Chronicle: Begging Students to Mask Up

[Parasaurolophus]

Here.

Some excerpts:

This first week of fall semester, my colleagues are out making the rounds, meeting their classes for the first time and, this year, telling stories about their own lives. One professor speaks of her baby, too young to vaccinate. Another mentions an immunocompromised spouse at home. Still another tells of a sibling, lately deceased from Covid. Though each tale has its own rhythm and tone, they tend to end alike: Faculty nervously offer masks to their bare-faced students, who mostly decline to take them. Some look away sheepishly, some placidly stare, some sneer. Then class as we used to know it must begin, with introductory tours through syllabi, requirements, and course aims...

[...]

Our stories do not yield fully masked classes. In a small classroom stuffed with 40 or 50 students, just a handful will wear a mask. Classes packing in hundreds may have fewer than half masked. Some faculty post online about their successes in getting students to wear masks. I read these posts closely because I want to know if there is some magic key, a particular appeal or strategy that could reliably work. I am a moral philosopher by trade, so I am also natively interested in how to morally motivate people to do what they'd rather not. So far, I have not uncovered any secrets...

We offer up our vulnerable loved ones, our bereavements, or our own medical histories like sacrifices before fickle gods — gods who, it turns out, are mostly teenagers vested with powers divine by our administration. We beg teenagers to think of our babies, to feel for our dead, and please not to kill us. Some of them oblige. Some do not — an alarming number do not. The university's response so far amounts to: Beg better.

This is in Oklahoma. Apparently at the University of Iowa, the administration cares so much about frie speach that they're forcing faculty to remove signs asking students to wear masks.

[Caracal]

Here.

Some excerpts:

This first week of fall semester, my colleagues are out making the rounds, meeting their classes for the first time and, this year, telling stories about their own lives. One professor speaks of her baby, too young to vaccinate. Another mentions an immunocompromised spouse at home. Still another tells of a sibling, lately deceased from Covid. Though each tale has its own rhythm and tone, they tend to end alike: Faculty nervously offer masks to their bare-faced students, who mostly decline to take them. Some look away sheepishly, some placidly stare, some sneer. Then class as we used to know it must begin, with introductory tours through syllabi, requirements, and course aims...

[...]

Our stories do not yield fully masked classes. In a small classroom stuffed with 40 or 50 students, just a handful will wear a mask. Classes packing in hundreds may have fewer than half masked. Some faculty post online about their successes in getting students to wear masks. I read these posts closely because I want to know if there is some magic key, a particular appeal or strategy that could reliably work. I am a moral philosopher by trade, so I am also natively interested in how to morally motivate people to do what they'd rather not. So far, I have not uncovered any secrets...

We offer up our vulnerable loved ones, our bereavements, or our own medical histories like sacrifices before fickle gods — gods who, it turns out, are mostly teenagers vested with powers divine by our administration. We beg teenagers to think of our babies, to feel for our dead, and please not to kill us. Some of them oblige. Some do not — an alarming number do not. The university's response so far amounts to: Beg better.

This is in Oklahoma. Apparently at the University of Iowa, the administration cares so much about frie speach that they're forcing faculty to remove signs asking students to wear masks.

It is easy to blame the students, but as the piece points out, this is really on the administration and state government. Wearing masks is a public health measure that will reduce spread and make everyone safer. Things like that have to be enforced at an institutional level to work. Our students don't need to hear about our own individual risk calculations and concerns. From their perspective, I'm sure that kind of thing feels controlling and manipulative.

I'm not a public health professional. There's really no reason anyone should listen to me about the importance of wearing a mask. I also shouldn't be in the business of telling students what to put on their bodies when it isn't part of a university rule. The whole thing is just a set up for creating terrible relations between faculty and students and an awful classroom environment. Of course it also is a recipe for uncontrolled covid spread...

[mleok]

Here.

Some excerpts:

This first week of fall semester, my colleagues are out making the rounds, meeting their classes for the first time and, this year, telling stories about their own lives. One professor speaks of her baby, too young to vaccinate. Another mentions an immunocompromised spouse at home. Still another tells of a sibling, lately deceased from Covid. Though each tale has its own rhythm and tone, they tend to end alike: Faculty nervously offer masks to their bare-faced students, who mostly decline to take them. Some look away sheepishly, some placidly stare, some sneer. Then class as we used to know it must begin, with introductory tours through syllabi, requirements, and course aims...

[...]

Our stories do not yield fully masked classes. In a small classroom stuffed with 40 or 50 students, just a handful will wear a mask. Classes packing in hundreds may have fewer than half masked. Some faculty post online about their successes in getting students to wear masks. I read these posts closely because I want to know if there is some magic key, a particular appeal or strategy that could reliably work. I am a moral philosopher by trade, so I am also natively interested in how to morally motivate people to do what they'd rather not. So far, I have not uncovered any secrets...

We offer up our vulnerable loved ones, our bereavements, or our own medical histories like sacrifices before fickle gods — gods who, it turns out, are mostly teenagers vested with powers divine by our administration. We beg teenagers to think of our babies, to feel for our dead, and please not to kill us. Some of them oblige. Some do not — an alarming number do not. The university's response so far amounts to: Beg better.

This is in Oklahoma. Apparently at the University of Iowa, the administration cares so much about frie speach that they're forcing faculty to remove signs asking students to wear masks.

It is easy to blame the students, but as the piece points out, this is really on the administration and state government. Wearing masks is a public health measure that will reduce spread and make everyone safer. Things like that have to be enforced at an institutional level to work. Our students don't need to hear about our own individual risk calculations and concerns. From their perspective, I'm sure that kind of thing feels controlling and manipulative.

I'm not a public health professional. There's really no reason anyone should listen to me about the importance of wearing a mask. I also shouldn't be in the business of telling students what to put on their bodies when it isn't part of a university rule. The whole thing is just a set up for creating terrible relations between faculty and students and an awful classroom environment. Of course it also is a recipe for uncontrolled covid spread...

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

[Caracal]

Here.

Some excerpts:

This first week of fall semester, my colleagues are out making the rounds, meeting their classes for the first time and, this year, telling stories about their own lives. One professor speaks of her baby, too young to vaccinate. Another mentions an immunocompromised spouse at home. Still another tells of a sibling, lately deceased from Covid. Though each tale has its own rhythm and tone, they tend to end alike: Faculty nervously offer masks to their bare-faced students, who mostly decline to take them. Some look away sheepishly, some placidly stare, some sneer. Then class as we used to know it must begin, with introductory tours through syllabi, requirements, and course aims...

[...]

Our stories do not yield fully masked classes. In a small classroom stuffed with 40 or 50 students, just a handful will wear a mask. Classes packing in hundreds may have fewer than half masked. Some faculty post online about their successes in getting students to wear masks. I read these posts closely because I want to know if there is some magic key, a particular appeal or strategy that could reliably work. I am a moral philosopher by trade, so I am also natively interested in how to morally motivate people to do what they'd rather not. So far, I have not uncovered any secrets...

We offer up our vulnerable loved ones, our bereavements, or our own medical histories like sacrifices before fickle gods — gods who, it turns out, are mostly teenagers vested with powers divine by our administration. We beg teenagers to think of our babies, to feel for our dead, and please not to kill us. Some of them oblige. Some do not — an alarming number do not. The university's response so far amounts to: Beg better.

This is in Oklahoma. Apparently at the University of Iowa, the administration cares so much about frie speach that they're forcing faculty to remove signs asking students to wear masks.

It is easy to blame the students, but as the piece points out, this is really on the administration and state government. Wearing masks is a public health measure that will reduce spread and make everyone safer. Things like that have to be enforced at an institutional level to work. Our students don't need to hear about our own individual risk calculations and concerns. From their perspective, I'm sure that kind of thing feels controlling and manipulative.

I'm not a public health professional. There's really no reason anyone should listen to me about the importance of wearing a mask. I also shouldn't be in the business of telling students what to put on their bodies when it isn't part of a university rule. The whole thing is just a set up for creating terrible relations between faculty and students and an awful classroom environment. Of course it also is a recipe for uncontrolled covid spread...

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

Because you're blaming the wrong people and doing so is going to make you a crummier teacher and person.  Imagine you're a 19 year old and most of the people around you think masks are silly at best and some sort of plot at worst. You don't really pay much attention to any of this, but you believe that too. You get to college and you know that masks aren't required. Oh, great, you think, its just a personal choice. Then your classes start and the first thing that happens in all of them is that your professor gets up there and looking at you and others who aren't wearing masks says that while the masks aren't required, they'll make everybody safer. That seems like a weird argument, because if that's true, why aren't they required? When you awkwardly turn down the mask, you get a plea about how this person you just met and is in charge of your grade has some personal circumstance that makes them particularly concerned that you'll give them covid.

But you don't believe the underlying theory that masks protect people from Covid, so this just feels like a weird guilt trip. You've been told specifically by the school that wearing a mask is a choice in classes. Can't you see how you might at this point really resent what's happening here? Do you like it when people try to make you feel like you're doing something wrong when you know you're following the rules?

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

[marshwiggle]

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

As mleok said,

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

If these students expect faculty to sympathize with all of their explanations of why their work is late, or they're falling behind, etc., then they should show some respect (whatever they believe about masks, vaccines, etc.)  for concerns expressed by their instructors.

(If they don't, their parents have done a great job of raising completely entitled narcissists.)

[Caracal]

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

As mleok said,

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

If these students expect faculty to sympathize with all of their explanations of why their work is late, or they're falling behind, etc., then they should show some respect (whatever they believe about masks, vaccines, etc.)  for concerns expressed by their instructors.

(If they don't, their parents have done a great job of raising completely entitled narcissists.)

The problem is that this frame of reference makes sense to you (and me) because it takes as a given that the request to wear a mask is a basic form of common courtesy.

Some people, however, are going to think of it as akin to their instructor telling them their clothes are too distracting for the classroom or that they can't wear a certain shirt because it goes against the instructors beliefs.

[mleok]

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

As mleok said,

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

If these students expect faculty to sympathize with all of their explanations of why their work is late, or they're falling behind, etc., then they should show some respect (whatever they believe about masks, vaccines, etc.)  for concerns expressed by their instructors.

(If they don't, their parents have done a great job of raising completely entitled narcissists.)

The problem is that this frame of reference makes sense to you (and me) because it takes as a given that the request to wear a mask is a basic form of common courtesy.

Some people, however, are going to think of it as akin to their instructor telling them their clothes are too distracting for the classroom or that they can't wear a certain shirt because it goes against the instructors beliefs.

At this point, I am past caring about what makes sense to students with regards to this issue. As you said, it is question of power dynamics, and if I were in a state without a mask mandate, I have little power to exert on the state politicians or the university to impose a mask mandate, but I do have some power to pressure students, so I would use it. We have states that allow bakers to refuse to serve customers based on their personal beliefs, or refuse to be vaccinated because of their religious beliefs, why should we feel obligated to respect their beliefs but not hold strong to our belief that unvaccinated, unmasked students are a risk to our personal health, and that of our loved ones. Again, I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for your line of reasoning.

[Caracal]

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

As mleok said,

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

If these students expect faculty to sympathize with all of their explanations of why their work is late, or they're falling behind, etc., then they should show some respect (whatever they believe about masks, vaccines, etc.)  for concerns expressed by their instructors.

(If they don't, their parents have done a great job of raising completely entitled narcissists.)

The problem is that this frame of reference makes sense to you (and me) because it takes as a given that the request to wear a mask is a basic form of common courtesy.

Some people, however, are going to think of it as akin to their instructor telling them their clothes are too distracting for the classroom or that they can't wear a certain shirt because it goes against the instructors beliefs.

At this point, I am past caring about what makes sense to students with regards to this issue. As you said, it is question of power dynamics, and if I were in a state without a mask mandate, I have little power to exert on the state politicians or the university to impose a mask mandate, but I do have some power to pressure students, so I would use it. We have states that allow bakers to refuse to serve customers based on their personal beliefs, or refuse to be vaccinated because of their religious beliefs, why should we feel obligated to respect their beliefs but not hold strong to our belief that unvaccinated, unmasked students are a risk to our personal health, and that of our loved ones. Again, I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for your line of reasoning.

I'd probably try do the same. I'm not saying the instructors are in the wrong. I'm saying its a crummy situation and while its easy to blame students who don't wear masks, they are way down the list of people its worth being angry about.

[marshwiggle]

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

As mleok said,

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

If these students expect faculty to sympathize with all of their explanations of why their work is late, or they're falling behind, etc., then they should show some respect (whatever they believe about masks, vaccines, etc.)  for concerns expressed by their instructors.

(If they don't, their parents have done a great job of raising completely entitled narcissists.)

The problem is that this frame of reference makes sense to you (and me) because it takes as a given that the request to wear a mask is a basic form of common courtesy.

Some people, however, are going to think of it as akin to their instructor telling them their clothes are too distracting for the classroom or that they can't wear a certain shirt because it goes against the instructors beliefs.

• A student refuses the instructor's request for the student to wear a mask because the student thinks all of the covid information is ridiculous or wrong.
• An instructor refuses the student's request to use the student's preferred pronouns because the instructor believes all of the gender identity information is ridiculous or wrong.

Explain how these are fundamentally different, especially given that there is astronomically more  research on the dangers of covid and the efficacy of interventions  (like masks and vaccinations) compared to the problems of gender misidentification and the efficacy of interventions (like pronoun choice).

Note: Covid interventiions are not based on the instructor's "beliefs"; they are based on widely-accepted science. If an instructor forbade students wearing red shirts out a belief that red shirts attracted covid then that could be rejected on those grounds.

[mleok]

There are all kinds of weird things with power dynamics and possibly class and education that can play into this as well. The point is, don't blame the students. Blame the administrators who didn't have the courage to insist on a mask mandate.

As mleok said,

Why shouldn't we blame the students? They're adults, capable of making their own decisions. It's difficult to expect us to be compassionate about their personal challenges when they don't care about putting the lives of our loved ones at risk for whatever BS reasons they have.

If these students expect faculty to sympathize with all of their explanations of why their work is late, or they're falling behind, etc., then they should show some respect (whatever they believe about masks, vaccines, etc.)  for concerns expressed by their instructors.

(If they don't, their parents have done a great job of raising completely entitled narcissists.)

The problem is that this frame of reference makes sense to you (and me) because it takes as a given that the request to wear a mask is a basic form of common courtesy.

Some people, however, are going to think of it as akin to their instructor telling them their clothes are too distracting for the classroom or that they can't wear a certain shirt because it goes against the instructors beliefs.

At this point, I am past caring about what makes sense to students with regards to this issue. As you said, it is question of power dynamics, and if I were in a state without a mask mandate, I have little power to exert on the state politicians or the university to impose a mask mandate, but I do have some power to pressure students, so I would use it. We have states that allow bakers to refuse to serve customers based on their personal beliefs, or refuse to be vaccinated because of their religious beliefs, why should we feel obligated to respect their beliefs but not hold strong to our belief that unvaccinated, unmasked students are a risk to our personal health, and that of our loved ones. Again, I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for your line of reasoning.

I'd probably try do the same. I'm not saying the instructors are in the wrong. I'm saying its a crummy situation and while its easy to blame students who don't wear masks, they are way down the list of people its worth being angry about.

Of course you are saying the instructors are in the wrong, you said, "you're blaming the wrong people and doing so is going to make you a crummier teacher and person." But, you're not blaming the wrong person, even absent mandates, a student, as an adult, can chose to be respectful of the needs of their instructor, particularly given the soulful pleas which are the subject of this discussion. If I told you about my immune compromised spouse that will surely die if I brought home COVID-19, and you chose to ignore that plea to wear a mask, then I am entirely justified in blaming you specifically for your choices.

[Caracal]

Note: Covid interventiions are not based on the instructor's "beliefs"; they are based on widely-accepted science. If an instructor forbade students wearing red shirts out a belief that red shirts attracted covid then that could be rejected on those grounds.

Sigh, its difficult to have a discussion if you're going to take what I say out of context. The point I'm making is that public health measures based on widely accepted science need to be enforced on a university wide level. If the university says masks aren't required in class and instructors can't mandate them, the school is declining to endorse the idea that masks are a proven public health intervention which will allow class to happen in person and reduce the risk for everyone.

If the university takes that stance and makes it a question of personal choice, why exactly should anyone listen to my ideas about masks? I'm just some guy teaching their history class.

The argument about preferred pronouns is ridiculously off point. Obviously there's a difference between telling someone "oh I go by Dan" as opposed to asking them to wear something on their face.

To be very clear. Of course masks should be required in classrooms. They are a basic intervention which reduces spread. I don't blame instructors at places which have not required them from trying to get students to wear them. I'm very glad my school has required them, first because it makes me and others safer, but secondly because it sets up some really terrible dynamics when they aren't required. It shouldn't be my job to try to persuade students to follow public health guidelines.

[marshwiggle]

The argument about preferred pronouns is ridiculously off point. Obviously there's a difference between telling someone "oh I go by Dan" as opposed to asking them to wear something on their face.

Dan isn't a pronoun. Being told to refer to someone by "zie/zer" or "their eminence" or whatever words they make up   is fundamentally different than just using a name different from the official one by which they are registered. Many people go by nicknames. Very few try to get the entire world to use made-up words to describe them.

Masks are used daily by people in many professions, and have been mandated many places all over the world for several months, so it's hardly an unusual request.

It shouldn't be my job to try to persuade students to follow public health guidelines.

On this we agree. Governments and institutions have the responsibility for these things.

If the university takes that stance and makes it a question of personal choice, why exactly should anyone listen to my ideas about masks? I'm just some guy teaching their history class.

If an instructor asks students to wear masks, because of (amongs other things) the instructor's vulnerable family members, and a student refuses, then when that student asks for an extension for an assignment due to (among other things) their sick grandparent, why shouldn't the instructor refuse? After all, it's "just some student in their history class".

[Caracal]

It shouldn't be my job to try to persuade students to follow public health guidelines.

On this we agree. Governments and institutions have the responsibility for these things.

Really, I think that's the important point. Some institutions have just completely failed their students, faculty and staff. These are people with power and responsibility and they've let everyone down. The students who won't wear masks when its not required are being jerks, but they are being empowered to be jerks.

[clean]

Some institutions have just completely failed their students, faculty and staff. These are people with power and responsibility and they've let everyone down. The students who won't wear masks when its not required are being jerks, but they are being empowered to be jerks.

Applause, Applause!

(noting that we also have a thread about the UGA professor that quit on Day 2 because a student would not wear her mask correctly).

[Parasaurolophus]

Masking and pronoun use require about the same amount of effort from you. That's as far as the analogy goes, and as useful as it is.