In September, protesters sprawled onto the green, hilly North Quad at Northern Arizona University. They settled onto the damp grass, closed their eyes, and held signs shaped like tombstones.
Historically, "die-in" demonstrations have surfaced across the country to highlight issues like war, police brutality — and lately, COVID-19.
College students and staff nationwide are using "die-ins" to protest the reopening of campuses during the pandemic. The University Union of Northern Arizona brought that demonstration to NAU’s campus, where students and employees expressed concern and fear toward the university’s reopening policies.
“Every time I'm asked to be in the classroom, I fear for my safety,” said Sarah-Grace Crocco, a graduate teaching assistant pursing a master's in communication.
At the end of August, the university rolled out NAUFlex, a hybrid method that allows students to take classes virtually or in person. But some faculty say they’re required to show up in the classroom — often sharing it with students.
For Azul Trejo, it’s a distracting way to teach.
Trejo, who attended the protest, is pursuing a master’s degree in communication at NAU; she also instructs dozens of students. While some have chosen to watch her class online, others attend the course in person. But Trejo said she’s expected to be in the classroom either way.
“In the back of my mind, I'm just worried to be on campus,” Trejo added.
On September 25, NAU reported 226 active COVID-19cases on and off campus. Over the weekend, more than 120 students living in Campus Heights Apartments moved into different housing — the university plans to use Campus Heights to quarantine students infected by the coronavirus.
Trejo said she felt empowered by the protest. Still, she added, “This is not something I want to be doing. I don't want to have to be protesting for a choice to be safe.”
Amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities are attempting a balancing act — one that wavers between promoting safety and preserving the college experience. A New York Timessurveydiscovered at least 130,000 COVID-19 cases, and at least 70 related deaths, among college students and employees nationwide.
NAU has instituted rules to combat the coronavirus. Anyone setting foot in a campus building must wear a mask. Students and employees participate in daily health checks, where they can report potential COVID-19 symptoms. The university conducted at least 8,500 COVID-19 tests in a matter of weeks. Cautionary signs litter the campus, reminding students to engage in social distancing.
But Zoe Reid, a campus employee, sometimes sees those rules ignored.
“If people don't follow them there's nothing we can really do to stop them, unfortunately,” she said.
Reid works as a prep cook at the NAU Student Union and has mixed feelings about her safety. There’s a plexiglass guard between kitchen staff and diners. But sometimes, Reid said, that doesn’t matter.
“Either they'll lean past the shield that's up or they'll take their mask off to enunciate,” Reid explained.
Still, she doesn’t feel as though more rules would help — there are already markings on the floor of the building, reminding students to social distance, she said.
“It's scary,” Reid added. “But we have our masks on, and we're doing what we can to keep us, and everyone else that we can, safe.”
Quinn Lalonde, a freshman ceramics major, takes two art classes in person, where masks are mandated. While the classes feel safe, he doesn’t feel protected on campus when he notices others neglecting the rules, Lalonde said.
“I'll go to the bathroom sometimes and see people not wearing masks and all that, and I'll be like, 'what the hell?'” he added.
College students often share spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and residence halls. Those indoor spaces can be risky for the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Geron Como, a junior studying history and philosophy, said he feels fairly safe on campus. He and his roommate have separate bedrooms, and a third roommate never moved in. Still, he wonders whether housing arrangements could be different during the pandemic.
“You have three people all together in one room, all together, and everyone's still sharing bathrooms and everything,” Como said.
Amid COVID-19, the mental health of young adults has taken a particularly severe hitcompared to other age groups. For adults across the board, anxiety and depressive symptoms are on the rise, according to the CDC. Como is cognisant of that; he works to maintain a healthy mental state by reaching out to family and friends, listening to music, and taking advantage of the outdoors.
“Everything's mostly online, and so you're kind of just stuck inside, and you're not really going out as much anymore,” Como said, adding that he makes it a point to spend time outside.
As the uncertainty of COVID-19 continues, the debate on how to stay safe on campus continues as well.
“We'll get through it. If it will be the same, I'm not too sure,” Como said. “I think it'll just be a great mark in our history.”
