Word on the Ave

NEW ORLEANS (March 28, 2022) – Editor’s note: This feature was created by Olivia Viltz, reporter, and Aretha McKinney, photo editor.

Landon Johnson

Sophomore

Computer Science

Baton Rouge

“It is not time to stop wearing masks indoors because COVID is still around, people are still catching it … Even though the majority of the campus, or really all of the campus, should be vaccinated, we should still wear them because there are studies that show that vaccinated people are able to catch it and spread it to other people.”

Jamecia Gentry

Freshman

Business Administration

Greenville, Mississippi

“Outdoors I feel like it’s fine, but indoors … Dillard is such a small campus, so of course I feel like we should keep our masks on because if one person at Dillard catches COVID, the campus is so small, I feel like it will spread immediately. We should keep our masks on and still follow safety guidelines.”

Nahla Hendricks

Junior

Psychology/Film

Los Angeles

“No, because I feel like even though COVID has went down, I think that we don’t know what it can still do. So I feel like if a mask mandate is on, it’s okay to leave it.”

Justin Phillips

Sophomore

Economics

Houston

“To an extent, when it’s not a big gathering, then we shouldn’t have to wear masks indoors, but I feel like if there’s a lot of people close together, then we should wear masks.”

Nobie Harris

Junior

Business Administration

Monroe

“Yeah, because they already lifted the mask mandate in the city of New Orleans, so why not make it effective inside the schools, too?”

Joseph Pomfrey

Junior

Business Administration

Slidell

“Yeah, because we’re all vaccinated.”

DeAndrew Thomas

Freshman

English

Thibodaux

“I can see both sides of the situation. I feel like if people want to wear masks, by all rights, they can wear it, but ultimately, it’s up to us to come together to decide whether we want to keep wearing masks.”

Beyonce Henry

Freshman

Nursing

Houma

“I think yeah because most of Dillard’s students are vaccinated in some way, and we do take many precautions like having hand sanitizer inside and outside of the buildings.”

Daliyah Dixon

Freshman

Criminal Justice

Lafayette

“Yes, I think it’s time to stop wearing masks at Dillard. For one, we already have small classes, so I think professors and students will have a way to separate students so we can not wear masks in class.”

Dajane Tullis

Sophomore

Social Work

Seattle

“Selfishly, I want to say yes. I struggle with acne a lot, and honestly, the masks have been causing a lot of problems for my skin health. That’s the selfish response because you know I want to be able to ensure the safety of others as best as I can, but selfishly, I’m ready because my skin is struggling.”