Students split on mask policy
February 27, 2022
(In this photo from September 2021, ECC student Lloyd Chinnock follows ECC mask guidelines while doing school work.) (Dom Di Palermo)
On Feb 10., Elgin Community College announced that the mask mandate was going to be lifted at the campus. The reversal of the mask mandate means that wearing a mask would be optional for anyone on campus. On Feb. 22, ECC announced they will be keeping the mask mandate.
The reception of this decision was mixed among the student body. Some students saw the mandate as a good thing to keep upholding.
“I feel that the mask mandate was put back into effect for good reason,” said ECC student Gianna Greco. “In my opinion, it’s for the best in order to keep others safe during this time. I feel this way because if it’s a small change to keep everyone safe, then I see no reason for it to be a problem.”
Some students were rather concerned about the mask mandate being lifted. One student saw no point in the mandate still being enforced, seeing how some still struggle to follow the mandate as of now.
“I have professors who lift their masks and talk with the masks lifted [up] the entire class so at this point it’s just kind of pointless because we’ll still have people who don’t follow it,” said ECC student AJ Wandell.
A student at ECC who wished to be kept anonymous had a different opinion on the matter.
“I don’t mind having to wear a mask and I was planning on wearing mine regardless of the mandate, but I don’t know if I agree with it being required just because some people disagreed,” the anonymous ECC student said. “It was an option to wear a mask once it was lifted, so those who wanted to continue to wear a mask still had that option and those who didn’t want to could go mask free.”
Other students were looking forward to this mandate being lifted and weren’t all that happy when it was announced that it wasn’t being lifted after all.
“Personally, I think that ECC agreeing to remove the mask mandate when the state requested it was a step to a normal life again,” said ECC student Abe Salazar. “But when they said they had to enforce it again because they simply ‘could’ kind of upset me a bit since they don’t go by their word.”
Many students could see either side.
“I’m on both sides,” said ECC student Karina Flores. “I would like the mask to stay because it’s a way to protect each other from spreading the virus more, but also I’m tired of it.”
For some students, the mask mandate lift being canceled would impact their time spent at ECC for reasons other than classes.
“I would rather go somewhere else to study if I don’t have to wear a mask there,” said a different anonymous ECC student. “I will still come to class but won’t be spending much time at ECC.”
For others, the mask mandate being lifted won’t have much of an impact on their ECC attendance.
“Most likely not because I do like some of the classes that I go to,” said Salazar. “But it’s a matter of my teachers’ responses to me wearing a mask.”
If the mask mandate had been lifted, some students would have continued to wear their mask even though it was optional to do so.
“I’ll still wear it,” the second anonymous ECC student said. “I don’t wear it right ever and don’t plan on changing that.”
Salazar shared a similar opinion to the anonymous ECC student.
“ I mean I’ll probably wear it . . . but I’ll just adjust so that I can breathe better,” Salazar said.
Kim Koehler • Feb 28, 2022 at 1:34 pm
While the ECC Administration did not do a good job with this policy – would have been smarter to have first attained agreement from staff before lifting the mandate – requiring people to wear a mask is NOT a big “ask” in order to keep vulnerable people safe – and to protect us all from seasonal colds and flu too. I hope that the anonymous student who refuses to wear a mask correctly reflects on their immature actions and attitudes and changes their behavior. We all benefit when we abide by the social contract to put the welfare of the community above our own selfish desires. Being an adult means acting like an adult not like a spoiled child.
shannon mcdougald • Feb 28, 2022 at 8:11 am
The entire state of Illinois lifted there mask mandate along with High Schools in the district of U-46. ECC should follow this and make masks optional. It is very discouraging to have ECC say they don’t require mask and then change there mind a week later. If masks are optional the students who feel like need to wear one can and the students who don’t want to won’t have to. Since ECC is still requiring masks for the rest of the semester it has made me not want to stay there any longer then I have to for my classes since I can go anywhere else and study without one. I have some 3 hour classes and it’s hard to have to wear a mask that I can’t even adjust without getting yelled at to pull it back up immediately. If students are very concerned about the mask mandate being lifted those students could still wear the masks if it were optional. The mask mandate has also caused me to not sign up for summer classes when I can just signed up for them at a different intuition that won’t require them.