This isn’t a good look. Yes, COVID-19 has launched everyone into a strange new world where we are still learning the rules of the road, but some things are well-established by now. Don’t have big events with lots of people, particularly not if they’re indoors. And if there’s a chance of exposure, for goodness’ sake, let everyone know. It really isn’t that difficult.
So, at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, a 1L hosted a party. Which, sigh. I fundamentally don’t understand the outbreak of partying 1Ls; don’t they know these are the grades that literally determine the course of their entire careers? Anyway, partying in academia is a huge problem without many clear solutions. In any event, according to a Twitter thread started by a 2L at the law school, someone who attended the party wound up testing positive for COVID-19. In response, the law school sent out an email warning of a “COVID-19 mass-exposure event” and the appropriate follow up steps. Except they only sent it to 1Ls.
1/OU law students tonight learned of a potential super spreader event in our 1L class from a party on Saturday night. Not from our admin, who is well aware of the situation but from our own concerns and investigation. @UofOklahomaLaw @GoddardHealthOU why not let all of us know? pic.twitter.com/zliMRWy1TB
— Ben Anderson (@bandrsn) August 31, 2020
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It seems bold that the administration is so certain only 1Ls attended this “mass” event, and I guess what self-respecting 3L parties with 1Ls? Amirite? But seriously, law school classes are back at OU. In person. There seems like plenty of opportunities for law students outside of the first-year class to be exposed. People often say the your first year of law school is its own little bubble, but there are plenty of shared amenities (like, you know, bathrooms) with the larger law school community.
And the 2L who started the Twitter thread expressed those concerns. “The lack of communication about possible positives in our incredibly small part of campus is deeply disturbing,” the 2L tweeted. “We deserve to know when things like this happen. People are scared, people are at risk, families are at risk. We are not asking that you identify students, just cases.”
As reported by the OU Daily, the law school eventually did send out an email alert to all students. It’s a good thing this isn’t a highly communicable disease where time is of the essence. Oh. Wait. IT’S EXACTLY THAT.
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Which led to the need to blow it all up on social media:
“We were getting to the point where we felt as a group, me included, that there just wasn’t enough transparency,” [the 2L] said. “There isn’t enough transparency. We don’t agree with the policies the university has put forth, we don’t agree that anyone who doesn’t want to be on campus should be forced to.”
Any school that is having in-person instruction has to know they are taking a big risk. The very least they should be doing is be communicative with the whole community about the potential risks as it develops.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).