By Matt Polce, Contributing Writer
A few weeks ago, more St. Bonaventure students were suspended. The last time there were major suspensions inflicted on St. Bonaventure students, 21 of us were deemed guilty. This time around that number increased to 28 of us. These suspensions sparked disappointment within our professors. We were scrutinized in some of my classes for breaking the policy. Even though the kids guilty were sent home.
These coronavirus suspensions are creating a sense of hopelessness within the student body. “Will we ever get to have fun?” and, “How long is this going to last?” Are two reoccurring lines I hear from students on a day to day basis. Now, I have no doubt in my mind that students should be suspended for gathering in groups of sixty at a house party. But what if we could keep students from going to house parties?
Young adults are going to be young adults, no matter how much you ask of them. We are full of energy and charisma. Most of us are social. Most of us want to interact with other students. We want to be able to meet new people and make lasting memories. We can do this if the school would allow students to hang out in each other’s dorms. I am not asking if we can have 6 people packed into one tiny dorm room. No, I am asking if we can have at max two people in our dorms. This would end a lot of frustrations we have.
There is a better chance of contracting the virus at the hickey. Hundreds of people walk in and out of there every day. What is the difference between sitting together at a table without masks, and sitting in a dorm room together without masks? If anything, the dorm room has fewer germs. Only two people have been in those dorms. Those two people tested negative before coming to St. Bonaventure University.
There should be an online sign-in sheet that you must fill out before entering another room. That way we can contact which room that person was in. And if the virus does spread, it will not spread quickly if we know who that person was with.
Think about this too. There have been 60 person parties and the virus still has not rapidly spread. If two more people were allowed in our dorms, I do not think it would raise the risk higher than these parties.
I love what Bonaventure has been doing to limit the spread of the coronavirus. I never thought we would make it to this point in the school year. I can speak for the entire Bonnies population when I say I do not want to go home. This is not an idea that needs to happen for the students to build relationships, but it would help. This is not an idea that I would expect to be put into action right away. It will take time, and when the time is right, I feel like this would help the student’s morality in numerous ways.
polcema20@bonaventure.edu
