With some IU professors breaking down during class and some simply refusing teach due to fears surrounding students incorrectly wearing masks, The Crimson Post endeavored to gather a few IU faculty and staff members’ opinions on the university’s mask mandate.
Completely Nonsensical by Zach Willhite
The university’s mask mandate makes no sense – not that any mask mandate has ever made sense. In a September 1 IU Today article, the university was congratulating itself for and touting its 92.2 percent vaccination rate for faculty and staff across all IU campuses. Yet, the university still mandates masks be worn indoors. If the vaccines were truly as effective as we’re led to believe, then mask mandates of any kind shouldn’t be necessary.
It’s interesting to compare the enforcement of IU’s other public health polices to their mask mandate. For example, IU Bloomington is a tobacco free campus, yet nobody seems to flinch at anyone who is seen smoking or chewing tobacco products anywhere on campus. Yet, if you are caught without a mask, even for eating or drinking, you are chastised by anyone in a position of authority over you. The masking policy isn’t about public health, it’s about virtue signaling.
Zach works as the University Division student services coordinator and serves as the faculty sponsor for Turning Point USA at IU.
Science Matters by Charles Trzcinka
Scientific studies are often maddening, and they often don’t give anyone clarity on what actions to take. Scientists will frequently speak in terms that make it seem as if they don’t know what they are talking about, and sometimes they fully admit they don’t know what the answer to the question is. To add to this confusion, the question “do masks work?” can oftentimes be deceptive. Most of us think the definition of “work” is “prevent the spread of the Delta variant of Covid 19.” In some studies that is the definition but in others it is more specific, such as “How much of a virus of a certain size (e.g .1 microns) and density will penetrate a K95 mask commonly used in hospitals?” So, if you read that “conclusions on mask efficacy vary,” it may be because the question being asked varies.
The best evidence is always from randomized control studies but there are few on the effectiveness of masks due to ethical concerns. The next best evidence is from what are labeled “observational” studies. These examine the effect of mask wearing statistically. Often these are studies of data that was collected for another purpose. Like most economic studies, these are always subject to the criticism that there are omitted variables causing or skewing the results.
My opinion as an outsider to the field (but often not the methods) is that the observational studies mostly point to masks being an effective tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Of course, there are some studies that show no effect or are inconclusive. These tend to get a lot of press but taken as a whole, it appears that masks have some benefit.
And, it is my careful observation that I look much better in a mask than without one. So mask on!
Charles is a professor of finance at the Kelley School of Business and serves as the faculty sponsor of the College Republicans at IU.
