Dozens of Mount Saint Mary College students pledged to shield their fellow Knights from COVID-19 on Monday, September 14, by signing a banner emblazoned with the “I Care” logo.
The “I Care” campaign at the Mount encourages students to keep the health and safety of the campus community at the forefront of their decision making. The program began as a collaboration between Campus Ministry and the Student Government Association (SGA), and now includes many other student, faculty, and staff organizations and departments.
The banner – now hanging inside Aquinas Hall, the college’s main academic building – is just one aspect of the “I Care” campaign. Since the beginning of the semester, a number of photos and videos have been posted on social media featuring Mount students, faculty, and staff explaining why they care to wear masks, adhere to proper social distancing, avoid large gatherings, and more.
“I wear a mask to keep our community safe so that we can be on campus,” explained Kate Whitfield of Garden City, N.Y., SGA executive vice president, in a recent “I Care” video. Another student proclaimed, “I care because I want our Mount events to continue.”
Edward Arnold of Southampton, N.Y., SGA president and member of the Class of 2021, was one of the founding members of the “I Care” campaign along with Fr. Gregoire Fluet, chaplain and director of Campus Ministry. He says that “I Care” has received a lot of positive feedback from members of the college community so far. The plan, he says, is to continue to expand the campaign until COVID-19 is no longer a global threat.
“Our hope is this message spreads to all the students, staff, and faculty on campus,” he explained. “We can all be part of something bigger than ourselves and can play a vital role in keeping everyone safe.”