Video: SMU students party despite pandemic restrictions

This video was posted on the SMU Daily Campus Instagram and website.

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It appears that many students are still finding ways to party in large groups despite COVID-19 restrictions on nearby bars and restaurants, and cautions from university leadership to practice social distancing.

After noticing many students dressed up and calling Ubers to campus like they would on a normal night out, Daily Campus reporter Jillian Taylor decided to find out where they were going.

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This video really struck a nerve with the SMU community. 12 hours after it was posted, it had over 3,000 views. In just over 24 hours, it hit more than 5,000. Keep in mind, the SMU undergraduate population is approximately 6,500.

In the near 100 comments on the Instagram, students voiced their frustrations for and against the video. Out of my follower list alone, I saw 7 people share it on their Instagram stories. It was extremely exciting to me that it generated so much conversation.

I received countless texts, email, and direct messages commending the video. Nearly everywhere I went for a couple of days, it came up in conversation. I also heard about multiple professors who discussed it in their classes. I even received messages from students at colleges in other states, thanking me for bringing light to the issue.

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Here are a few of the many comments I received:

Victor Dricks, former journalist at the Arizona Republic

"This is first-rate enterprise reporting and shows a lot of initiative!"

Jake Batsell, Chair of Business Journalism and Professor at SMU

"It has been a long time since I’ve seen an SMU student journalist publish an original video story directly to the DC website, but I hope it will start happening a lot more often!

Isabel Arcellana, previous Editor-In-Chief for the SMU Daily Campus

"I loved the DC but it was so hard seeing that most students didn’t really care about journalism. It’s refreshing to see your work!"

Michelle Aslam, previous Editor-In-Chief for the SMU Daily Campus

"Jillian I love this so much !!! This is the video content we NEED. Great job! Hope you guys start doing more stuff like this :-)"

Isabel Costian, current SMU student

"You’re not only raising the bar for the daily campus, but you’re also making people talk about these issues that go so deeper than just black and white. It was a really well done piece and I’m so glad you brought evidence and put it together in a way that’s easily digested by college students! I’ve been talking to all of my SMU friends about it (most had already seen it, but I shared it with those who hadn’t) and have even told friends from high school about it, and everyone I talk to supports you and thinks you shone a light on one of the biggest problems we have this semester."