Why I Wear a Mask on Campus
| Photo by Mattie Townson on Nov. 22.
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
When I returned to campus on Sept. 3 for the first day of in-person classes, I was alarmed by the scarcity of masks in shared areas. The atmosphere felt as it had in the fall of 2019 — pre-pandemic. I attended all of my classes that Friday and was even more alarmed to see that I was one of (possibly) two masked people in several of my classes. I understand that the administration at King’s is trying to foster pre-COVID-19 sentiments through community engagement and lack of remote events, but what are they sacrificing to do so?
A week before the start of the fall semester, President Gibson sent out an email recommending that students and faculty wear masks and practice social distancing in certain areas on campus. After a year of hybrid learning, remote events, and a summer of naive hopefulness, it should have been alarming to see Gibson suddenly start to recommend these precautions again. However, it seems that very few people took his statements seriously. Not only does the lack of masks, vaccine requirements, and school-sponsored testing create a perfect habitat for major COVID breakouts, it keeps students and staff in a never-ending loop of anxiety. They accomplish the opposite of their task not to live in fear, by subjecting everyone to fear of contraction because there are no proactive protocols in place. King’s is reactive in their response to Covid-19.
While the classrooms are still (somewhat) distanced and have caps on the number of students registered, King’s felt it was wise to host Interregnum in person this year. The only people permitted to attend online were those already quarantined or those who have been remote all semester. Not only were all the events in person, but there was zero distancing and very few masks. According to the TKC COVID tracker, we have had two cases since Saturday — the last day of Interregnum with the largest in-person event of the weekend. Why are we not taking measures to prevent cases?
COVID cases, while not entirely avoidable, can be curtailed. Most schools in New York have taken COVID seriously and have enforced various systems to protect their faculty and students. NYU requires that all faculty be vaccinated, that unvaccinated students get tested through NYU testing services frequently, that masks are always worn inside, and that students comply with random testing regardless of vaccination status. Hunter College, a CUNY school, requires that all students who attend in-person or hybrid to be vaccinated and must verify their status through a vaccination status page. This plan holds people accountable for protecting their community. Faculty who do not want to disclose their status and students with religious and medical exemptions must test every seven days to enter university buildings. Hunter requires masks from all students and faculty, regardless of vaccination status. Union Seminary requires full vaccination for staff and students as well as random testing. Nyack Seminary takes their safety protocols a step further and requires not only full vaccinations but masks in all campus buildings (cite). I would be less concerned if King’s required vaccinations and thus didn’t enforce masks, but neither are currently required.
I understand that most of these decisions are being made in an effort to respect people's “personal liberties.” Many professors and students at King’s have strong opinions they are willing to stand up for. Unfortunately, the covid policy at King’s contrasts greatly with the administration’s efforts to never make statements on issues (i.e., the increase of Asian hate crimes) in an effort to “stay out of politics.” COVID is not a political matter; it affects everyone. For example, the building in which King’s shares elevators has specifically asked students to wear masks while waiting for and inside the elevators. A few days ago, I watched a student walk out of one of the elevators with a mask held loosely—by their hand—up to their mouth. Whatever your personal convictions, that is blatantly disrespectful. The Teacher’s Union is trying to keep its employees safe while working in a communal space and King’s students have decided that they do not care.
Our global community is suffering, yet we are arguing if a piece of fabric covering a portion of one’s face violates our “protected rights.” We have full access to three different types of vaccines for no cost, widely available personal protection equipment, and plenty of remote working resources. Yet, mask-wearing is a hot topic. We are so privileged. It’s disheartening and frustrating to see this up for debate.
Emily Henry is a senior at The King’s College majoring in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.