Debating our Future

     Only a little over two weeks into the semester, and schools are already shutting down everywhere. Whether they have not even started yet, or just getting started, schools across the country are putting a hold on in-person instruction. In our case, the University of Kentucky has yet to say anything in regards to whether or not we will be here for the remainder of the semester. Personally, I think and remain hopeful that we will get to finish out our first semester on campus. The university has so many guidelines in place such as remaining six feet apart, wearing a mask at all times, taking your daily 4.0, etc. As a student, I understand first hand how exhausting it may be to keep these in mind 24 hours, 7 days a week. However, these are the rules that will allow us to stay right where we are until Thanksgiving. There are signs everywhere reminding us to keep our distance, makes up, and keeping our residence halls to a minimum. 

    I myself have had a few personal encounters to where I felt like I did not have to follow these rules. For example, last week my roommate and I walked over to the student center to grab a quick lunch. As we walked into Champions Kitchen, a worker looked at us and reminded us to stay six feet apart. In the moment, I was shocked that she had made a comment about how close we were standing. I mean, she is my roommate, and we are together all the time. Then, it occurred to me why she was the first one to say something to us about our distance? We had never been asked to stand apart before, but this shows just how much the staff at the university wants to stay in Lexington just as much as we do.

    Another example includes the second day I was on campus. K-week had started, and one of the first events was watching Jaws on the lawn. We walked over to the main lawn, scanned our event passes, and continued to find four open blankets. All the blankets were placed six feet apart, and we were required to wear masks even in an open outdoor space. Long story short, my friends and I decided to not stay for the full movie , but we were allowed to take the blankets as we left. After leaving, we ended up sitting outside in the courtyard between Donovan and Johnson halls. We met up with two other girls who we had just met in our K-team, and as we were sitting there an RA came outside. He told us we needed to pull up our masks, as most of them were wearing them on our chins. This is yet another example of how much everyone wants to stay on campus. 

    In short, I think the University of Kentucky is going above and beyond to ensure their students will remain on campus until November. However, we all play a role in this goal, and must follow all guidelines to ensure we have a safe and full semester.