OPINIONS

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

The MarqueTTe Tribune OpiNiONs

PAGE 10

Aimee Galaszewski, Executive Director Benjamin Wells, Managing Editor of The Marquette Tribune Skyler Chun, Managing Editor of The Marquette Journal

ediTorial board

Alexandra Garner, Executive Opinions Editor Hope Moses, Assistant Opinions Editor

Megan Woolard, News Executive John Leuzzi, Sports Executive Randi Haseman, A&E Executive Lelah Byron, Projects Editor Eleanor McCaughey, Copy Chief Grace Pionek, Design Chief Izzy Bonebrake, Executive Photo Editor Andrew Amouzou, Station Manager of MUTV Reese Seberg, Station Manager of MURadio Alex Rivera Grant, Editor of Diversity and Inclusion

Students are not security guards.

Marquette University needs to reconsider its safety protocols for university housing in order to protect students’ safety and rights as student workers.

Humphrey Hall and Carpenter Hall were open over winter break, but were staffed 24/7 by either desk receptionists or Safety Security Officers, university spokesperson Lynn Griffith said in an email.

Students would enter the unlocked doors and swipe their IDs under the supervision of the staff at the desk. Griffith also said that when students return to campus, all of the entrances to the residence halls will be unlocked and staffed 24/7 by DRs or SSOs.

While DRs often receive Title XI, Red Watch Band and FERPA training to become a DR in residence halls, the training is minimal and does not include active shooter training. DRs also often don’t receive retraining on a yearly basis.

MUPD does offer active shooter training to those who request it on campus. This should be mandatory for students and SSOs working in university housing. This is an issue.

Students should not be the last line of defense between an intruder and getting into the building. DRs are not security guards.

Recently, two people were hurt after an active shooter fired multiple shots at a fight that broke out in a gymnasium at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. Although the incident didn’t occur in a residence hall, it showcases that college campuses are not exempt from active shooter threats.

Many front desks have panic buttons that DRs can press in case of an emergency, which would call the Marquette University Police Department. While this is an important safety measure, there should be more lines of defense. Rather than having to call MUPD after an incident has already occurred,

Marquette should implement more proactive and preventative measures.

Additionally, not all of the panic buttons are in close reach to where the DRs sit, such as in Humphrey Hall. This inaccessibility makes the panic buttons largely ineffective if a threatening person were to enter the building.

Students should not have to choose between their safety and having an on-campus job.

Moreover, many of the SSOs don’t receive the same security training as security guards. Their duties consist of communicating which students are past visitation hours and assisting resident assistants with their final night tours. SSOs also talk with DRs when they transition at midnight about anything that needs to be addressed in the building.In addition to staffing the front desks with student workers or SSOs, Marquette should keep all residence hall entrances locked, requiring students to scan

STAFF EDITORIAL Student safety at jeopardy their MUIDs to gain access. Other universities such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have several residence halls locked 24 hours a day. Residents living in these buildings either have to scan in with a key fob or their student IDs. While transitioning students out with SSOs during late hours of the night is helpful for making sure only residents are in the building after visitation hours, they deserve to be protected as well. Some academic buildings like Engineering Hall and Johnston Hall are locked after a certain time during the night, so students, faculty and staff who have connections to these buildings have to scan their MUIDs after they lock. Additionally, there is inconsistency across university apartments. Some are locked at night while others are not locked, and some are staffed while others are not. The Marq apartment building also has a broken front door.

Student safety cannot be left up to chance. Marquette students and families deserve better. Taking a serious look at Marquette’s safety measures is especially important with the recent increase in crimes on Marquette’s campus last semester.

While MUPD and safety measures like the LIMO van services and BlueLights around Marquette’s campus are often main focuses of safety conversations, implementing simple changes to residence hall safety is essential. Having several and diversified lines of safety could protect students and SSOs in a preventative way as well.

Safety should be a top priority for Marquette across all areas of campus. Preventing these issues from falling through the cracks could be the difference in protecting someone’s life.

COVID-19 safety measures cannot be performative again

Laura Niezgoda

Since the official start of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities across the United States have gone through transformations in the hopes of providing a “safe” environment to educate students.

Over 68 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the U.S. since cases first started being tracked in the country two years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jan. 19.

As undergraduate students begin a new semester this week, Marquette University has taken action against COVID-19 in an effort to create an environment that protects the “health, safety, and well-being” of its students. However, instead of ensuring the health and safety of the students, Marquette’s actions appear to be performative and regressive. In the COVID-19 climate that students now find themselves in due to the omicron variant, the return to a normal, in-person college experience seems far away.

These actions consisted of delaying the start of a second semester, canceling in-person retreats such as the LeaderShape Instituteand requiring all students to upload proof of COVID-19 booster by Feb. 1. Along with these measures, Marquette extended its mask policy inside the classroom, residence halls and other public spaces across the university. The self-reported symptom tracker, COVID Cheq, must be shown in order to enter spaces such as the dining halls and library.

Contract tracing, which tracks COVID-19 exposures in classrooms and extracurriculars, and different modalities for classes, such as the option to go online for a class, are also aspects of Marquette life that supposedly help to protect students’ safety.

Every action that Marquette attempts to take in ensuring the safety of its students is not actively enforced or effective on campus and is merely a performative act of public statement. These protocols include the mask mandate, COVID Cheq and delaying the start of the spring semester. In its most recent announcement on COVID-19 protocols for campus, the university did not specify if students who fail to comply with these policies will receive any punishments.

Last semester, the measures that Marquette took against COVID-19 were minimal in comparison to the previous academic year. Social distancing protocols were done away with, allowing students to sit next to their friends in the dining hall, library and other locations. Masks were worn irregularly by residents in residence halls in the fall semester, despite constant encouragement and non-punitive documentation by resident assistants. This also occurred in public spaces like the library, where there was little direct enforcement by staff and instead passive reminders like signs and announcements.

COVID Cheq was often seen as a joke by students, as memes came out on the Barstool Marquette Instagram page. It showcased the inefficiency of the COVID Cheq, as a student just responds “no” to a question asking whether or not they are diagnosed with COVID-19.

The hope of delaying the start of the spring semester was to provide more time to students to get the booster shot, as well as allow time for the omicron variant to pass its peak.

The omicron variant, while it will infect most of the vaccinated, is a less severe version of COVID-19 in comparison to the delta variant. This knowledge presents hope, but frustration as well.

Omicron infects many, but the level of hospitalizations and deaths have been lower in comparison to the caseloads. Along with this, those who do reach that severity of illness with omicron are largely unvaccinated. Along with this, COVID-19 largely does not hospitalize or cause death in the majority of cases among college-aged students, despite being the group that accounts for most of the cases, per the CDC. In the U.S., people ages 18-29 only account for .61% of total deaths from COVID-19.

Enforcement is not a priority to neither Marquette nor Milwaukee.

The City of Milwaukee issued a mask mandate Jan. 18 that lasts until March 1, but acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson said that enforcing it is not a priority. These performative measures not only cause discord among the divided groups but also do little to stop the spread of COVID-19.

With 117 confirmed COVID-19 cases last week, and the university classifying cases as “red” in the status on the COVID-19 Dashboard, it is essential Marquette takes real action.

If Marquette’s values lie in protecting its student body, it must uphold that through enforcement of its COVID-19 protocols. This semester already looks different from the last and time will tell if Marquette will stop being performative.

Photo by Josh Meitz joshua.meitz@marquette.edu

Marquette University is requiring everyone regardless of vaccination status to wear face masks in shared indoor spaces on campus during spring 2022

Bullying impacts linger, lead to issues later in life

Krisha Patel

Bullying is a prominent issue in grade schools across the United States that can have lasting effects throughout someone’s life.

According to stopbullying.gov, over 20% of kids have reported being bullied or picked on during their grade school years all the way through the end of high school. Students who are bullied can experience negative impacts later on in their lives, especially in college. Some effects of bullying could be struggling with mental health, getting involved with crimes or engaging in substance abuse.

No matter the circumstances, there is no excuse for bullying.

According to American Addictions Center, long-term impacts of bullying can cause mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. It can also decrease selfesteem. These factors can impact a college student, making them feel isolated. They may struggle with living on their own or with a roommate for the first time, making new friends and meaningful relationships and asking for help in their classes.

Furthermore, prolonged anxiety and depression can lead to substance abuse. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 53% of college students admit to underage or excessive drinking. In addition, according to Turnbridge, a mental health and substance abuse addiction treatment program, 43% of students reported doing “illicit” drugs.

While most of these high numbers come from peer pressure, this can also be a way to cope with their emotions and unresolved trauma by altering their emotional pain. However, they are not familiar with the repercussions.

Bullying may also lead to unresolved anger issues which can cause harm to others. Many school shootings have occurred when the perpetrator was a victim of bullying. Adam Lanza, who was the shooter in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting that resulted in 28 deaths and 2 injuries went to school there as a child and was reported to be bullied. Similarly, Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting who killed 17 and injured 14 people, was also reported to be bullied while he was a student there.

While bullying is not an excuse for these tragedies or these people’s actions, it may be an explanation, as bullying may have exacerbated personal and mental issues they were already dealing with.

While students’ actions cannot be monitored 24/7, bullying could be prevented by schools instilling preventative measures. Teachers can constantly remind students of how to treat others with respect, Also, they can foster better communication skills in all the students involved so that they can better express their feelings rather than resort to unhealthier ways, such as bullying. They can also take proper discipline methods for students that instigate bullying.

For example, Jane Addams Middle School in Lawndale, California, enforces an anti-bullying program for students. The program encourages and teaches them to stand up for themselves and each other. Additionally, the school has a counseling and group mediation program that helps both students who are victims of bullying and the students who bully.

Other grade schools should implement similar programs. Some examples can be therapy and group mediation. Both are methods for students to express their feelings with a certified therapist and learn ways to manage their emotions. With group therapy, students can lean on each other to talk about difficult experiences and share techniques. It can also be a way for the person doing the bullying and the victims to talk with a supervising professional.

Even universities can offer programs to deal with the after effects of bullying, such as therapy and group meditation. Marquette offers both of these resources through Holthusen Hall.

The emotional violence and trauma that victims of bullying experience can lead to mental health issues, engaging in drugs and alcohol and expressing their anger in an inappropriate way. To prevent bullying or help victims cope, teachers and educators should encourage better discipline to prevent bullying.

They should also encourage therapy for everyone involved to better express their feelings and emotions and learn how they can cope in a much healthier way. Schools could even adopt practices and suggestions from anti-bullying programs such as STOMPoutbullying.org and Stopbullying.gov that aim to put an end to bullying.

If we work to address bullying at a young age, long-term effects that drastically and negatively alter the course of someone’s life could be avoided. This could help to prevent mass tragedies, drug addictions and mental health issues, allowing people to live freely from these struggles.

Krisha Patel is a junior studying nursing and Spanish for the health professions. She can be reached at

krisha.patel@marquette.edu

Protect women’s right to autonomy, choice

Grace Cady

“Choice” is an important word that is often abandoned in the volatile arguments we see in the United States today regarding abortion laws and rights. Women having the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion and how to handle pregnancy is important and should not be overlooked.

We see people of all genders vocalizing their distaste for recent legislation aimed to undermine or abolish safe access to abortion care. It isn’t necessarily because these people wish for women to have abortions, it’s because they wish for them to have the choice.

However, the prospect of choice for women in America is growing slim. It has become increasingly apparent that Roe v. Wade is under attack in the United States. The Supreme Court upheld a Texas law Dec. 2021 that will ban abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. And it seems that this is only the beginning of a reignited movement against women’s reproductive rights.

Soon, a decision will be made on the pending court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This case is regarding the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi state law which prohibits abortion operations following the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. This is the law that will challenge Roe v. Wade and perhaps threaten its existence entirely.

Wisconsin could see a 172-yearold abortion law go back into effect if the Supreme Court were It is difficult to stomach how much they seem to care about restricting women’s rights and how little regard they have for the actual result of that. Fighting for restrictive laws to pass and then dismissing children’s access to food, housing, schooling, safety and quality of life is vile.

There is also another half of this whole conversation: the mothers. Women who are not granted safe and accessible abortion health care are in danger. Unlike what Republicans and pro-lifers think, abortions will still happen even if they are illegal, just as they did before Roe v. Wade.

Unsafe abortions are significantly higher in countries with restrictive abortion laws and these can result in serious injury such as organ failure or even death. In addition to this, women are often ignored, dismissed as the carrier of a life and not a life herself. It is dehumanizing to leave women with no choice if they become pregnant considering they could be victims of rape, suffer from life threatening pregnancies or be unable to provide for a child due to their life circumstances.

With abortion being such a highly emotionally charged conversation, as a country we often find ourselves, pro-life and pro-choice alike, arguing. Fighting rather than aligning; shouting rather than listening. As difficult as it can be, sometimes we need to take a moment to look into the eyes, read the words or listen to the voices of people we disagree with and understand their perspective; even if it does not change our own, at least we are making a conscious effort to empathize and even learn.

As a pro-choice woman, I will never look at somebody “pro-life” with judgment and hatred but instead seek to understand their perspective. There can be endless contributing factors to how and why somebody

to overturn Roe v. Wade. This law makes providing an abortion a felony in the state with a penalty of up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Many Republican politicians who support restricting or overturning abortion laws remain unable to put their money where their mouth is and can more fairly be regarded as “pro-birth” or “anti-choice” than “pro-life.”

As the fight continues to slash reproductive rights in America, we see a paralleled fight to pull away support for mothers and children, making it seem that they are not pro-life at all. Republican lawmakers have put forth more restrictive policies to qualify for food stamps, opposed access to citizenship for “Dreamers” and the foster care system is still in shambles with little government support.

Yet, Republicans’ fight to put an end to safe abortions as quickly and carelessly as possible looms large. thinks a certain way: religion, family influences, their education or life events that have shaped them. The rhetoric surrounding abortion has become so intense, it seems we have turned our minds off to opposing arguments when instead we could consider and make progress.

Choice is an important word to me and it should be an important word in America. We have the choice to believe as we wish and vote as we see fit, I have the choice to share this with you and hope you can understand why the pro-choice movement must stand strong and fight to see positive changes. Women deserve to have choice, control over their bodies and confidence that they will be protected in the event of pregnancy.

Grace Cady is a sophomore studying Journalism. She can be be reached at

grace.cady@marquette.edu

Statement of Opinion Policy

The opinions expressed on the Opinions page reflect the opinions of the Opinions staff. The editorials do not represent the opinions of Marquette University nor its administrators, but those of the editorial board.

The Marquette Tribune prints guest submissions at its discretion. The Tribune strives to give all sides of an issue an equal voice over the course of a reasonable time period. An author’s contribution will not be published more than once in a four-week period. Submissions with obvious relevance to the Marquette community will be given priority consideration.

Full Opinions submissions should be limited to 500 words. Letters to the editor should be between 150 to 250 words. The Tribune reserves the right to edit submissions for length and content.

Please e-mail submissions to: alexandra.garner@marquette.edu. If you are a current student, include the college in which you are enrolled and your year in school. If not, please note any affliations to Marquette or your current city of residence.