The most recent masking update came on Feb. 5 from Allison Williams, dean of students, “We are still in the orange phase, and as such, I expect masks to be worn properly at all times indoors.” The orange phase states, “Masks are required indoors at all times for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. Masks can only be removed while actively eating/drinking, during final performances and in alignment with Centennial Conference and NCAA guidelines. Masking may be required in the residential properties.” Masks are required in residence halls. This reminder came after a post was shared to the @muhl_sports account on Instagram. The photo was of the student section of a wrestling match. The comment tagged @diginmules and identified the football team’s Instagram as the students in attendance. Most notably in the photo, many students are shown wearing their masks improperly, demonstrated by visibly open mouths and screams of celebration.
In a previous masking update from Williams on Jan. 26, she states, “I do not want to see mask compliance/enforcement become a bigger issue on campus.” Although this post initially received no backlash or response from students, comments started appearing after three days, when a student reposted the photo to their Instagram story. The story tagged the College directly, “@muhlenbergcollege how is this acceptable? When you say that you care and are making sure people follow guidelines, is this what that looks like? Ridiculous and disgusting. Athletes are not above all.”
“@muhlenbergcollege how is this acceptable? When you say that you care and are making sure people follow guidelines, is this what that looks like? Ridiculous and disgusting. Athletes are not above all.”
The comment section that followed began to grow, as it gained more and more attention from outraged students. They shared their disdain for not only the football team pictured, but the generalized athletic community on campus. One comment questions, “Does wearing my mask under my mouth count as correctly wearing a mask?” Another points the blame at the Life Sports Center (LSC), “What happens in the LSC stays in the LSC.”
“I noticed the picture and couldn’t believe that an Instagram page associated with Muhlenberg would make such a stark error and post a photo with a dozen people not following our masking policy. It’s honestly more embarrassing for the College than anything else. A lot of the comments were on the more serious side, so mine was more of a lighthearted joke that still conveyed my point of view,” stated Olivia Tebsherany ‘23, whose comment, “Guys athletes literally can’t get COVID. Just gonorrhea,” on the aforementioned post gained some traction. “Quite honestly, I have come to expect this behavior from Muhlenberg athletes as a collective (obviously, there are exceptions, as there would be with any group on campus). While my comment was a bit of a joking dig at them, I was more surprised by the fact that a Muhlenberg account had the audacity to post that photo as opposed to being surprised by the improper mask-wearing by the athletes.”
Another comment expressed, “Y’all complain about the length of the pandemic but won’t do what’s necessary in order to end it.” What were the results of these concerned cries? In a statement by the College on Instagram, @muhlenbergcollege responded, “At the beginning of the winter season, we informed everyone that if masking guidelines could not be followed that it could jeopardize in-person attendance at competitions.”
The statement also mentions, “Muhlenberg values open discourse and we remind everyone posting comments to remain respectful of one another.” The post with the comments that first began this discussion has since been removed. On the Instagram post where the College made the statement, the comments have been disabled.
Following the statement, an Instagram account was created called @berg.naked.noses claiming the goal of “Exposing Berg’s most ignorant students!” with their first post’s caption calling for action: “Join us as we fight to promote proper mask wearing.” This account stems from students’ concerns about proper masking, and the five posts feature three students captured with their masks down, and two student sections in the LSC.
“Muhlenberg values open discourse and we remind everyone posting comments to remain respectful of one another.”
The use of Instagram to voice students’ concerns allowed this account to gain immediate attention with the comment sections encouraging the same call-outs and pile-ons from the original @muhl_sports post. Students flocked to this outlet in direct defiance of the College’s request to remain respectful. The account claimed to expose students who defy the masking policy, while the comment section fostered hostility between students, specifically individuals whose pictures were featured.
On the last post, one commenter sparked debate about how to hold others accountable, “There are better ways to demonstrate that mandates aren’t working to Muhlenberg without directly attacking/humiliating people you don’t know in a public forum.” The Instagram account was deleted by the morning of Feb. 8.
Eden Kaufman ’23 commented about this account, “The [@muhl_sports] post was left up for far too long, and in that time the anonymous account had free range to bully people… And then once it was taken down, the College put up a statement but disabled their comments, so that no one could express their discontent with the College’s handling of the situation. I understand that they probably didn’t want to cause another fight in the comments, but it’s important that student voices are heard, and they should be able to manage their own Instagram comments to make it a safe environment.”
The frustration is clear amongst students and the debate over masking sparked hostility online. On a post of the women’s basketball team from Feb. 8, a student asks, “So there is an admin behind this account seeing all of the bullying happening on your last post. That’s fun. Thanks for doing something to stop it.” This comment was followed by an anonymous user responding, “You are asking to be bullied more.”
In a statement issued to The Weekly, Lynn Tubman, director of athletics, and Megan Patruno, associate director of athletics, said, “Mask compliance among those in attendance – students, Muhlenberg fans, opposing team fans, and general Allentown community members – is a challenge, for sure. We believe the presence of ESP Security this semester to assist us in enforcing mask compliance has allowed us to address masking concerns in a more timely manner and overall mask compliance has improved. Yes, on occasion we have been met with resistance and some downright rude and belligerent people. People have been removed from our facilities. Those individuals have never been students. For the most part, we have found that when we notice masks not properly worn by the fans in attendance in games and we remind them to please fix the situation, they always do. So we continue to make announcements over the PA system and continue to circle the gym to remind spectators to pull up their masks.”
Williams’ email sent to the student body on Feb. 8 following the Instagram controversy opens with, “I am dismayed at what occurred over social media in the past 24 hours. First and foremost, I believe that when we make mistakes or have errors in judgment, it is our responsibility to take ownership for our actions. In this case, the college made a mistake and posted a picture that was intended to share the excitement of the men’s wrestling match on the Mule Sports Instagram account. However, it clearly depicts students not properly wearing their masks. I apologize on behalf of the college for that error in judgment. We will do better.”
She addresses the concerns about the first post of the students wearing their masks improperly, “Let me be clear, civil discourse, differences of opinion, and particularly criticism of the college on social media are all fair and protected speech and should not be removed. However, when a College-owned social media account begins receiving comments from students using objectively offensive language toward one another or harassing one another, that crosses the line of free speech and we have an obligation to remove the post.”
Tebsherany comments on the statement, “Their statement with the comments turned off is half-hearted, and Dean Williams’ email is, frankly, a joke. Referring to social media as the ‘most concerning’ aspect of the situation, rather than the lack of proper mask-wearing and @muhl_sports’ blatant idiocy in posting it, is concerning in itself. I don’t need to be told to ‘call in’ at the age of twenty in a condescending email. I can ‘call out’ whoever I want as long as I am not directly harming anyone—and that includes Muhlenberg administration.”
There are two open sessions discussing masks enforcement on Friday, Feb. 11 at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The location has not yet been announced.
Note: [@berg.naked.noses] has been taken out of “The [@muhl_sports] post…” quote for clarification of the speaker’s intent. The anonymous account mentioned is a different commenter and will not be named.
