Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer
How Long Will Football Last?
The Cowboys continue to practice, now knowing their season opening date: Sept. 12 against Tulsa.
But another hard-charging date looms large in determining how long, and really if at all, this season comes off as planned: Monday, Aug. 17 -- the first day of class at OSU -- is a date to note locally.
Covid cases are about to spike, with students returning to campuses from across the globe. It's going to happen. Heck, it's happening here as you read this, according to sources. There's no avoiding it, and anyone who thought otherwise is simply ignorant or fooling themselves.
The question that matters most, however, likely lies with the public. How high is too high?
What kind of numbers will the public be willing to stomach as acceptable before it leans in on school presidents and orders changes? It's a tricky question, surely bringing a tricky answer, especially in an election year when everything is politicized.
There are things that seem sure amid the virus, according to medical experts, including the belief that for everyone 20 and younger, the regular flu is worse for that age group than Covid-19. Stats back it up. So college kids, by and large, are not going to feel the worst affects of this virus.
Now, they're not the only ones at risk. There are professors and community members and parents and other relatives back home, if home is near enough to welcome a quick weekend getaway for momma's cooking or to do laundry or see friends. There are students, too, who are more at-risk, due to medical conditions. So it's still complicated.
At OSU, there are strong measures in place to try and contain the spread of the virus. Masks will be mandatory. In-person class attendance is not required, and you can bet a lot of students will take the virtual approach.
Stairways, as well as entrances and exits are one-way, to limit crowding and flow issues. Sanitizers are everywhere. And classrooms will be spaced for proper social distancing, to the point that some temporary teaching spaces have been established, including in the West End Zone of Boone Pickens Stadium and in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
I'll be teaching news reporting in the O Club at GIA.
So OSU is serious about making this work. But we all know that it won't be easy, that the school can't control what happens when class is over.
And we all know that students of this age -- we were all that age once -- don't always make the best decisions. The bars will be full. House parties will roar. Students will gather in all sorts of ways, many of them thinking their invincible. Remember when we believed such a thing?
Therein lies the danger. And the reason cases will spike, and likely spike high.
Then what? How high is too high? Will it come down to raw numbers, or will hospitalizations and more serious cases factor significantly?
We have plenty of questions. Answers, not so much. But it could come down to public perception, and which side of the public has their say, which could be very different depending on the locale.
How high is too high, for you?
