Letter From the Editor

Utah State University Eastern faculty, staff and students,

I’m a student who has attended Eastern for almost four years. I’ve grown to love this place as a home away from home. The environment is great and the people make it even better. However, I cannot let my personal feelings about the school blind me to the problems I perceive is happening at Eastern.

It’s no secret that communication between the administration and students has been a point of contention in the past. There’s a lot going on around campus and it can be hard to keep that line of communication open. This is usually resolved quickly and everything runs smoothly. 

However, I find the current lack of communication between administration, housing, the USU COVID-19  team and the student body is dangerous. We’re in a pandemic that has killed 210,000 people. That’s not just a number, that’s a tally of human beings who died from the virus. Parents, siblings, grandparents and friends who are gone because of COVID-19. 

Students shouldn’t have to reach out to external sources (like a chart) to find out if coronavirus is on the campus. I recently found out that people were quarantined in my dorm unit. I didn’t find out from a school official, I just happened to hear it in passing. The virus could’ve been in my own living space and I wouldn’t have known. That’s a problem. As a person with pre-existing health conditions, I could’ve been facing an immediate danger to my health. 

Even worse is my little sister lives in the same building. I can’t imagine something happening to my family because of this negligence to provide information to students. 

I don’t write this to attack the administration or ask for sympathy. I am writing this for the COVID-19 team to hear in an effort to inform everyone about how this situation is affecting students on this campus. I love this school; I want to see it thrive. If that’s going to happen, we must have honesty and open communication.

Cody Phelps