In the first week of the quarter, more than 45 students on campus have tested positive for covid. Given the contagious nature of the omicron variant, it’s safe to assume that more students are currently positive without realizing. Both students and faculty are concerned about the amount of current positive cases and the danger it poses to our campus. Administration has taken actions such as encouraging mask usage and temporarily cancelling events serving food, but have not made changes to the event with the greatest opportunity for community spread.

CommUnity is still a required event being held indoors with the majority of the student population. Week of prayer is this coming week, which requires students to attend daily. While masks are required, there is little to no enforcement of these rules, and it’s common for students to wear their masks improperly or not at all. Due to the size of the space, it is also impossible to properly socially distance from the hundreds of other students. This combination of factors makes it impossible for students to attend CommUnity in an Covid-safe manner. This has put students in a position where they feel unsafe attending CommUnity, but must attend to avoid disciplinary action. Immunocompromised or medically vulnerable students, or those who have contact with such individuals, are in an especially difficult position. A student should never feel forced to choose between safety and academic success. 

While bringing students together is important to the mission of Walla Walla University and helps connect students, it is currently unsafe to do so in person. A sense of community on campus is not worth endangering people's health. For this reason, we, the students of Walla Walla University, call on administration to move CommUnity online for the safety of the campus.