Marist’s New Mask Policy — A Positive Change for Campus
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On April 27, The CDC announced new guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated, which the CDC considers to be those who have received two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than 14 days ago. One of these new guidelines allows fully vaccinated individuals to gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues.
In accordance with these updated CDC guidelines, Marist College notified students and staff that effective April 30, fully vaccinated individuals would no longer have to wear a mask outside unless social distancing wasn’t possible. One condition of this policy is its basis in the honor system, meaning that the College expects to trust that those who are not wearing masks are actually fully vaccinated.
This policy change immediately brings forward the concern that students, faculty and staff will take advantage of this new, more lenient mask policy as an excuse to not wear their masks. Since Marist is trusting the integrity of their students and staff and not actively checking if those not wearing masks are fully vaccinated, this concern is understandable.
However, this concern is no reason to not implement the new mask policy altogether.
Marist puts these rules and regulations in place with the intention that the majority of people will follow them, understanding that there will always be individuals who do not follow them. This is also a result of the fact that as of April 30, approximately 50% of the Marist student population had received at least one dose of the vaccine, meaning that there is a lesser chance that those without masks are unvaccinated. While some taking advantage of this policy is an unfortunate reality, we should not allow the actions of a few individuals to ruin these new freedoms for people who are vaccinated.
Further, if there is great concern about students, faculty and staff taking advantage of the policy, there are actions that Marist can take to hold them accountable. Since Marist requires students to upload documentation upon vaccination, the College can use the Health Services portal as a tool to check which students are vaccinated. Additionally, Marist could ask students and staff to carry their vaccination card as they would their campus-wide I.D. If a student does not comply with these policies, Marist also has the authority to discipline them consistent with the Addendum to the Code of Conduct.
Regardless of concern over individuals not following new mask regulations, I believe this policy change will have a positive effect on the Marist community. By giving fully vaccinated individuals increased freedoms, students, faculty and staff receive a sense of normalcy that they have been deprived of since the start of the pandemic. An even more positive effect that this policy can have on the Marist community is incentivizing vaccination. Since Marist allows for fully vaccinated individuals to not wear their masks outside, it can motivate individuals to get vaccinated so they too can enjoy these freedoms. Ultimately, this incentive can help Marist to become a healthier and more COVID-19-safe community.
This mask policy has the potential to change the culture of the Marist community. With more people getting vaccinated and thus not having to follow more restrictive COVID-19 guidelines, Marist students can finally have a somewhat normal college experience, as they can take part in activities that they couldn’t do during the pandemic. In my opinion, with increased vaccinations and less concern about wearing masks, the campus can feel alive again. People can now spend time out on campus without having as much concern over their health. As communication from the college’s administration has emphasized, “If we can come together and continue to drive down the number of positive cases, while continuing to increase our vaccination rate among the student body, faculty, and staff, we will be able to further loosen restrictions.”
As members of the Marist community, we have the power to determine the construct of our community and how it will function. With our community increasingly following COVID-19 protocols and receiving vaccinations, we are in control of how quickly Marist can resume normal activity. These new freedoms with the updated mask policy are only a glimpse into life at Marist post-pandemic.