Coastal students, faculty and staff enjoyed campus this week, except something is different. Some people wore masks while others did not.  

On Feb. 17, the Board of Trustees (BOT) voted to remove the mask mandate that was reinstated in January.  

At the end of last semester, the mask mandate was removed days before graduation. This decision was short lived as COVID cases surged due to the new omicron variant, and it became reinstated before the start of the spring semester. 

The BOT’s decision gained mixed reviews from the campus population, one thing certain is – now CCU can cut down on the use of disposable masks.  

According to Jeremy Monday, director of campus environment, CCU has distributed approximately 365,000 disposable masks since June 2021. Each of the past seven months, through the almost 41,000 masks. 

Provost Ennis emailed last week after the BOT meeting to announce the end of the indoor mask mandate. However, masks are still required by CDC regulations in the following places: Student Health Services, Counseling Services, COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites, and university shuttles and vans. 

After over a year and a half with mask regulations on campus, most students have come to the same conclusion. Max Balthazar, a CCU student, summed it up best.  

“I get it, I get why they have a mask mandate, but I hate wearing a mask, bro like I want to be able to talk and see people in the class,” Balthazar said.  

Like Balthazar, other students said they understand the importance of wearing a mask but it’s simply an inconvenience.  

Scotia Snyder said Coastal once again was prematurely removing the mask mandate.   

“I think they shouldn’t remove the mandate because it’s still a virus that’s still happening to this day, and it’s not going away any time soon,” Snyder said.  

Ennis said in the email the school will continue to monitor the conditions on campus and will adjust protocols accordingly.