As more and more Ohio State students living on and off campus are diagnosed with coronavirus, passing the threshold at which the administration promised action, many have looked to the university for guidance. This morning, the Ohio State community received that guidance, with president Kristina Johnson sending out a mass email containing a JPEG of Brutus Buckeye in a mask.
The email is another in a long line of reassuring messages from the university, ranging from “we have a plan in place,” “the plan is coming along well,” to “the plan is to bring thousand of teenagers into a metropolitan area in group housing and food services and assume everything will work out fine”. However, this was the first time the university sent out a JPEG!
Sources report students frolicking in joy on the Oval from the news of the JPEG, while others sit on spray painted circles to share the cheer with their community. Some are wearing masks around their peers, following university guidelines. Some are not, which also might be fine? Maybe they’re roommates? Even if they’re not, they’re sitting in the same circle, which means they’re being safe. Or they’re using the circles wrong? Did we mention the JPEG is captioned “Go Bucks”?
This could not have come at a better time, with the entire campus struggling to juggle academic and financial responsibilities with their health. When asked for comment on the email, Julia Clarke, an RA responsible for students confirmed to have COVID-19 yet receiving no PPE, responded “Where the fuck is my hazard pay?” When we showed Ms. Clarke the email, she slapped us in the face. We guess someone’s antsy for football to start up again soon!
Written by Zack White, Contributor