BY OLIVIA MURRAY
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
Though plans circulating on social media for a peaceful protest over what some students believe are inconsistent and bewildering COVID-19 policies put forth by West Virginia University didn’t come to fruition last week, many attending West Virginia University say they still have strong feelings on the subject.
In light of WVU’s initial decision to bring students back to campus for the fall semester, then promptly redirecting them to online instruction only a week later, some students say they have faced a great deal of confusion in determining how they should approach the remainder of the semester.
And with students suspended for violation of COVID-19 procedures, house parties still being held in Morgantown, and reportedly frustrated enrollees, WVU is facing a backlash from members of its student body regarding what some call inconsistency.
Many point out, the blame doesn’t land solely on the university’s shoulders. Students have a role to play, too.
In the original call to action on social media, the poster wrote, “West Virginia University has told us education is most important; yet we’re being pulled out of in-person classes without reimbursement. West Virginia University has told us we’re not allowed to go to bars; yet they encourage us to go to Up All Night.”
The post said emails were received forbidding large gatherings at bars, but there have been no repercussions when groups of freshmen stand outside residence halls. Plus, if someone in a fraternity or sorority gets COVID-19, then the entire house gets the virus, the whole house must quarantine, but those students living in residence halls do not.
Haley Reynolds, an elementary education major from Maryland, said she sees room for improvement in the university’s response to the pandemic.
“I think the way that [the university] has handled COVID-19 from the beginning has been far from correct. They should have lowered costs and been all online from the start. Preserving the ‘freshman experience’ should never outweigh preserving the lives of all of their students.”
Raul Echevarria, a political science major from Easton, Pa., said she thinks money has been more of a deciding factor than safety.
“I personally believe that the school is solely concerned about its revenue instead of the safety of the student body. The amount of students that have tested positive for the virus, along with the amount of people who have been exposed, shows that the school should have never allowed for on-site classes.”
Desiree Regillo, of Mannington, is a WVU alum who received her degree in sport and exercise psychology. She said she understands the frustration of those in school right now.
Though, to be fair, she said, it isn’t only the university who’s at fault.
“I understand how students would feel frustrated that WVU essentially brought them [into] an unsafe environment just to send them back home. … However, there were also several students who chose to party and go out to bars knowing that it is not safe to do so. WVU and students are both accountable for what is taking place now.”
Daphne Carroll, a marketing major from Kingwood, said she kept her expectations for this semester in check from the start.
“I think I’m like a lot of students who packed especially light for college this year. Everyone, the university included, knows that WVU is a school where partying is almost as important to the culture as the school itself, and our culture isn’t going to change because of a global pandemic. Expecting college students to follow these rules and constantly wear masks when the country can’t get its citizens to [do so] is ridiculous. I think it’s reasonable for students of WVU to be upset that the university has put their health on the line by returning to in-person classes.”
Kerrigan Hawthorne, a communication studies major from Kingwood, said she believes WVU is trying to keep things as safe as possible, but is likely fighting an uphill battle.
“I feel like the college is trying to keep people safe, but the students that don’t follow the COVID-19 guidelines, go to big parties and don’t wear masks, make it hard for everyone. Although, the college is responsible in the end for not being stricter about their rules.
“Suspending people was a good step in the right direction, but people will break the rules anyway, so it’s almost like a losing battle however you look at it.”
Hayley Leggett, a nursing major from Barboursville, said it would have been better to keep things online from the get-go, given the uncertainty of the situation. She added, that students who don’t follow the rules have only themselves to blame for the current rise in cases.
“In my opinion, I do not think that we should have come back in general. However, since we did, I think that if students followed the COVID-19 guidelines, then we wouldn’t be in [a position] for WVU to go back online for weeks.”
Chris Collora, a pre-business major from Levittown, Pa., said the university’s heart seems to be in the right place — but the planning could have been better. And, like others, Collora pointed out students had some responsibility to make it work, too.
“I believe the university has good intentions, but its implementation isn’t the greatest. The bars and Up All Night is a good example of a double standard by the university,” Collara said.
“I think lowered tuition would make sense, as we are now getting an online education. However, I don’t believe that we should complain about this. We all knew coming back to school [that] it would be mostly online and eventually be all online, as cases got inflated. We cared more about being back in Morgantown than what type of education we received. So I think those complaints fall on deaf ears for a lot of people.”
Kiya Dagg, an acting major from Shepherdstown, said it’s complicated — and there’s no one direction in which fingers can and should be pointed.
“This is hard … because there is not one person that you can place the blame on in this situation,” Dagg said.
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