‘Do your part’: Ways to stay safe on campus
Jenna Peterson ® News Editor |
Photo by Mansoor Ahmad ® Photo Editor |
Many colleges around the country are transitioning back to online modes after just a few weeks of campuses being open.
Minnesota State University Student Senate President Andrew Trenne, however, is optimistic about MNSU’s situation.
“We could be like other schools and close up and go online,” Trenne said, “or we can be the only college in the country who will be lucky to be in person.”
The campus is following a chart of safety levels in order to figure out if and when students need to completely go back online. Before classes started Monday, the school was at the green level, where transmission levels are seen as manageable.
After just one day of classes, though, MNSU’s level was changed to yellow level, where transmission levels are beginning to tax campus resources.
The next two stages, if things get worse, are orange (with transmission levels having further depleted or exhausted institutional resources), and red (with transmission levels having significantly depleted institutional resources and causing campus to completely close).
Trenne believes if students follow the protocol the campus will be able to keep COVID cases relatively low.
A few days before the fall semester began, Trenne sent out an email to all students to discuss precautions that should be taken in order to keep campus open. In the email, he expressed the importance of all students doing their part to keep the campus healthy. He also gave examples of how they can do so.
Some of these rules include filling out the self-screening test before coming to campus, practicing social distancing at all times and wearing a face mask.
Trenne’s motto for tackling the COVID possibilities on campus is, “Do your part.” This shows faculty and students that the biggest way we all can prevent an increase in cases — and get back to normal — is by everyone following the rules set in place.
“We want to do anything big or small to stay on campus and not transition back online,” He said.
He noted how students want to have “the college experience,” but in order to have that there needs to be a safe environment. While there are scheduled events for the school year, it’s ultimately up to the campus community if those events and activities will take place.
While there isn’t a set plan for the spring semester yet, the MNSU will closely monitor the number of cases to help make a decision later on.