID-19.
Just as students began moving into their apartments and dorms, the university announced its first monkeypox case on campus. As the university deals with the threat of monkeypox on campus, it continues to try to keep COVID-19 cases at bay with a limited mask requirement for the first two weeks of the semester.
This year’s UDance event was in person and maskless for the first time in two years, and the atmosphere reflected the excitement and energy of the culmination of students’ hard work fundraising.
Though the events offered this school year have now essentially returned to what they looked like before the pandemic, upperclassmen are still dealing with the effects of missing out on so many events.
While the university needs to maintain COVID-19 safety measures in place, we believe that a robust educational experience at the university is still needlessly being hindered by the pandemic.
Of course, it is in our best interest to mask up in order to protect ourselves against COVID-19, but disposable masks have become ruinous to the environment.
The university is a microcosm of the United States’ evolving ideas about COVID-19, and as we begin to return to normal, there is hope that our country might soon do the same.
