S&B writer Griffen Kernan and photographer Ariel Richards spoke with students eating dinner in the Spencer Grill about their opinions and experiences surrounding the newly introduced COVID-19 procedures on campus this semester. After returning for the semester amid the Omicron variant’s spread, students are still confused about rules surrounding dining and socializing. (These interview took place before it was announced that in-person dining would resume). 

Bowen Mince `22

I think they’re doing the best they can. I mean, they wanted to bring everyone back and I’m glad that they did. I’m grateful to be playing tennis in my final year in college. The N95s do help for sure. I mean, there’s still going to be some stuff off campus and people in common rooms, but with what the college is able to do, I think they’re doing a decent job at protecting us.

Alexi Canzoneri-Vanture `24

I don’t have, like, any complaints on the N95 masks, they’re probably good. Overall, I feel like the main complaint is just closing Dhall. I feel like that doesn’t really do anything because everybody comes to the Grill, you know? Everyone comes over at, like, lunchtime and people are now more crowded than ever. I feel like all that really does is just move it all over here.

Emma Hastie `23

I think that the new restrictions make us safer in general. But, like, I understand the testing and everything for the first couple of weeks. I can understand the new masks and the D-Hall closing, but once we do have it all under control, once the numbers go down and all the other data says it’s ok, then you know, we will have to reconsider this situation because this seems quite infeasible to continue for the rest of the semester. 

Lizzy Fraser ’24

I think the people who want to protect their safety and stay COVID-free are taking these protocols more to heart and others aren’t. So, in the end, it’s sort of you get to decide how safe you are in a weird way. Some people are going out more, you know, and interacting with more people and others are just staying home. Everyone’s kind of as safe as they want to be.

  Emma Walsh `23

I think that compared to a lot of other colleges, we’re doing a lot for our students, especially in the scenario of Omicron. I was just looking at the levels today in the country and in Iowa and it’s, like, a huge spike, but we don’t have much here. So, I think that the college is doing a good job. 

Andrea Suazo-Rivas `24

I think they are trying to keep the numbers low, but I don’t think the college is putting themselves in the student’s shoes. They don’t really think about what our day-to-day looks like and what makes sense in terms of COVID regulations. So, I think that they could be better in terms of, like, how we eat and the pods and things. For example, they could just space out the tables more in D-Hall instead of closing it so we can still eat there and not where we’re squished in the Grill. 

Princess Joseph `25

I think it’s safer now, but I kind of get two different vibes in the emails about ‘Oh, we’re doing so well with COVID and everything’ and then it’s like ‘Oh, D-Hall is closed’ and now we’re just all eating out here. I guess I don’t really know.