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I’ve only been on campus once this semester, but from the news reports and the campus emails sent throughout this semester, I don’t know how much sense it made to open up. Yes, it has financially helped many who depend on the campus being open. But for the rest of the university system, it doesn’t seem like it was the best option.

For the freshmen of the university, my heart goes out to all of you. This couldn’t be a stranger way to start off your higher education experience. But what kind of college experience can anyone have between trying to attend class, study and receive testing for COVID-19? I know that seems cold, and maybe I’m looking at it this way because I’m a graduate student and have been out of undergraduate school for a few years, but SU should have gone remote for the entire year. 

There is always more a university can do, but it’s almost impossible to do more than what SU administrators have to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students at this stage of their lives are adults, or at least they are supposed to be. Despite this, these so-called adults are not immune to making extremely poor and downright stupid choices. 

There does not seem to be genuine regard on the students’ part to put others before their own needs. The recent spike in COVID-19 cases due to social gatherings off-campus is purely on the students. If you decide to go to a party or any gathering where social distancing and mask-wearing are not encouraged, an increase in cases is almost inevitable. Common sense says to go to class, stay home and focus on your work. But you’re young, and you don’t believe the rules apply to you, so you don’t follow them.

SU is far from perfect when it comes to returning to campus amid a pandemic. Nonetheless, I applaud the university for even attempting to give it a shot, even if it was a shot in the dark. Students wanted to come, and the university needed its money, so the university opened. 

The results are not surprising, but they are embarrassing. But as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.” If you’re willing to pay to attend college in the middle of a pandemic but disregard your fellow students by not adhering to health guidelines, no one will get to have the complete college experience. 

Camille Daniels is a graduate student in the magazine, newspaper and online journalism program. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at cdaniels@syr.edu.

Published on November 18, 2020 at 9:02 pm