The University is beginning random testing starting this week. This is fantastic news; many on campus have been calling for the school to test more often since we arrived on campus. What this also means, however, is that students will no longer be able to get away with holding parties, either on or off campus.

It is no secret that there have been a few parties that have gone on since we have been back on campus. Despite most students taking the commitment to CARITAS seriously, there are some who seem to think that it does not apply to them and have continued to act as though there is not a global pandemic currently going on. While you may have been able to get away with this so far, surveillance testing will end that. 

Random testing ensures that, in all likelihood, you will be caught if you choose to host or attend parties this semester, especially when combined with contact tracing. Parties will cause large outbreaks of COVID-19 since the disease is incredibly contagious, meaning that, among other things, your chances of getting caught will increase once testing begins. 

Surveillance testing is unequivicolly a good thing for the University community. It ensures that those who are not respecting the commitment to Community First aren’t causing outbreaks that affect the rest of the community. 

As we have been saying since we came back to campus, it is on each and every one of us to ensure that we are holding each other accountable this semester. While it is true that the vast majority of students will not be severely impacted by COVID-19 even if they contract it, it is selfish to think that your decisions will not impact high risk students, staff and faculty. Our community has been extremely lucky thus far, but that does not mean that we are out of the woods yet.

The Villanovan Editorial Board fully supports the University’s decision to enact surveillance testing. It is a necessary further step towards ensuring that we remain on campus for the remainder of this academic year. We are aware that the temptation to act like things are normal is strong, but we cannot do that this year. To those that have been following the entirety of Community First and CDA guidelines thus far, we applaud and thank you for taking the steps necessary to staying here. To those who haven’t, we sincerely hope that the addition of randomized testing will ensure that everyone is helping to protect one another.