Approximately 50 college students protested the University of Nevada, Reno dropping its mask mandate. | Unsplash/Anastasiia Chepinska
Approximately 50 college students protested the University of Nevada, Reno dropping its mask mandate. | Unsplash/Anastasiia Chepinska
University of Nevada, Reno students recently demonstrated a protest against the university's decision to revoke the mask mandate.
Students walked out of classes Feb. 14 to protest the university's repeal.
"Wow, absolute INSANITY taking place at the University of Nevada Reno," candidate for Nevada governor Joey Gilbert said in a tweet. "An entire generation is now mentally ill. No one will stop you from wearing your masks, DO YOU! March your silly butts to the library & pick up a copy of the Constitution & 1984 from George Orwell.’’
Fifty students marched from the north end of the campus to the quad and called on university President Brian Sandoval to reinforce the campus mandate, News 4 reported.
"Stricter face covering requirements, according to (Nevada System of Higher Education’s) legal determination, involve systemwide policy decisions that fall outside of an individual institution’s discretion," Sandoval wrote, according to News 4.
Sandoval supported the return of in-person spring semester class but requested that everyone be patient and empathetic to those who continue to wear masks on campus, News 4 said.
"While the face covering mandate has been removed, all (Nevada System of Higher Education) employees, students and members of the public retain the individual discretion to continue wearing a face covering on (Nevada System of Higher Education) property, including inside classrooms and workspaces," Sandoval said, according to News 4. "Individuals who choose to continue wearing a face covering or who choose not to wear a face covering on our campus, should be permitted to do so free of any criticism, judgment or retaliation."
Many students believe everyone would be safer with a mask mandate in place, with 1,600 students signing a petition, Inside Higher Ed reported.
“I think dropping the mask mandate is premature,” graduate student Alex Milham told Inside Higher Ed. “We still have high transmission. We’re still hearing about lots of cases, those of us teaching, from our students, and it’s just not safe yet.”
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