Last week, the United States passed the 500,000 mark in the COVID-19 death toll, becoming the first country to reach this horrific benchmark. This comes after a year of mismanagement and negligence of the pandemic by the past administration.Vaccines are finally being distributed, but that doesn’t mean the virus is no longer a problem. In LA County alone, 1.18 million people were infected and 20,000 died, and now it’s being speculated that close to 80% of the county’s population was either exposed to the virus or had it. With numbers like this, the Malibu campus reopening — complete with Chick-fil-A — is in poor taste and the possible dangers have not been adequately addressed. Until there is no risk for service workers on campus, students actually figure out how to socially distance, and the administration thoroughly examines the safety of bringing students back, campus should unfortunately remain closed for the safety of all.
Throughout the pandemic, it has been clear that essential workers are only viewed as such in name by the American population. BIPOC employees dominate the service industry, but they are not provided with living wages and can be exposed to COVID-19 any time. The death rate in Black and Brown communities, specifically the Latinx community in Southern California, has been substantially higher than that of white individuals, according to every survey done of the racial demographics of the Covid-19 virus in the United States. This societal microcosm is present on our campus: We are a body of primarily white students who rely on the work of primarily Black and Brown employees. If a COVID-19 outbreak occurs now that Payson is open, the university’s food service employees, janitorial staff, library staff, and their families would be the ones suffering the consequences, not students, and their lives are not being valued the same way student lives are. If students were socially distancing and following COVID-19 guidelines, this wouldn’t be as pressing of an issue; however, throughout the semester many Pepperdine students have shown a flippant disregard for COVID-19 safety precautions as they party and post their way through the pandemic.
Trips to Hawaii, Texas, and Florida populated Instagram last semester, even though we were all supposed to be inside and travelling only for essential reasons. Multiple students took extravagant trips around the world or road tripped throughout states ravaged by disease, despite that the University initially said this behavior would be punishable. In addition to travel, Pepperdine students both threw and attended large parties, including Student Government Association members and Greek Life student leaders who reside in collective housing in Malibu. These students are not subtle: A litany of posts accompany every event without the slightest hint of guilt or responsibility. Some of these students have even had COVID-19, and yet they treat guidelines as suggestions and endanger their entire communities. If these students were to be reprimanded, it would show the Pepperdine community the University actually cares about health. However, the administration has instead ignored it completely. Even President Gash had COVID-19 and is now not properly wearing a mask — photos and videos of the re-opening showed his mask was a cheap piece of fabric that was falling off his face. For campus to be open, students, faculty, and administrators need to prioritize a culture of health and protection, but that simply doesn’t exist right now and its absence threatens us all.
Lastly, the return to campus is simply too rushed and all the possible ramifications haven’t been considered. By opening college campuses right as restrictions are lifted, schools will enable mass superspreader events to occur again. Designating certain tables as “off limits” and limiting the capacity of the library is not enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — only staying inside and getting vaccinated can prevent COVID-19. Everyone is eager to “get back to their lives” — go out to restaurants, travel, or see our friends — but we must acknowledge that sentiment is one of privilege, and that the library re-opening is not a necessity to most students. Online learning is difficult and often incompatible with the lives of students and educators, but the comfort of one person is still less important than a life. As long as lives are in danger from something preventable, we as a society should do everything in our power to anticipate and limit the danger. With COVID-19, it’s not a matter of “when you get it”; the prominence of the virus is due to mismanagement, not it being unmanageable. So when you’re thinking about making that Payson reservation, think about the workers putting their lives on the line so you can sit on a couch, and maybe decide you should stay home.