The damage of the COVID-19 pandemic is no secret. We have witnessed events canceled, schools closed and hospitals filled beyond capacity. More than 197,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and millions more have lost their jobs, leaving them insecure in an already confusing time. We have seen firsthand both the physical and mental impacts that this pandemic has caused. It has cost us the ability to socialize in any normal fashion and forced us to alter our plans for the future with little certainty of what even the next week will look like. Few aspects of our lives remain unscathed.

Despite these circumstances, the Washington University community has been given the privilege to return to campus this semester. If the University community wishes to partake in that privilege, however, we cannot ignore the responsibility that accompanies the realities of an in-person semester. Students and the University must work together to ensure the safety of ourselves and others: We must meet this challenge with empathy, transparency and diligence.

As you start to settle into your new life on campus, it is imperative that you empathize with your peers and recognize the variety in all of our situations. This pandemic has uprooted people from their homes and thrust many into a state of financial instability. In so many ways, COVID-19 has presented individuals with unexpected challenges and circumstances. The severity of these issues varies from person to person, so now more than ever is it important to try and understand one another, as anyone at any given time can be struggling with the impacts of the pandemic.

Some of these impacts may be directly attributed to someone contracting the virus, in which case shaming someone for contracting the virus is fully unacceptable, regardless of how it was contracted. The fear, isolation and uncertainty that may accompany a coronavirus diagnosis are enough weight on their own. People do not need to be met with scrutiny or condemnation. Instead, they should be met with support and understanding. Regardless of what students do, there is still a risk of illness, and we must recognize that even if we follow all rules and guidelines, there will still likely be cases, as that is simply the nature of viruses. Thus, it is essential that we treat each other equally with kindness, as we have no way of knowing what our peers who are struggling with the virus are going through.

This is not to say, however, that knowing that cases may arise regardless of our actions gives us an excuse to disregard COVID-19 rules and guidelines. Yes, there will likely be some positive cases no matter what. But a blatant disregard of rules regarding social distancing, mask usage and large gatherings will only serve to actively and aggressively endanger the health of so many in our community. COVID-19 has proven to disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and those from a low socioeconomic background. Many members of the Wash. U. community share these identities, and thus it is unfair to yourself, other members of the Wash.U. community and members of the St. Louis region to enter into this semester with the false notion that because we are young adults, we will be unaffected.

You are not an exception to the rules of the coronavirus. Your actions have repercussions far beyond any perception of the Wash. U. bubble. In St. Louis County, there is a 92% chance of at least one individual being COVID-19 positive in a group of 100 people. But what about something smaller? What about a small get together or an indoor dinner with a friend group? For a group of 10 people in St. Louis County, there is a 22% chance that at least one of the individuals has the coronavirus. These probabilities are far too high and too real for us to ignore. Any and all of us are susceptible to contracting the virus, and we are just as susceptible to spreading it. Your get together or party is not worth another person’s health and stability.

Many Missouri universities have already reopened to frightening results. Since the reopening of universities, the state has seen more than 7,000 college-age students test positive for the coronavirus. Cases will rise, but as students, it is not our duty to knowingly increase this number. To do so is simply to demonstrate a complete lack of care and understanding of our peers.

At best, this semester will simply be difficult. At worst, it could be disastrous. In order for us to continue to be on campus, we all need to do our part. The Student Life Editorial Board implores students to remember that your actions do not impact you alone and urges the University to maintain transparent communication with the Wash. U. community. Only through the action and commitment of both students and the University can we ensure the safety of our community.