College student alleges heavy-handed enforcement of COVID rules

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St. Clair College is investigating after a student was allegedly clumsy by one of the new security ambassadors hired to enforce the pandemic rules.

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With the return of students and staff this fall, University spokesman John Fairley said that security ambassadors patrol all buildings and floors on campus, along with the student life center, and are tasked with enforcing the University policies related to COVID-19 regulations.

“It’s been very strange for all of us,” Fairley said. “We are all back. We have all of our staff here, all of our teachers here, all of our students here now.

“The days of having to show ID and proof of vaccination, you know, questionnaires on your phone and everything. There is a lot to stop and ask and that kind of thing. Not everyone appreciates or likes it. “

Dedra Shier, a freshman nursing student, said she was approached by one of the safety ambassadors Thursday as she was having lunch with a classmate at the Student Life Center, one of the few places where eating or drinking is allowed inside. from the main campus. Buildings.

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The couple were told they had to sit six feet apart and Shier said they obeyed.

“And then he proceeded to tell me that I had to put the mask on between each bite of food,” said Shier, 44. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me right now?’ He said no and started to get very, very belligerent.

“I’m not doing anything wrong here,” Shier said.

“At this point I am upset and said this is harassment. I’m literally sitting here, not bothering anyone, ”she said, adding that“ there were probably 500 other students in the same space, eating without masks and I didn’t see anyone else being told to put the mask on between bites of food. . “

Security told Shier to leave the premises or they would call the police.

Call the police for what? For eating my lunch? What’s going on here?”

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Fairley said she did not know any of the details of Shier’s accusation.

He said students are allowed to eat at the student life center, and if they are eating or drinking, they don’t need to put on the mask between drinks or bites.

However, he has heard of cases in which someone is sitting, for example, in front of a computer, for half an hour with a bottle of water in front of them and without a mask and “the intention is that you are masked,” he said.

“It is an open area for everyone. You would take off your mask to drink water or eat your food and then put it back on. “

Fairley shared with Star the university’s policy for staff and students, dated September 28, which notes that the student life center is one of the areas of the university where partially vaccinated or unvaccinated people can eat or drink while physically distancing themselves.

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The policy states that when not actively eating or drinking, masks must be worn in all areas.

“(There is) no policy that says someone has to put on the mask between bites,” Fairley said. “No, that’s certainly not the intention. Not at all. That’s crazy “.

He said security ambassadors “are supposed to politely say, just put the mask on and then when you go for your drink, just take it off.

“I think sometimes people get a little uneasy when people sneak into their personal space or visit time with friends or working on a project together,” Fairley said.

“Nobody likes having a boss who is patrolling and observing. All of that is new in the last two weeks here at the university.

“We are not perfect and again a lot of new people have been hired into these positions to help and sometimes we all get it wrong at first.”

Shier was able to return to class on Friday. They told him that the university is investigating the incident.

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