If your first instinct is to go out and party on a Friday or Saturday night at a fraternity house or someone’s apartment, slow down and rethink that decision. Here’s the problem: no one wants to stop having fun when classes aren’t in session.
When I saw with my own eyes that students were partying in frat houses without masks and over ten people were within 20 feet of one another, I was infuriated. Every day, every single student on this campus risks being exposed to COVID-19, and the more actions we take away from being safe, the higher the tendency of students being sent home.
That thought is hard to chew, like a stale piece of bread that’s been sitting above your fridge. At this point, we’re all happy to be back on campus. Having things close to normalcy is great but going all the way back is unsafe and unnecessary.
Organizing a small social gathering with 10 people is perfectly adequate, and sometimes having just one or two friends around outside is even better: you can appreciate each other’s company without having to worry about contamination. If you had the idea that coming back to college would just make everything fix itself, you’ve got another thing coming. Slow down, but don’t stop trying to enjoy your college experience.
Wittenberg has so many things to offer, so please, don’t ruin it for the rest of us. Before going out to a party you heard about, think about the consequences that could arise. If the student body was sent home, seniors could not be able to enjoy their last months on campus. Those in classes with hands-on activities and assignments wouldn’t receive their full academic experience. Amazing campus-wide events like WittFest and W-Day would be cancelled yet again.
I’m not telling you to stop; I’m asking you to slow down.
