_Jamie Holcomb is a sophomore journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about campus life and social justice for The Maneater._
MU students know and love syllabus week, the first week of classes when many students aren’t assigned much work to do. In years past, students have gone to bars and parties almost every night to celebrate the beginning of the new semester. This year, in spite of the pandemic, it looks as if nothing has changed.
After months of social isolation, returning college students have been spotted in large groups in outward violation of COVID-19 guidelines. Their excitement to be back in Columbia has changed recently. Following a local mandate regarding alcohol sales, bars and restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 9 p.m. and must close at 10 p.m.
These new restrictions are a direct result of rising student cases at MU, which threatens Columbia’s local population. However, some students considered the new guidelines to be a direct threat to local small businesses.
After the rules were issued, the popular Penguin Piano Bar announced that they were permanently closing. The Penguin Piano bar posted on Facebook, noting that it had been asked to “sacrifice [their] livelihoods … so that your life may be spared.” Many MU students mourned the loss of their favorite bar and were upset that the new rules in place caused it to close.
Meme pages on Twitter and Instagram, like Barstool Mizzou, were quick to accuse the Boone County Health Department of killing Columbia’s small businesses, with much agreement in the comments. However, as @UofMisery, an unofficial MU student account, pointed out, “Let’s be real [sic] you don’t care about small business owners, you care about not being able to get shitfaced in your favorite bar.”.
There’s an issue with the idea that Columbia officials are killing small businesses:. These restrictions may have been avoidable if students and businesses followed the city guidelines in the first place. It’s expected that students would want to come and party after being away from campus for five months, and Columbia’s new restrictions are helping to prevent this from happening.
MU students are not alone in mourning bar closures. Students at Purdue and various other universities are watching their favorite bars close because they’ve been hit by hard times. Students need to understand that they have played a role in this crisis by ignoring guidelines.
By ignoring restrictions and guidelines, students are only making it worse for themselves. The message that we are “all in this together” is lost on many. It’s important that during times of crisis, people are able to take individual accountability. Students fail to understand that they play a part in helping us all get back to normal.
Photos of East Campus and downtown Columbia show unmasked students gathering to party and drink together after bars have closed. Despite the guidelines forcing bars to close early, students are still finding ways to gather in large groups without their masks. By ignoring the rules designed to keep them and others safe, students will continue to contribute to the rising number of cases with their reckless behavior. As cases rise, it’s likely that new restrictions will be put in place that will hurt small businesses even more.
Going to parties and bars will only cause cases to rise and the situation to worsen. Small businesses are hurting and students being reckless plays a huge role in that. It’s up to MU students to follow guidelines and help stop the spread of the virus.
_Unicorn Riot is a non-profit independent media organization that sends journalists to cover the nationwide protests for Black Lives Matter.
https://unicornriot.ninja/cash-check/_
_Edited by Sofi Zeman | szeman@themaneater.com_
