According to the UW-Platteville website, at the time of this article’s writing there have been 794 tests administered by Student Health Services, 134 of those tests showing positive results. There have been 169 positive test results (from Student Health Services and external sources) recorded in total.
During my Resident Assistant (RA) training, it was drilled into my head that the main focus of this semester is to sanitize and keep the residence halls clean. On rounds, whenever we use the restroom or kitchen, and whenever we are behind the desk, we must sanitize every surface we use multiple times a day. Along with the sanitization, all RAs, staff and residents are required to wear masks every time we leave our room. It is frustrating, and seems like overkill, but overall, I am glad these measures are in place.
Chancellor Shields has been very on top of how the campus is running and how the students are reacting to the new policies, which I appreciate. It shows he takes the pandemic seriously. These new policies, which many of my fellow students may find over the top, are doing more good than they think. I think the reason so many students have a negative reaction is because they want the “normal” college experience they had last year, and they might think the university is overreacting.
The Department of Residence Life and Student Health Services are doing all they can to keep students safe while retaining some normalcy. We cannot yet return to normal because we are not in a normal time in history. I do not like wearing a mask every time I leave my room, but I know that it helps keep the number of cases here at UW-Platteville down, and my residents safe. I cannot control what my fellow students do, but it does frustrate me when some of them attend parties and go to bars without a mask or proper social distancing. One night of fun can have devastating consequences.
Other universities, such as University of Notre Dame, have had to move courses online temporarily, although at least in Notre Dame’s case in-person courses have resumed. Many students at UW-Platteville want to be here, but if we fail to follow the new rules and policies set in place, we may get quarantined or sent home before Thanksgiving.
The custodial staff, dining services staff, staff in Residence Life and Student Health Services as well as those in the Dean of Students Office are doing all they can to make sure we students can have a college experience on campus; to have the ability to see our friends, to use the resources on campus, and to bring some normalcy back to this semester. However, if the students and staff, myself included, fail to follow the policies put in place, we could be saying farewell too soon.