Dear partiers,

I'll admit that I want to go out as much as you and everyone else does, but at this moment in time I am more concerned with my safety and the safety of my community. I want to see friends, go to sporting events, and even go out to dinner and it feel normal again. But the reality is, our world is so far from normal right now and that is something we just have to accept. This pandemic is something we will probably never experience again in our lifetime's; it forces a way of life onto us that is unfamiliar and even scary. I understand that, I'm living this too. However, health and safety during this time is something that we all have to take extremely seriously if we want our world to get better.

Notre Dame has 537 positive cases. The University of Alabama has 531 positive cases. UNC has 999 positive cases. And Villanova, where I got to school, has 40 positive cases in 17 days. These numbers are rising by the day an are not bettered by irresponsible and selfish college students, risking not only their safety, but the safety of thousands of other people. It doesn't matter anymore if you don't care about getting the virus (even though you should); it matters because of the other students and faculty you see on campus and in the classroom on a daily basis. Whether you like to believe it or not, you are putting them at risk as well. What happens if you test positive and get sent home by your university? You can infect your parents, siblings, grandparents and anyone else that is forced to support you despite the decision you made. And to think, this was all because you had to go to that party; you had to go to that bar; you had to not wear a mask for one night. The consequences on our actions are very clear, so what I'm wondering is, where is the self restraint? Where is the putting of global and community needs above yourself? Where is the selflessness in a time of hardship?

COVID-19 has revealed a lot about our world in the last six months. In times of hardship we are told to help and build each other up, but how can we do that when we are supposed to remain apart. Questions like these, I ask myself everyday, and what I have concluded is that doing your part and contributing to fighting this virus can easily be done without close contact. Spending time with friends and building relationships can still be done without close contact and without going to parties. Most importantly, holding one another accountable can easily be done without being in close contact.

Although I am specifically calling out to college students to change their ways, I know it is not just them who are the problem. In fact, we are probably a very small fraction of the problem. However, it is my wish and hope that everyone will start or continue not just think about how this pandemic affects oneself, but all the other people inhabiting this planet with us. If we want COVID-19 to be a distant memory in the near future, we all need to do our part. Better times will be ahead, but only if we are able to hold those close to us accountable and make our own sacrifices for the betterment of the world.

Sincerely,

A college student who is sick and tired of COVID-19