We are almost two months into the Fall 2021 semester here at Saint Xavier University and COVID-19 protocols continue to evolve on campus.
As per the executive order of Governor J.B. Pritzker, students and educators are now required to wear masks and receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Universities and colleges in Illinois are now modifying their protocols on campus to ensure overall health and safety due to Pritzker’s order.
Because of the executive order, SXU requires students, staff and faculty to swipe their cougar cards in order to gain access to buildings. Everyone is required to wear their masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.
These protocols are meant to keep the community of SXU safe, but what if their own people are not doing their part to stop the spread?
Dean of Students, Katy Thompson stated via email, “ All students will be required to carry their Cougar Card at all times for access into every University building 24/7. Each student should tap for access, and students should not hold the door for others.”
Unfortunately, Thompson’s suggestion for not holding the door open for others is not being taken seriously enough by students.
There have been numerous occasions where swarms of students enter a building with simply one cougar card tap. Holding the door open for someone is common around campus, therefore this new regulation has been putting students to the ultimate test.
The door holding protocol has been a major issue at the Visual Arts Center (VAC). A member of The Xavierite Editorial board has witnessed numerous instances in which students swipe their own cards and allow multiple students in at a time.
One student even tapped their card and allowed a student to enter the building before they even did. We have a major problem.
A member of the Xavierite Editorial board stated, “I don’t want to just slam the door and be like, sorry, swipe your own card, but I also know that me letting them in isn’t helping so it really does put us all in bad and awkward positions.”
There have been other situations witnessed by members of The Xavierite Editorial Board where various unvaccinated students roam around campus indoors, without their masks on and comfortably expressing their vaccination status to others. Where do we all stand then? If we’re not helping each other then where are we headed as a community?
A member of The Xavierite Editorial board has witnessed students not wearing masks in the classroom, which has caused immediate discomfort. They stated, “It’s already uncomfortable being crammed in a classroom with thirty plus students, and when some of them aren’t even wearing their masks, it’s absolutely infuriating! The school needs to do something about this.”
Students, staff, and faculty will not have access to buildings on campus if they are not complicit with weekly COVID-19 testing, or if they are unvaccinated. Read SXU’s Campus Plan for Fall 2021 for further updates and details.
The community of SXU needs to do better, if we don’t do our part in keeping one another safe we will only delay the length of this pandemic.