The Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916
WWW.DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, september 9, 2020
VOL. 103, ISSUE 29
A tale of three quarantines: Students on and off campus share their experiences
TĀmar Mosby | @mosbytamar
The number of university students in quarantine is still unknown to campus and the public. On Sept. 2, SIU reported 31 active cases of coronavirus among students, faculty and staff but these numbers do not include students who were told to quarantine. According to information given to the Daily Egyptian from three university RAs, students in quarantine are instructed to put chairs in front of their doors and are not allowed to tell other residents what the chairs mean. Luke Schauster, a first-year theater student at SIU said he found out his suitemate, with whom he shares a small bathroom, had come into contact with COVID-19 because he would hear a knock at the suitemate’s door each day and eventually decided to investigate. Schauster said when he went to check out the knocks, he discovered that food was being delivered to his suitemate because he was in quarantine. He said that he had not heard from the university or his suitemate about the situation prior to reaching out via text message. According to Schauster, a chair was not placed outside of his suitemate’s door in Neely Hall, nor was he notified of the designated quarantine taking place on the other side of his suite. “I looked out and I saw a meal placed in front of my suitemate’s door and I had never seen a chair in front of his door, which is what the university says is signifying
when someone’s quarantined. I texted him and asked if he had been quarantined and he said he had. That was after a week and a half of him being quarantined,” Schauster said. Despite sharing a bathroom with his suitemate, who was exposed to someone that tested positive for COVID-19, Schauster said he himself was not placed in quarantine or given any instructions on how to handle the situation. For students living on-campus, the dining hall is where many go to enjoy meals and socialize. Schauster said he suspects his suitemate, who is employed at Trueblood Dining Hall, came into contact with the individual who tested positive there. “My suitemate does work in the dining hall, so that’s where I’m assuming he came in contact with it because right before he was placed in quarantine, we got a message from our RA saying that it would be in our best interest if we stayed away from the dining hall for a couple of days,” Schauster said. “Then, I ended up hearing eventually that one of the dining hall workers had gotten it.” The message from Schauster’s RA reads as follows, “Hey guys, it would be in everyone’s BEST INTEREST to wear a mask AT ALL TIMES ON OUR FLOOR and to stray away from the dining hall.” After discovering his suitemate’s quarantine, Schauster said he has been looking into getting tested for COVID-19.
Please see Quarantine | Pg. 3
Lack of internet puts some students at a disadvantage
Rana Schenke | rschenke@dailyegyptian.com
The switch to online classes has left some SIU students at a technological disadvantage. These students are typically directed to seek assistance through Saluki Cares, a program through the SIU Dean of Students office that helps students with a variety of issues. Students can apply for technology assistance in the form of laptops, webcams or mobile hotspots, although students who live in Carbondale are unable to receive mobile hotspots. This means students without internet access who live in Carbondale have to come to campus or find another alternative to be able to complete their online coursework. Sienna Walaszek, a senior studying philosophy, does not have internet access at home and has been walking to campus to participate in online classes and do homework.
Please see Internet | Pg. 4