By Mackenzie Nolan, Contributing writer
Students at St. Bonaventure were itching for some normalcy this week. Wearing masks everywhere they went, besides their housing and restrooms, sanitizing the desks after use and practicing social distancing have become daily tasks in their everyday lives. Yet, it still feels unusual despite how long the coronavirus pandemic has existed.
“It has been extremely difficult to go from a disappointing senior year in high school to my freshman year of college with a mask on my face. I don’t even know what most of the people I’ve met fully look like!” said Alexa Martinos, a freshman physical education major.
St. Bonaventure provided all incoming freshmen with two surgical masks and a personalized gaiter with the Bonnies logo on it. Many students forget to cut the strings off their surgical masks before disposing of them, and it has led to an environmental issue.
Masks are now an additional pollutant of the environment on top of the plastic, aluminum and other pieces of non-biodegradable trash humans fail to recycle.
Although masks are not recyclable, it is extremely important to cut the strings off masks because they can damage wildlife. The masks can get caught on a bird’s foot or accidentally consumed by an animal who has mistaken the mask for food.
Students should strongly consider masks that are reusable and washable such as a bandana, a gaitor or a poly-cotton mask. These masks are also washable which results in a lack of pollution to the environment. Reusable masks also increase the local mask supply for our healthcare workers, if the mask-shortage strikes again.
While many other schools continue to shut down because of the rapid spread of COVID-19, such as the University of North Carolina, Notre Dame, SUNY Oneonta and Gettysburg College, several students and staff at St. Bonaventure University are doing everything in their power to keep everyone on campus. Many students agree they are more successful at in-person lessons rather than virtual learning.
“I strongly value personal connections with all my professors. It gives me a purpose to be in the class beyond just achieving the degree,” said Griffin Witte, a sophomore physical education major.
Additionally, President Donald Trump recently announced that the vaccine for COVID-19 will potentially be released by October by “Operation Warp Speed,” a program that is part of his administration in which he takes “public-private partnership” with. This vaccine may be required for all civilians to take.
In the meantime, let’s remain socially distant, follow the rules and cut the strings off our masks!
nolanml20@bonaventure.edu
