Brown University has announced the launch of Brown Takes Care, an initiative aimed at providing guidance to its incoming students regarding Covid-19 that “. . . will directly engage students, faculty and staff as storytellers and influencers to promote essential health practices to fight COVID-19, both on campus and in the greater Providence community.”
Storytelling?! We’re going to fight a pandemic with storytelling? Why don’t you let the scientists, the medical school, and the State Department of Health take the wheel here, because here’s the story from Governor Raimondo,
“I just can’t believe the selfishness of people,” she said. “It is a fact that if we all wear masks, we save lives, so why don’t you wear a mask? They’re very cheap, it’s very easy, it’s so simple.”
End of story! And judging from the picture below, the mask message is not getting through just yet.
According to the Brown Daily Herald,
Though students returning to campus and Providence are required to complete an educational module and sign a 12-part student commitment to COVID-19 community health and safety obligations, students will not be mandated to participate in Brown Takes Care, according to Associate Vice President for Marketing Communications Carly Kite Lapinski.
I hope Ms. Lapinski will inform her students that, when off campus, the wearing of masks IS mandated.
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Each member of Circle Dance, Tom Friedman’s charming, stainless steel sculpture, is wearing a mask. Unfortunately, not one of the five young people seated nearby were. Unknown if they were students.
Circle Dance was installed in 2012 on the walkway off Waterman Street west of Thayer.
