Men’s & Women’s Tennis Page 12 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Page 4
Sept. 24, 2020 — Vol. 99, Issue 2
Acknowledging our Hispanic side on campus Latinx heritage and culture celebrations on campus by JORGE RAMIREZ staff writer
It’s that time of year already! Fall is here, and in addition to being a time when students get to be back on campus, fall is also a time that marks the celebration of Latinx heritage and culture. Starting Sept. 15, Loras College is promoting a communitywide celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This is a designated time for students to acknowledge the histories,
cultures, and backgrounds of the American citizens whose ancestors come from a Hispanic nation. Students who are part of the Loras College chapter of the League of United L atin American Citizens (LULAC) organization hope to continue this celebration of Hispanic heritage in the coming years, as it has been a reality for the past three years already. Antonio Diaz, a senior at Loras College and a social activist for LULAC, expressed his gratitude for a college that understands the importance of diversity and proudly promotes the stories of their Hispanic Duhawks. He comments that:
“After four years of being a Duhawk, I can gladly state that Loras College has done an amazing job at not only attempting to promote Hispanic rights but at bringing more and more people in from different backgrounds. I have definitely noticed a statistical increase in terms of Spanish-speaking students amongst our student body, and it simply cannot be a coincidence. The Center for Inclusion & Advocacy has certainly played a big role in this.” In celebration, Loras College hosts a variety of activities that allow students to learn more about Hispanic culture. continued on Page 2
photo by JULIA MEDINA
Loras College raised flags for National Hispanic Heritage Month outside of Keane Hall. The flags, from left to right represent Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Panama, Columbia, and Brazil.
Masks to fight COVID-19 Use of masks strongly encouraged by health professionals by MARK MEDERSON professor & moderator
As Halloween approaches many students are thinking about their choice of costume. In a presidential election year, a rubber mask of the Republican or Democratic nominee is a simple way to dress up for a party. This year is different. When you hear the word mask you are more likely to envision the medical version. The mask that we now know is the best defense against spreading COVID-19. The virus is also known by another name, the novel coronavirus 19. The number 19 is because the virus was first identified in 2019. The novel is because it is new. So new that doctors and health professionals did not know exactly how to deal with the disease in the early days. In February the government agency, once considered the gold standard for health and medical information, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, publicly said that masks were not necessary as a defense for average citizens. The CDC was speaking of N-95 masks, considered to be the most effective in assuring the wearer is safe from infection. Another consideration for the CDC in publicly stating their advice against mask usage was a shortage of N-95 masks. These were desperately needed for hospital medical staff who were working to save the lives of people who were infected with the virus. In March of this year a YouTube video from a doctor went viral. Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen was showing viewers how and why to sterilize your groceries when you got home. In April a study published in the New England Journal
photo by CONTRIBUTED
LEFT TO RIGHT: Sophomore Kevin Kessel, junior Mary Fellers, and sophomore Keegan Godwin walk through Hoffmann Hall. Students agreed to wear masks in public spaces by choosing to come back to campus.
of Medicine focused on “hand hygiene” noting the importance of cleaning surfaces that may have been infected. When COVID first hit us, scientists were working from data that had been gathered from experiences with viruses that had been around for years. But after six months of fighting, scientists now have a better idea of what does and does not work in the battle against COVID. Dr. VanWingen’s advice to wipe your apples with bleach was based on experiences with previous viruses that were often transmitted by contacting infected surfaces. COVID is slightly different. “It’s not that [surface spread] can’t happen,” Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, M D, an i n fe c t i ou s d i s e a s e s physician and associate professor at the Boston University School of Medicine said, “it’s just that the
likelihood is less than if someone was actually right in front of you breathing live virus in their droplets onto you.” Health experts now believe the likelihood of infection from these droplets and aerosols, that come from our mouth or nose are far greater than from surface contact. Scientists now say it’s the aerosols that are perhaps the most dangerous. In an article on the website, Medium, Donald Milton, MD, PhD, a professor of environmental h e a lt h at t h e Un ive r s it y of Maryland, says that for most of us the terminology is often confusing. “A e r o s o l m e a n s t h a t i t ’s something that can float in the air, and how big it can be depends a lot on how much movement there is in the air,” Milton says. “Fairly large droplets that are coming from people talking, coughing,
sneezing, breathing, singing will float in the air depending on how much air movement we have.” Experts warn that this does not mean we can stop wiping surfaces or washing our hands. What it does mean is that social distancing and masks are now considered to be the best ways to limit the spread. Appearing before Congress just last week, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, emphasized the importance of wearing masks. As he held up a mask, Redfield said, “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine, because it may be 70%,” Redfield said. “And if I don’t get an immune response, the vaccine is not going to protect me. This face mask will.” In a press conference the next
day, President Trump said he thought Redfield, who Trump h an dpi cke d to b e t h e C D C director, was “confused” when he made his remarks before Congress. This isn’t the only time that the Trump administration has been accused of altering messages from the CDC. The New York Times published a story on Sept. 17 that showed officials from the Trump administration had been writing their own recommendations regarding COVID testing while saying the information came directly from the scientists at the CDC. This is in line with Trump’s own words from his interview with journalist Bob Woodward when Trump said he has purposely been downplaying the dangers of COVID. Two weeks ago, Trump, who has rarely been seen in public wearing a mask, asked a journalist to remove his while asking the president a question. Trump has been criticized for not being more forceful about suggesting that all Americans should be wearing masks all the time. That brings us to the Loras College campus. Students and faculty have been strictly adhering to the protocol of wearing masks in the classrooms. But since we now know about the importance of wearing them when it comes to reducing the spread of the disease, perhaps we need to be even more diligent about wearing our masks all the time. In the dorms. In apartments. Pretty much any time we’re around other people, including roommates. If we really want to stay healthy we need to wear our masks and keep our distance. In that same congressional hearing Redfield said if Americans wore face masks for several weeks, “we would bring this pandemic under control,” because there is scientific evidence they work and they are our “best defense.”