With a full year of the pandemic-life behind us, many of us are welcoming the vaccine with open arms as it represents one step closer to a (new) normal life. For college students at Bucknell, the recent news of central PA moving into the 1B category, which includes any and all individuals living in congregated settings, this reality is even closer than we could have imagined just a week ago.
That being said, vigilant behavior and dedication to safe protocols are still called for as our nation continues to reform and heal from the past year.
Here are 5 (other) things you still can’t do even after you get the vaccine:
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Keep your mic muted and camera off all class, every class
Okay, I get it. Sometimes you want to curl up in bed during class, but do you really pay attention that way? And sometimes you have to eat your lunch during class and no one wants all of their classmates to see you chewing on Zoom, but there’s no way you’re eating in every single class. Zoom classes are awkward enough without 80% of the class having their mics and cameras off for the entire class. And don’t get me started on those who just don’t answer when their name is called; I mean, are you even there or are we just talking to an empty abyss? For both professors and students who are trying their best, please keep (at least) your camera on when you can.
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Stand too close to someone in the Bison
Before “six feet apart” existed, there was something called “personal space.” To those of you who stand less than two inches behind people in the Bison: take a step back. The food might be back to normal now, but standing on the back of someone’s shoes isn’t going to get you your food any quicker. And no, I don’t need to see the bandaid indicating your vaccine shot from this close.
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Cough on the quiet floor of the library
Shhhhh. Everyone knows the higher you go in Bertrand Library the quieter it gets. If you can hear a pin drop, then you can definitely hear a sneeze (and the sound of a Hydroflask being dropped). This isn’t taboo just because of Covid-season, where we were all afraid to even sniffle in public; it’s taboo even if you’re vaccinated because it’s not about the germs but about the noise.
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Wear your mask below your nose
I mean, we all know this is wrong…right? Wearing your mask below your nose isn’t just a health hazard now, but also a social one. In all seriousness, mask-wearing is for others as much as it is for you. You might be vaccinated, but a shot isn’t visible and a mask is. For the sake of others, pull that mask up!
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Send emails without a good subject line
One of the many skills college will teach you that you can’t put on your resume: how to write a good email! And yet, I receive so many emails with sub-par subject lines. The subject line is the first thing your recipient will see when they get your email, make sure it’s attention catching enough to ensure a response.
But, here’s 1 thing you can do now that you got the vaccine:
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Post it on your Instagram story… because how else will people know you’re vaccinated and ready to party (safety still, of course)!