Two Weeks on Level Orange: Students Express Frustration

Marist has been on a precautionary campus pause for over two weeks with only a minimal change in the amount of active cases. Students are evidently frustrated. 

“Everyday I check the dashboard hoping things will get better, and they just seem to never change,” Alexis Astrologo ‘23 said. Currently, the college’s COVID-19 Dashboard reflects 167 active cases and a total of 487 cases so far this semester. 

On the dashboard, Marist’s current state is described as Alert Level: Orange, one step below Red. A Red alert level is where 5% of the campus population tests positive within a rolling 14-day period. In that instance, according to New York State law, a series of actions are to be carried out, including a two week mandatory modified quarantine period on campus. 

“There’s really much more that we can do other than putting everyone on a complete lockdown which will probably just cause new problems,” Danny Keon ‘23 said. 

“Nothing will go back to normal if parties don’t stop, but it’s understandable why people still want to have fun,” Matthew Bynum ‘22 said. “Everyone wants to be responsible, but being perfect in every situation is impossible.”

He described the dilemma between wanting to have a typical college experience. For him, it’s all about mitigating risk and doing things that balance entertainment and safety. The problem is that during a global pandemic, those two goals seem diametrically opposed. 

The college extended the pause through the holiday weekend until April 4. “Whatever Marist decides to do next is going to determine what April looks like and what is going to happen as the semester ends,” Keon said.