Editorial: MSU, we need straight answers

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, The State News has been monitoring the university closely.

We quickly reported the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan in the spring of 2020 and covered the instant switch from in-person to virtual classes. We were ready and kept track when MSU announced at the end of May 2020 that we would be having a fall 2020 semester in person. We understood when the plug was removed and a large majority of classes have moved to an online format, days before students are ready to move into their dorms.

As students, we had our own questions – the ones we always asked and sometimes answered.

This time it’s different.

Back door answers aren’t new to us, but if there ever was a time we needed them to be straightforward, it’s now.

A title as simple as “MSU needs vaccines, masks for students, teachers and staff” suddenly seems complex.

Students are returning to campus and so is COVID-19. Students learn about potential exhibits via confidential messages through the Registrar’s Office. The messages that take the next step for the student who has tested positive and those around them – vaccinated and unvaccinated – are unclear.

When some professors asked to hold classes virtually, their requests were refused by the provost. When students said they were uncomfortable being in person after an exhibition, the university spokesperson said students should contact the professor for accommodations.

There are apparent communication issues within the university: if our professors and staff don’t know what protocol should be, how would the students?

MSU has spoken of a big game to make sure things are run safely during the pandemic, but now that we are in our most vulnerable state with people returning to East Lansing, there is a lack of direct communication with students, staff and professors of the University.

We understand this is a stressful time, but being open about plans and initiatives to keep people safe should be the priority.

The lack of communication and the lack of transparency sowed fear among the students. What if they don’t want to go back to the classroom where one of their peers tested positive for COVID-19? How will they stay up to date with their classes in person if they are in quarantine?

Students should be able to request accommodations in a situation in which they may feel unsafe after being exposed to a virus that has led to 18 months of almost entirely virtual school. Most importantly, it should be clearly communicated.

We understand that no one has all the answers to this ever-evolving pandemic, but as students who have adapted to everything it has thrown at us since March 2020, we are tired of feeling blinded.

MSU, we ask you not only to determine how you want to best protect students, staff, and faculty, but to be open and honest about the decisions you make. There are some things people shouldn’t need to trust us to know.

The State News Editorial Board is made up of Editor-in-Chief Karly Graham, Editor-in-Chief Jayna Bardahl, City Editor-in-Chief Griffin Wiles, Culture Editor-in-Chief Dina Kaur, Editor-in-Chief of Sports Chief Eli McKown, Multimedia Editors Lauren DeMay and Chandra Fleming, Copy Manager SaMya Overall, Social Media Manager Jillie Gretzinger and Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator Tessa Jazwinski.

Campus editor Wendy Guzman and staff representative Morgan Womack did not participate in this editorial.

This article is part of our printed September 14 issue. View the full issue here.