Montana Tech’s Chancellor Les Cook warned students on the Butte campus to avoid large off-campus gatherings because it’s bringing positive cases of COVID-19 on campus.
Some students believe they are being safe.
“I think we’re all self-aware about COVID and what the risks are and when we should be wearing a masks and when we should be social distancing,” said Montana Tech senior Isaac Ellis.
The chancellor sent a mass email to students, staff, and faculty that students are participating in off-campus gatherings without wearing masks. Freshman Sam Byrnes said he has not attended any large gatherings but has heard they have been happening.
“People should be safe when they’re going off-campus and gathering in small groups, but it’s college, what are you going to do, people are going to have parties,” said Montana Tech freshman Sam Byrnes.
While many students appreciate the importance of social distancing during this time of the pandemic, part of the college experience is socializing, so it’s difficult to convince 18, 19, 20-year-olds not to interact.
“When you’re in college and all you do is go to classes and you have free time and the weekends free, you’re going to meet up and go to parties, you know, one of the big things was to go to tailgate at football games, and since that got taken away, everyone’s just going out to parties or going out driving or whatever they can do,” said Byrnes.
