The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 5

September 8, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 11 Opinions I want to talk to my parents, NSU Okay, okay. I will admit it: I am a mama’s boy. My parents and I will talk on the phone at least once a day and I have always been close to my family. Despite them living a little over 1,000 miles away, I still want to tell them everything that is going on in my life. However, this year at NSU, I developed an interesting quirk when making these phone calls due to circumstances ultimately beyond my control. Stay with me here, but I have found myself making these daily phone calls just when I am about to leave my dorm, which is interesting, considering that when I am leaving my dorm, it is likely to take a walk somewhere on campus, resulting in a commute of about 10 minutes. There are other times when I will make these calls in public spaces as well. I know I am a horrible person, but hear me out. I will be in the University Center taking a 10-minute break from my normal schedule to call my parents. These decisions I have been making to take these phone calls in unusual places has had me thinking. Why am I making phone calls outside of the comfort of my own dorm? Why not find some free time to sit down on my bed and truly speak with my family? Then I realized how much of an impact the dead zones at NSU have had. As a residential student, it is likely that you will run into some unique problems within these circumstances. The most recent problem that has gotten me frustrated is the cellular dead zones present within Mako Hall. Any student living on the far wings of the building is likely to experience the dead zones depending on their cell service provider. Within these zones, it becomes close to impossible to have a successful phone call, not only will the person in Mako being unable to hear properly, but the individual on the other end of the call having an almost impossible time understanding the caller. As I am sure it can be inferred, this problem becomes specifically frustrating due to how close I am with my family. I am unable to comfortably be in my dorm and make a phone call to my parents who are states away, wondering what I have been up to. On a positive note, I am fortunate enough to have a physical support group. However, not everyone is as lucky as me. In this uncertain and isolating time, it can be tough for any student living on campus. Some students are relying on making phone calls from miles away to have a support group to lean on, and with these horrendous dead zones, individuals can potentially be left without any options. And yes, if you are wondering if I reached out to the Office of Innovation and Information, I did. While they did respond back to my request fairly quickly -- an opportunity some friends of mine have been waiting weeks for -- their response was pretty much the worst outcome available. I was essentially told that nothing could be done, and because I have Verizon, I will continue to experience these dead zones in my dorm. The staff member I spoke to also mentioned that any carrier besides T-mobile, NSU’s official carrier, will experience these dead zones. How can all residential students realistically be asked to have one carrier? Students living on campus come from all parts of the world and expecting every student in the dorm to have one cell carrier is ridiculous. I just want to go back to being able to call my parents in the comfort of my own room. With how much residential students pay to live in on-campus housing, this is a privilege we all deserve. By: Rick Esner News Editor It goes over your nose Many businesses, towns and cities alike are beginning to lift stay at home restrictions. Instead of simply reopening without any restrictions, many have placed a blanket restriction on buildings: face coverings required. While many people wear their face coverings correctly, I’ve seen so many people make the active choice not to. Every time I dare leave the safety of my dorm room, I count at least one person wearing their mask under their nose or hanging from their ear. I’ve even seen one person pull it up over their eyes to take a sip of their drink. Every time I point it out to someone, I get glared at, sighed at and one man even threatened to fight me. I’ve come to the conclusion that people simply do not understand how masks work. That’s the only reason you wouldn’t be wearing your mask correctly, right? They don’t come with instructions, I understand. Why else would you choose not to wear your mask correctly when there’s a pandemic and you’d be putting not only yourself, but others at risk? Don’t fear, I’m here to explain it to you. While it depends on the type of face covering you’re wearing, most cloth or surgical face masks come with three standard parts: the covering and two loops of string attached. To put on your mask, take the two loops of strings and slide them behind your ears. Make sure they are not at risk of slipping off or pulling too tightly on your ears. After they are on your ears, adjust the cloth part of the mask so it fits snugly over your nose and mouth. Make sure that the mask does not fall down under your nose or slide up above your mouth. If your mouth or nose is uncovered, you are wearing the mask wrong. Let me make it clear: under no circumstances is it okay for you to wear your mask below your nose. Not only does it totally defeat the purpose of wearing a mask, but it makes your nose look huge. It doesn’t matter if you’re hot, it doesn’t matter if you’re only with your friends, it doesn’t matter if you don’t think it’s a big deal. It is a big deal. If you’re not going to wear your mask correctly, stay home. Some of us want to go grocery shopping or even just go to class without feeling anxious because we see people wearing their masks ineffectively. If you’re wearing the mask in one of the following ways, you’re wearing it wrong: over your eyes, under your nose, above your mouth, under your chin or on your forehead (seriously?). I’ll repeat it again: the mask goes over your nose and mouth, and the strings should be tucked behind both ears. Please choose to wear your mask correctly and responsibly if you must go out. By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM S. GALLUS The correct way to wear your mask