EDITORIAL | Let the First COVID-19 Cluster Be a Wakeup Call

Last March, when  Cornell shut its doors, students and faculty alike were scared and confused as to what the next few months would bring. Our future at Cornell was uncertain. Students fled from their dorms and houses, final goodbyes were rushed and every student body and faculty member gained a uniquely traumatic experience that will stay with them. No one knew quite how serious the coronavirus pandemic would get. Nearly six months later, the U.S. exceeds 6 million COVID-19 cases.

EDITORIAL: Administrators Took a Shaky First Step. Walk the Walk, Cornell.

The University’s decision to suspend classes and accelerate the timeline for Ithaca departure is jarring. In the few days since President Martha Pollack’s Tuesday announcement, many students booked travel based on the presumed knowledge that they would not be ushered off campus until March 28. Professors have worked with students assuming that they had some in-person communication to make the transition to online learning as smooth as possible. Now, students have been forced to amend their travel plans again. Entire course syllabi have been destroyed and the academic merit of the current Cornell semester has been called into question.