At this point, I think we all patiently await some kind of email from Father Peter on late weekday afternoons. A little over two weeks ago, he sent an email asking the student body to abide by a two-week “Stop the Spread” directive, in which he asked the student body to take extra precautions in hopes of decreasing COVID-19 numbers. 

The overall message was clear: if we don’t take immediate action and make an effort to combat the spike in cases, our semester would be short-lived. 

On Thursday, Feb. 18, the day the directive was scheduled to end, our inboxes were graced with yet another email from Father Peter. After getting over the initial gut-wrenching feeling that accompanies an email from the administration, we came to realize that its content was not as frightening as we anticipated.

He was sure to thank the student body for its commitment to “stop the spread,” and then explained that he decided to extend the directive until Monday. 

While this extension may seem a little menial, as it is only three more days, it sends the message that we still need to continue to lay-low and be extra safe, regardless of the newfound drop in numbers. 

As cases drop, both on campus and nationwide, the end finally seems to be in sight. 

Now that vaccines are being rolled out, we just need to patiently await the time that they are delivered here to Villanova. As we approach the one-year mark the COVID-19 shut down when the entire world, this pandemic has obviously taken its toll on all of us. 

Among the rules put in place are strict new guidelines regarding how many guests are allowed in dorm rooms, which only permits one more than the number of people who live in the room. 

In other words, one guest at a time, or you run the risk of getting written up, or worse, getting sent home. It seems the rumor mill around campus is swarming with stories of someone who knows someone who had a couple too many people in their room and is gone until August. 

Is getting sent home too strict a punishment for having a couple extra people in your room? Where do we draw the line between sufficient consequences and overreaction? Should students feel like they are walking on eggshells every time they need a little social interaction? It’s not as if we can comfortably sit outside with friends, given the constant snow. And as fun as sledding is, after a while, you’re covered bumped and bruised. But as long as these rules are put in place, we should do our best to abide by them in order to avoid another scary and dramatic spike in cases.

It’s time to get creative with how we socialize. For those of you who are satisfied with your Marriage Pact match, maybe use this time to go on a romantic walk around campus, take in the snowy scenery and see if you and your match have a spark. As for those of you who were a little less than pleased with your match, join The Villanovan. It’s honestly the only relationship that matters. 

Although things are a little less strict this week, we do need to keep up the good work and continue to put community first.