The Current

September 1, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 11 Opinions The COVID conundrum: college parties In the past few weeks, colleges around the country have begun their semesters, crossing their fingers that new mask policies, buckets of hand sanitizer and online learning will be enough to keep COVID-19 cases on campus at bay. Despite the efforts of universities to prepare for the surge of new and returning students, one variable has sat poised, ready to throw a wrench into months of planning: college parties. Since fall terms began, college parties have continuously underscored how difficult it is to police students’ behavior. Large, non-socially distant gatherings of students have been met with a variety of responses. Last week, Georgia College cautioned that students who attended house parties and other large gatherings would be harshly reprimanded, even by suspension. Many other colleges have followed suit by issuing similarly strict warnings to their student populations. However, while school officials may effectively exercise tight control on on-campus actions and behaviors, enforcing policies off-campus has proven to be a more difficult task. Universities including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame have suspended on-ground instruction after cases were linked to large gatherings in off-campus housing as well as to sororities and fraternities. In another instance, Instagram removed an account allegedly prompting “COVID parties” for students returning to Arizona State University. The evidence is there. Reckless students’ behavior has already had a direct impact on the transition back to school, and it’s only the first day of September. So, if the evidence is there and the repercussions are already manifesting, then why are they still happening? One can only wonder. Perhaps, it is the rebellious spirit of college-aged individuals, a lack of knowledge or concern about the consequences of risky actions or a surrender to months of longing for physical closeness. Or, one can chalk it up to sheer stupidity. Whichever explanation you decide to land on, the implications are the same. The actions of a few could ruin it for everyone. No matter how you paint it, the situation we are all in is far from ideal, but instead of risking a whole school year -- not to mention the health and safety of everyone on campus -- for the sake of one fun-filled night, consider something else I’m sure we can all agree on. A safe college experience in this “new normal” is better than regressing back to another lonely quarantine. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM C. MCLAUGHLIN It may be time to take a break from college parties this semester By: Flor Ana Mireles Copy Editor Mental health in the time of COVID-19 In the past two years, I havewritten several articles on the college mental health crisis, and here I am again writing another. This time, there is a lot more added to the crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in feelings of loneliness, anxiety, fear and sadness, mainly as a result of self-isolation and quarantining. With this, the symptoms of mood and stress-related disorders can increase in severity. We need to acknowledge that this is a very stressful time and that it is okay to take time to help yourself. At a time like this, self-care is extremely important. Remember to take care of both your physical and mental health as one can impact the other. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep and try to stick to a relatively stable sleep schedule. Get some physical activity and go outside regularly. Trying to maintain or resume your normal pre-COVID-19 routine can make you feel more comfortable and less anxious. Stay informed, but also know where your boundaries are with watching coverage. If you only feel comfortable checking the news for COVID-19 updates once a day, that is completely fine. Maintain the connections you had prior to quarantine. Keep in touch with friends and family; they can be an important support system that you can use to cope with any mental health issue that you are experiencing. During stressful times like these, we need to talk about mental health. We cannot just push it under the rug and say that we will deal with it another time. The stigmatization of talking about mental health issues only makes these feelings of loneliness, anxiety, fear and sadness worse. For people to properly cope with these mental health struggles, they need to be able to talk to someone about them. We need to end the taboo of talking about mental health. Talking about mental health is an important part of working to end the mental health crisis that we are currently facing. This mental health crisis is something that we as college students can work to solve together. If you know that one of your peers is dealing with mental health issues —whether they are anxious, depressed or any other problem— try to encourage them to seek help or find someone to talk to. If you are experiencing your own mental health concerns, try reaching out to the Center for Student Counseling and Well-being, formerly known as the Henderson Student Counseling Center. The center has many certified mental health counselors well equipped to help any student. By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM C. MCLAUGHLIN For some students, self help books and pep talks are their version of self care