Tech is four weeks into the Fall 2020 semester, and students are still required to wear masks in all classrooms and anywhere on campus where social distancing is not possible. Students have also been encouraged to stay home and take advantage of Tech’s virtual learning options if they are feeling ill.
Despite Tech having a plan to stop the spread of the coronavirus, there are some students who believe the university is not doing enough.
Jonathan Fowler, a sophomore marketing major, thinks Tech needs to be more strict on enforcing mask wearing.
“I do not feel safe on campus…mask wearing is not strict enough…I see people with their masks pulled down all the time in class and the professors do nothing,” said Fowler.
Though hand sanitizer has been available across campus, Caleb Harwood, a sophomore mechanical engineering technology major, would like to see students and faculty use it more.
“I think students should be given hand sanitizer and wipes when they come into a classroom…people would have more peace of mind if masks and hand sanitizer were a little more strictly enforced,” Harwood stated.
Tech’s Dean of Students, Katherine Williams, said the school is expecting students and faculty to hold each other accountable for wearing masks because they do not have the employees to enforce it in every building.
“We are looking at more of a community enforcement model…it appears, at least in the classroom, from my perspective, mask enforcement and social distancing is going pretty well…if I see someone who is not wearing a mask in a building, I’ll say something and hope that others will feel comfortable doing the same,” stated Williams
Williams is encouraging students and faculty to continue following the policies and guidelines as well as they are now throughout the remainder of the semester.
“As we progress into the semester, my hope is that people continue to stay vigilant and continue to practice those safety measures,” she stated.
According to Williams, Tech’s COVID-19 Dashboard has been updated in the past week so students and faculty can be more informed on the impact of the coronavirus on campus.
“The COVID-19 Dashboard is updated every day…it was more of a simple graph…but now they’ve expanded it to include daily active cases and cumulative and recovered cases…everybody in the Tech community has access to that,” informed Williams.
For more information on the coronavirus at Tech, you can visit the COVID-19 Dashboard located on Tech’s website or contact the Dean of Students Office. You can also contact the Dean of Students Office with any questions or complaints.
