There are some students who regard the college years as a time to try and make all of life’s mistakes at once, in order to get them out of the way I suppose. There is some merit to this line of thinking; after all, university is supposed to be foremost an educational experience. The flip side of this is that university is still adulthood, with real life effects of our choices. And while many of the classic university mistakes—bombed tests, missed classes, broken relationships, even failed courses—can be redeemed with hard work and a bit of humility, this is not true of all consequences of our actions. It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Or in this case, it’s all holiday cheer until someone catches COVID.

I have seen the same pictures you have, with crowded bars packed with people our age, some of them fellow students. I have heard the justifications: that after so long depriving ourselves by following the rules, we deserve a little indulgence. And I am sympathetic to these arguments. It is true that what is being asked of us, to sacrifice our leisure time as well as our college experience, is patently unfair. It isn’t fair that people who care about others are staying home instead of going out and having fun. It isn’t fair that after previous generations failed to build an equitable and resilient system capable of tackling crises, and put leaders that refuse to take responsibility in charge, that the costs of stemming this pandemic fall to us as individuals.

Responsibility in an unfair world is usually something learned outside of class, and gradually.

Unfortunately, it turns out whether you study physics or philosophy, pre-med or political science, the truth is that life often isn’t fair. We cannot, as students or as individuals, change that by wishing or pretending otherwise. All we can control is how we react, and whether we make a bad situation better or worse. As we head home, we can make the pandemic much worse by ignoring it and pretending that because we deserve a break from social distancing, that we should take one. Or, we can recognize the facts, infuriating as they are, and make choices which will help on another forward, and reflect positively on ourselves as individuals and as a community.

Responsibility in an unfair world is usually something learned outside of class, and gradually. For better and for worse, all of us have been placed in an accelerated course starting now and continuing through the intersession. We are all being graded as a group. Expected daily class participation includes wearing masks, staying home, and social distancing. All test grades and deadlines are final, but extra credit is available for those who are kind to others. Don’t be that person who bails on this group assignment. Even if you might be able to get away with it, no one likes that person, and rightly so. We are all in this together, and other people are looking out for you and counting on you in equal measure.