By Kylie Heisz, Kayla Smith & Emmy Wolfe
With the effects of COVID-19 still prominent in campus life, the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay (UWGB) has decided to extend the campus-wide mask mandate to November 26th. It was made known to everyone returning to campus at the beginning of the semester that the mandate is required for anyone to enter a building. This brought forward a lot of different opinions, and many students and professors are not afraid to share their opinions on the mask mandate.
The mandate has been seen following the trends of COVID-19 in the area. With more information that Brown County is still a high-risk area, UW-Green Bay officials have decided that extending the mask mandate would be the best course of action. Kate Burns, Provost, along with the Chancellor and the cabinet, is the standing body that has been put in charge of providing the protocols put in place. “We closely monitor the situation across the university, and we regularly review to determine how things are going and whether any changes need to be made,” Burns said.
The mask mandate is put in place to make it safe for students and professors to return to in-person classes, especially after the past year being online. The university sent out an email to all students making the information of the extension. However, there was not much other information given. Alexander said, “It is the best way we know of to keep people that may be vulnerable safe, especially since we are not able to mandate vaccinations under system policy.”
Chancellor Mike Alexander at the Installment Ceremony at UWGB.
Students are also one of the main audiences affected by this information, many of which have different opinions on the topic. “I’m tired of wearing masks, but I get why we are,” one student said when asked about their thoughts on the mandate. “I could go either way. I’m sick of wearing masks, and I’d love nothing more than to get rid of them. On the other hand, I don’t want to risk getting exposed,” said another student.
Other students have expressed feelings on both sides of the spectrum, not just being stuck in the middle. In the end, it’s up to the students to create and express their own opinions.