Many students are probably just dumbfounded by the suddenness of all the closures.
From the Cornell Daily Sun:
While Some Cornellians Self-Quarantine, Others Pack Parties in Response to Campus ShutdownIt’s a tale of two Cornells: There are parties, bars and profane bedsheets; but also panic, hasty departures and those self-quarantining after studying abroad. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some students are scrambling for plans to self-quarantine while others defy social distancing.On Saturday, daytime yard parties — colloquially known as “darties” — dotted Collegetown, including one at the East Seneca Street annex of a Cornell organization. Hanging from the house’s balcony was a bedsheet-turned-banner, spray-painted to read “I’m not fucking leaving,” just a day after President Martha E. Pollack’s announcement to cancel classes starting Friday at 5 p.m.Vice President for Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi condemned these parties in a Sunday afternoon email, writing, “Some students – particularly those living off campus in Collegetown – have chosen to use the suspension of classes to host or attend large parties,” he wrote.“Hosting or attending a large party is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing in this moment,” he continued.Social distancing, a popular defense to the COVID-19 contagion recommended by experts, is what prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) to cap bars and restaurants to 50 percent capacity.In a GroupMe called “martha can’t make us leave,” with over 2,000 student members, the conflict these parties posed to social distancing was on full display –– revolving around the Catherine Street Block Party scheduled for Monday –– an event usually held post-finals week in May.
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