Florida A&M students proved to be excited to be back on the hill during the first week of school, and Welcome Week events were a success as students showed their Rattler pride.
FAMU has provided a multitude of resources, and taken the proper precautionary measures in order to make the return to campus as safe as possible. Even though resources are provided at the university, it does not dismiss the fact that students have a life outside of the classroom.
Some of the most anticipated events occur during FAMU’s homecoming season. Rayna Wallace, a pharmacy student at FAMU, suspects that classes will be back on Zoom after homecoming week surrounding certain circumstances.
“I am pretty sure people are not going to be social distancing at the club if they aren’t even doing it on campus,” Wallace said. “But I don’t blame them, homecoming is meant to be fun. I just hope those who are vaccinated consider still wearing their mask and for those who aren’t especially should wear one.”
After it was announced that Set Friday, the university’s traditional social event, was sadly coming to an end for the fall semester, rumors quickly spread throughout the campus that homecoming was possibly going to be canceled as well. The Student Government Association (SGA) addressed the suspicions by assuring students that the festivities will still go on as they work to keep students safe by implementing proper COVID-19 procedures.
FAMU taking initiative to go above and beyond for student safety is amazing, but there’s only so much they can do when students are not caring about their own safety.
It has been a long year of confusion when dealing with the global pandemic. Some things are being canceled, while other superspreader events are still continuing to prosper. This leaves people scared to get their hopes up about things remaining in-person.
Student participation in social events could be the very reason that sends us back into lockdown.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), new data shows that the Delta variant has been more harmful compared to other variants. So what does this mean for organizations who want to continue to host in-person events? Will society recklessly ignore the signs until it gets as bad as it did the first time, or will there be another lockdown to help prevent the rise in deaths and hospitalizations?
Overall, only time will tell if in-person events will send students back to Zoom. While on campus, everyone should continue to follow FAMU’s guidelines until further notice.