RV Residents Speak about Quarantine

By: Morgan Jacobus, Editor-in-Chief

photo courtesy of Morgan Jacobus

Last week, Residence Village residents were sent shocking news: that all of them were being forced into quarantine. Such a decision impacted 137 students. This event carried so much magnitude that it was even covered by local news stations like The Denver Post, KDVR, and 9 News. 

Due to the high levels of frustration coming from the students affected, we at the Highlander decided to send out a form to welcome responses from the RV residents themselves. When filling out the form, students had the option to remain anonymous, and many chose to take advantage of that option, which was anticipated due to the controversial nature of the situation at hand. 

-----

The email announcement was sent Tuesday 9/15 at 7:10pm

“Over the last week, we have experienced a pronounced increase in the number of positive cases on campus. In particular, the number of cases in the Residential Village have made up nearly 60% of all cases on campus since the new academic year began.   As a result, the University has received orders from the DDPHE to enact increased measures to slow the spread of the virus. As such, in accordance with the revised guidance, we are directing occupants of The Residential Village to engage in a period of Enhanced Quarantine & Self-Monitoring for fourteen (14) days beginning immediately.  This quarantine is scheduled to expire at 8 a.m. on September 30, 2020 but may be extended as needed to slow the spread of the virus within our community.”

Many students felt that there were communication problems with how the announcement was made and how some further questions were not answered. 

“I also didn't appreciate the email coming to us after hours. It felt like they didn’t want to answer questions or want to talk to us. There was some limited information and it was confusing. Communication is so important even now and it’s not fair that we weren’t given proper nor respectful communication the day we were notified,” wrote anonymous. 

“I wanted to know why no one else had to quarantine, and I have yet to get a good answer,” wrote anonymous. 

Some students didn’t understand why dorms weren’t more affected by cases and/ or quarantine. 

“I think in some ways its what should have happened overall at other dorm [buildings] since [there’s more] shared areas, [whereas] the RVs are shared between a small amount of people,” wrote an anonymous student

“I think the quarantine should be for everyone in all dorms rather than just the RVs if they are trying to contain the spread,” wrote an anonymous student

“I think that it is unfair that all of us have to be quarantined, even if our tests come back negative. I think this because we don’t all live in a shared building, instead we share with 3-5 others. I think it would be more understandable to quarantine a whole dorm, as they all have a common entrance, staircase, and bathrooms,”  wrote an anonymous student. 

There were also disagreements about provisions about the quarantine. Some of the guidelines were expected, such as: no guests; not gathering in common spaces without masks and social distancing; not being allowed to go to an on-campus job, the library, the gym, and other buildings on campus excluding the dining hall. However, while there were several guidelines that made sense to the residents, there were some that they struggled to agree with. 

For instance, the email mentioned that students were allowed to visit the dining facilities in the Student Center or Claver Hall on a “grab and go basis” while wearing masks and practicing social distancing. However, once the quarantine was put in place, there were questions of how effective this guideline was, and how well the enforcement was of students leaving their RVs. 

One anonymous student wrote, “I also don’t understand what the point of ‘quarantine’ is when we can go to the caf and can leave to go off campus and there are such loose rules on regulating us going anywhere.” 

According to the email, the RA’s would “be entering common spaces at least once every evening and documenting any violations.” However, another aspect of the quarantine that was questioned in the responses was the role of the RA’s and how well they were upholding their responsibilities. 

“[The quarantine is necessary] because people are being selfish and ignorant and some even neglecting their responsibilities that give them free [room] and free meal plans and even a small scholarship,” wrote an anonymous student. 

Another anonymous student wrote, “I feel the leadership shown by most of the RAs has been very questionable. If I am not wrong, the head RA lives in 303 and they are the loudest ones on the block sometimes. I have seen many people come in and out of their RV throughout the last couple of weeks (no maks btw) and have even been woken up by their music. If Regis wants us to follow their guidelines, then they should hire those who also follow them.” 

However, the most objection in the responses came in related to the requirement to get tested, but “testing negative will not expedite release from quarantine,” according to the email. Out of the 19 responses, 13 responses included frustrations about being in quarantine even if their entire RV tests negative. 

Some students wrote:

“I thought it wasn’t smart to quarantine people that may not even have the virus,” wrote anonymous. 

“… if every person in an RV tests negative, then we are in here for no reason. We aren’t spreading the virus if  we all test negative, so why should we be punished?” wrote Matthew Gaffney. 

“I dont think it makes sense to get punished for other people’s dumb actions, especially since some of us have been following the rules and also tested negative,” wrote anonymous.  

“… if you test negative then let us be FREE,” wrote anonymous.

“It is a good idea to slow the spread but, I feel like if my test result is negative, and my roommates are as well, we should be able to go to classes and buildings on campus,” wrote Molly Schmanke. 

“I also don’t find it fair that if we get a negative test result we still have to be quarantined. If our whole RV tested negative we should be able to leave,” wrote anonymous. 

“I’m still at a loss as to why we must [remain] quarantined even if we get a negative test result. Unimpressed,” wrote anonymous. 

Other grievances about the quarantine include how it is punishing the mass for the mistakes of the few. Many students commented on how they believe that this action was the result of a few people choosing to not follow COVID guidelines for the entire campus, leading to the entire Residence Village being placed under quarantine. 

“I think it’s inconsiderate to punish all RV residents due to the mistakes of a few people,” wrote anonymous. 

“I think that it’s not fair that we all have to be quarantined when it’s only a select few not following the rules. I also think that is unfair that everyone is getting punished when we have been doing what we were told. It’s also not fair that we are the only ones getting punished when there have been others not following the rules,” wrote anonymous. 

“I do appreciate Regis taking this seriously and having us all test, but I do also think it’s ridiculous that all of us who have been following guidelines are being punished even if we test negative for covid. I’m missing classes I cannot make up at all during this time and it’s putting a lot of stress on me,” wrote anonymous. 

Further building upon the common theme of thinking of the quarantine as a punishment was the expression of outrage by several students for the people who weren’t being careful. 

“Those actively choosing to ignore are self-centered individuals who see themselves above the common good and should be addressed as such,” wrote an anonymous student. 

“I feel like I’m being punished for other people that lack self-control and responsibility. To those people who decided they wanted to go to parties off campus: fuck you,” wrote an anonymous student. 

“There are definitely people still seeing each other and this is doing nothing except ruining things for those of us who are actually following the rules,” wrote an anonymous student.  

Other complaints came in the form of questioning the effectiveness of this safety measure in comparison to what else could’ve been done. 

“... the school is reacting rather than preventing. Had they been here to shut down all the parties, maybe we wouldn’t be here (not to say that the party people should have been partying in the first place [eyes emoji]),” wrote an anonymous student.

“I don’t appreciate being locked up in my room when I don’t feel sick and I’m not showing any symptoms. I came to live on campus accepting any risk that may present itself hoping I could [at least] try to have a [half-way] normal semester. I get isolating anyone who is actually sick but why the students who are in perfectly good health?” wrote an anonymous student. 

Though this quarantine, and other measures the university may take, is the reality for the time being, some students are choosing to make the best of the situation by trying to understand the precaution. 

“I think it is an unfortunate necessity,” wrote an anonymous student. 

“COVID is not a joke and I am so surprised people still think that way. Almost 200k in the US alone have died because of this awful virus. Please just wear your masks and take this quarantine seriously. Don’t sneak out, stay home, catch up on homework, bond with your roomies, I honestly don’t care. But please be aware that your actions affect all of us This [is] a community, it is time to start thinking that way,” wrote an anonymous student. 

As Regis’ “new normal” continues to change, the students and the Regis community have to adapt along with it, whether they agree with it or not. However, if you wish to speak out about something that you think isn’t fair, send a response to theregishighlander@gmail.com and we might share it! 

-----

Thank you to everyone who responded to our form, I tried to represent as many voices as I could in this article. 

(Note: response excerpts were used to illustrate certain themes among responses, responses were edited for clarity through the use of brackets but were otherwise untouched.)

Our Campus Rally RUSGA’s Way of Showing Strength Against Hate

Photo Source // Catie Cheshire,

By: Catie Cheshire, Editor-in-Chief

On the night of Wednesday, Sept. 25, the Regis community received an RU Alert notifying them that a flier with the image of a swastika was found in a professor’s office. This notification was disturbingly similar to one issued last November when fliers proclaiming “White Lives Matter” written above a swastika were placed under the doors of Jewish and black faculty in the Loretto Heights School of Nursing. Because of that history, when the Regis University Student Government Association (RUSGA) received the notification they knew they wanted to act quickly.

“We needed to send a strong message to our student body today that RUSGA isn’t just sitting on our hands doing nothing,” said RUSGA President Annelise Pehr. Pehr explained that RUSGA carefully considered what their action should be in light of cultural factors that this generation of Regis students face such as passivity due to feeling like it’s impossible to prevent hateful actions like these. That’s why they settled on a rally—not only to show students and faculty that they have a community to lean on, but to show people who might perpetuate hate that the community is stronger than them. 

RUSGA also coordinated emailing professors to ask them to talk about the incident in class and address it with students so that students would have formal channels to discuss the incident if they needed them. They even coordinated poster-making in the Student Center to help students put their emotions into words and strengthen the message of the rally. Though the poster-making wasn’t well attended Pehr emphasized that giving students options and organizing a unifying event quickly was RUSGA’s main goal.

“We live in a world where everyone likes to plan and there’s something really powerful about momentum and responding immediately,” Pehr said. “Rather than it being a perfect event let’s show students that we’re here for them right away.” That momentum clearly functioned as, just 24-hours later, Regis community members gathered in front of the Student Center to rally together.

Pehr opened up the rally by reading a statement from Yael Green, a Jewish Regis student who is studying abroad but wanted to respond when she saw the RU Alert. Green, who spoke at the March Against Hate RUSGA organized last year in response to the previous incident, expressed her sadness at having to make another statement, urging Regis’ administration to take stronger preventative actions. However, Green also expressed hope that coming together as a community could change the pattern of hate.

“While I am angry, frustrated, scared, and sad, I can’t lose the hope that our campus can condemn these actions,” she stated. “The Jewish people have faced countless forms of prejudice and have experienced extreme events such as the Crusades, the pogroms, the Holocaust, and more. Every time, we keep showing up and ensuring that we have a place in our world. Jews are taught to love our neighbors, to live closely with the same God our monotheistic communities share, and to repair our world bit by bit.” 

Pehr then emphasized that those repairs don’t fall only on the Jewish community. They fall on everyone at Regis because every person is affected when hateful or racist incidents like this one occur.

RUSGA Vice President Nicholas Aranda took over to continue that theme and contextualize the situation further. Aranda described last year’s events and made it clear that these incidents are born of white supremist ideology which is part of what makes them so unacceptable. According to Aranda, rather than let white supremacy go unanswered, Regis gathered today to reclaim our campus, hence the name of the event, “Our Campus”.

At the March Against Hate that Aranda harkened back to, students met on the steps of the library. That’s the traditional space where Regis students have always met to protest and to rally. For example, in fall 2016 Regis held a Black Lives Matter rally on those stairs. For this rally, RUSGA wanted to do something different.

RUSGA Vice President of Diversity Regi Worles, who took the podium next, explained that they wanted to meet at the Student Center because they knew students would be the people pushing for change and asking the tough questions in light of this incident. Worles said that goes back to the Jesuit values that guide Regis students like cura personalis and magis. According to Worles, the idea what we ought show up for each other, care for each other and continually pursue justice through difficult times are sewn into our campus and RUSGA wants to lead that charge.

This event was the start of actions in that pursuit for a more just world. RUSGA Vice President of Involvement Tricia Charfauros took the mic to continue that action by leading students in a chant of, “This is our community. This is our campus. This is Regis,” before welcoming the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Bob Engel, to share some words. 

Engel and some fellow Trustees learned about the rally today and came after their board meeting ended. Engel came because he wanted to thank student leadership for calling out causes that need to be called out. He emphasized that the Board knows that the heart of a college campus is the faculty and students and the Board stands with faculty and students against incidents like these.

“This type of act is nothing short of disgusting,” Engel said. “It’s nothing short of unacceptable...The trustees are asking the hard question of, ‘How can this happen?’ You can’t stop everything from happening but I can assure you that the administration of this university, the trustees of this university, will employ the resources we need to to make sure we can prevent this from happening.” Engel’s statement echoed sentiments of student leaders and added reassurance that the Board is informed and knows they have a role to play in creating change.

To culminate the event, students partook in a silent march around the quad, walking in solidarity with each other around the center of campus to take back the space that a hateful person tried to make unsafe.

“This move was made in cowardice,” Aranda said in his remarks. “It’s a tactic done to silence, to divide communities and claim space. Our presence here and now holds more space than they did yesterday...We take up more space in unity and in pride.” 

That statement summarizes RUSGA’s hope that this rally would serve as a useful reminder that even in the face of hatred Regis can stand strong together.

Regis University Hero: Tanner

Glam shots with Tanner! Available on Fridays from 2:00-2:45pm. //Frances Men-Frecker

By: Rose Ferrie, Staff Reporter

For those of you who do not know, we have an amazing hero here at Regis University, one I am very close with and always brings a smile to my face. Tanner is a therapy dog here on campus and truly calms your soul. You can’t help but smile when in his presence. He is an 8 year old golden retriever who is full of love and a keen intuition, making him a perfect therapy companion. He is great at reading people’s moods and being present with students when they are stressed, sad, tired or just need a furry friendly creature in their lives. His owner Rebekkah is a counselor here at Regis and commented that the healing power of an animal is powerful, it is evident that everyone who comes to see Tanner is better for it. I, and many others, believe he is a key part of Regis University, particularly in the midst of the intensity of being a student. You can see Tanner every Friday from 2:00-2:45 pm in the fitness center in the small workout room. No matter what mood you’re in when you arrive, you will leave feeling happier and smiling. You will not regret visiting with this golden pup!

Hate Crimes Community Forum

By: Sally Andarge, Social Media Editor

On November 9, Regis hosted a Hate Crimes Community forum in Claver Hall, room 315. Guest speakers at the forum included a panel of law enforcement officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Denver Police Department.

Tensions across our campus are high given the recent white supremacist notes that found their way around campus and the March Against Hate to rise against them. In a moment like this, question of hate crimes are inevitable.The forum was timely following the acts of extreme hate that have occurred on our campus in the past two weeks, impacting community members on and off campus.  

The forum kicked off with a few words from Father Fitzgibbons. He called the Regis community to put political difference aside in order to eradicate hate and recognize one another for who we really are.

After his speech, Father Fitzgibbons called the Assistant District Attorney of Denver to give a quick introduction to the history of hate crime law and what exactly constitute a hate crime.

He started by explaining to the audience that there are a series of federally protected classes. Those classes are race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, and ability. Luckily, Colorado is one of the few states that considers sexual orientation a protected class even though federal law does not. Colorado added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes in 2009.

He then moved on to what constitutes a hate crime. He explained that criminal acts are usually deemed hate crimes when there is evidence of hateful ideology. The example that he gave was the Charleston church shooting, where 21-year-old white supremacist, Dylann Roof, killed nine African American church goers during a prayer service. He explained that it wasn’t deemed a hate crime just because all of the victims were people of color, the evidence that made it a hate crime were his personal journal and social media posts where he had openly racist and white supremacist statements. This allowed them to link his targeted attack on people of color to white supremacist ideology.

It is so unfortunate that in 2018 we still consistently see hate crimes and hate speech. In a time where we find so much progress, alarming events like these still shock us to the reality of deeply founded fear and hate. When faced with these acts as a community, it is critical we understand the law and protections against hate. These events are not isolated to just our campus, in fact, in 2015 there were 107 hate crimes that took place in Colorado alone. We hope that as a community (and eventually as a society) that we will be able to overcome hate.

It's Not Okay To Spread Hate

By: Sally Andarge, Social Media Editor

On Thursday, November 1,  the Regis community was shocked by white supremacist signage posted around campus. Students reported finding “It’s OK to be white” signs posted on every building on campus. Word spread quickly when students started posting pictures of the signs on social media, notifying their fellow students about the signs, and tearing down signs all over campus.

Although this unfortunate event caused a lot of shock and feelings of vulnerability and discomfort, especially for students of color on campus, this is nothing new. The “It’s OK to be white” movement started online in 2017. It was allegedly started so that society’s response to the slogan would push right leaning moderates to the “far-right”. Signs and stickers with the phrase “It’s OK to be white” were posted along streets and on campuses across the U.S.

A few days prior to the incident on Regis’ campus, the same signs were found at the University of Vermont and Champlain College. UVM responded by removing the signage as quickly as possible and released a statement saying they would not support such activity that bolstered white nationalism.

As you may have suspected, the response was quite similar here on Regis’ campus. Many students were uneasy at the open display of white nationalism taking place on campus, so a few students joined Father Fitzgibbons at a lunch time dialogue hosted and organized by Dr. Nicki Gonzales and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The students voiced their concerns about the signs and the lack of attention given to issues surrounding race in the current political climate.

Students say that Father President was receptive and  wanted to be tactical about how he addressed such issues. Three hours later the student body received and email from the Office of the President. The subject line read, “Call to Reject Hate on our Campus” and was signed by Dr. Nicki Gonzales, Dean Patrick Romero-Aldaz, and RUSGA Student Body President Enrico Gomez.

The email expressed that although Regis as an institution stands by freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas, they would not “tolerate the use of this principle as a vehicle for hate.”

We hope to see future activism that doesn’t cross the line between free speech and hate speech.