● Response To Alumni Article on Vaccine Mandates and Pro Tem Coverage of Current Events

Rejean Ghanem French Journalist

The pandemic has surely been a very tiring and exhausting time. I’m sure we can all agree that we want things to go back to normal as fast as possible. Upon receiving an Alumni Feature article on Pro Tem’s lack of reaction to mandates, Pro Tem has the right to kindly defend itself in a respectful manner.

As stated by the alumnus, Pro Tem has not spoken up against government mandates. This is not because we are apprehensive about sharing our own opinions. Instead, it’s likely because most students are sick of hearing about the pandemic. When you are consumed with academics, work, and extracurriculars, writing about the mandates takes a backseat, and may not be prioritized by Pro Tem members. In fact, people are so tired of seeing COVID in the news that a new term has popped up: “COVID fatigue.” However, we are a newspaper that represents the student body. Therefore, if someone would like to write about their frustrations with the mandates, they are free to do so. We represent the student body’s thoughts and feelings, and operate as a safe space for students to express themselves. However, we have not received any opinion pieces on mandates to this date. Of course, to reiterate, this does not mean that every student is in agreement with how the government has handled the pandemic. It could just mean that students are caught up in their own personal lives and have not found the time to write. Many people are emotionally and mentally drained. As mandates presently near their end, it is likely that people will prioritize travelling and going out. Additionally, it’s worth noting that mandates are a provincial issue, not federal. We have, however, received an anonymous contribution from a York University student who wrote about the ineffectiveness of the York University Covid screening system, YU Screen. It could be that York University students are more bothered by completing the daily and tedious YU Screen than the fact that there are on-campus vaccine mandates. You can find this article titled “What’s the Deal with YU Screen” on the Pro Tem website. The division has equally stemmed from both sides. Pro Tem desires to unite students, and pointing fingers has never worked in favour of this goal. Good writing certainly does take you to “good places,” which is why we are proud to be Ontario’s only bilingual newspaper. At the end of the day, to promote unity we have to support one another. This pandemic has wreaked havoc on people’s mental health, physical health, emotions, friendships, and family life. Instead of pointing fingers, we must ask ourselves: “How can we move forward?”