Last week, VSU welcomed back students alongside 27 COVID-19 cases.

According to their website, VSU has a total of 46 active cases on campus since Jan. 15. There are 24 students and three employees who have been added to this list, making 27 new cases in total.

There are a total of 1,390 employees and 12,407 students at VSU this semester.

Dr. Vincent Miller, vice president for student affairs, sent out an email on Jan. 15 regarding students to stay cautious of COVID-19 as they come back from break.

The first party flyer began circulating around campus on Jan. 10, the Sunday before classes started. Students around campus have seemed to be more at ease about COVID-19 as the school year has progressed.

Destiny Brown, a senior psychology major, attended the party held on Jan. 16.

“COVID was on my mind when I went to the party, but I did wear a mask for protection,” Brown said. “I don’t feel like everyone else took necessary precautions.”According to Brown, a lot of student’s weren’t wearing masks.

Chuck Bennett, a junior psychology major, also attended the party during the first week.

“I attended the party solely to have fun and be around my peers before the school year started,” Bennett said. “To be honest, the party was a nice way for us to get out, but I did not feel completely safe.”

Similar to Brown, Bennett said few people were wearing masks and social distancing wasn’t being practiced.

Dr. Miller says VSU has proved during the fall semester that following COVID-19 safety guidelines can keep cases down on campus and urges students to continue these procedures during the spring semester.

Written by Kayla Pool, News and Managing Editor. Photo courtesy of Kayla Pool.