Analysis: A quiet Super Bowl at Michigan State University

MONDAY, Feb. 8 — During any other year, East Lansing would’ve been alive over the weekend with parties and drunk sports fans wandering the streets. But not during a special pandemic version of Super Bowl Sunday, where most students at Michigan State University seemed to keep to themselves.

“I’m not going to any Super Bowl parties. I’m going to watch it in my dorm, sure, but I’m not risking my life just to watch a football game,” said Sean Long, a 21-year old psychology who was waiting to pick up a takeout order from the Union Food Court over the weekend.

Long has been doing his best to follow MSU’s latest guidelines, which include university guidance to avoid gatherings through at least Feb. 13. Watching other students out at bars and acting as though a pandemic isn’t happening, however, has been driving him up a wall.

“I haven’t seen many parties, especially because I’ve been staying in the dorms,” Long said. “When I hear stuff about students throwing off campus parties, it makes me feel like ‘what’s the point?’ Most of us are doing the best that we can, but there are some people who just refuse.”

It was easy to understand his frustration. When I was taking classes last semester, MSU consistently bustled with activity. New COVID guidelines in place made it almost unrecognizable. Students do seem to be doing their part to help stop the spread of the virus. 

But a few bad apples can still put Long’s life — and the lives of his friends and peers — in danger.

“I’ve seen parties on Abbot and Albert. It’s ridiculous,” recalled Sharon Rogers, a 20-year-old packaging major who was walking back to her dorm room after class last week. “One time, I was just taking a walk and all of a sudden, I just heard some rap song blaring from inside someone’s house and saw colorful lights and everything. There were at least 20 people.” 

That was before the new guidelines were in place, but Rogers doesn’t doubt they’ll continue.

“We’re a party school, I guess,” she said, shrugging about the party possibilities. “I wish people would just pay attention to the rules. That goes for everyone, not just the students. It pains me to know that indoor dining opened back up. Do people think this whole thing is over?”

It’s a question that seems to be on a lot of students’ minds. With the virus raging and the vaccine rollout taking so long, it feels like it could be ages before we can expect normalcy. 

“I just want to be able to leave my dorm,” said 20-year-old computer science major Jayden Morris. “It’s not even about being able to party. I miss seeing my family. I miss my friends.”

For now, she relies on FaceTime and phone calls to stay in touch with her loved ones. With no in-person classes this semester, Morris barely sees anyone except the workers at dining halls.

“The directive didn’t really affect me because I’ve been staying inside,” she said. “I just go get food three times a day and spend the rest of my time either doing school stuff or watching TV.” 

Morris said she still longs for a normal life and feels that she’s missing out on social interactions.

“I’m just entering my 20s. This is when people do the stuff that they remember for the rest of their lives,” Morris added. “My parents met at this age when they were both in school. What if  my future husband and I never meet because we’re both stuck in our dorms?”

I can relate. This pandemic reminds me of the old thought experiment about a tree falling in a forest. If we all age two years, and no one is around to see it, did it even really happen?

Joshua Smith, a 22-year-old accounting major, said he feels like he’s wasting the best years of his life. And when COVID-19 first started spreading, he didn’t know how careful he should be.

“First, I heard that it doesn’t affect young people as much. I still went and saw my friends and stuff. But as more time went on, I realized that it wasn’t just going to go away,” Smith told me.

After hearing about a friend’s experience with the virus, Smith said he decided that he would not socialize unless he could be properly socially distanced and wear a face mask. Watching others continue to behave more carelessly makes him feel angry, disturbed and helpless, he explained.

“All the anti-mask stuff, the people going out to eat, the parties, it freaks me out,” Smith added. “Because I know it means we’re just going to be stuck inside longer and longer.”