Students Weigh In On Viral UA Photos

As classes start back at colleges across Alabama, the state's flagship school is already in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

-- i'm pat simon.

Najahe and dan are off.

Class starts at colleges across alabama in about 14 hours.

But the state's flagship school is already in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Take a look at pictures all over social media.

Students in tuscaloosa openly flaunting social distancing and masking rules.

Waay 31's sydney martin is live in huntsville tonight- after talking to two students from madison county- about what they're seeing.

Pat, both students i talked to today told me the university is doing everything it can to keep students safe and to follow coronavirus guidleines on campus..but once students leave campus, it's a different story.

Courtney taylor, graduate student " "i drove by the strip last night.

I live right off the strip, and i drove by and saw one of the bars i saw one of the bars had a line outside.

And they weren't following the 50 percent capacity rule."

Courtney taylor is a graduate student at the university of alabama from harvest..

She's staying away from the bars because she had coronavirus during the summer and doesn't want to risk getting it again.

Courtney taylor, graduate student"i have friends that still go out and they told me that the bars here weren't following social distancing guidelines, they weren't doing tables and chairs six feet apart.

People in line weren't wearing masks and people inside weren't wearing masks."

Incoming freshman ansley boles described a very different scene in the dorms. ansley boles, university of alabama freshman, "very conscientious to social distancing guidelines wearing masks, stuff like that.

Move in was very easy."

Both students told me they think the current behavior of some students is going to end up impacting everyone... courtney taylor, graduate student "students my age don't take it seriously or as seriously as it needs to be taken."

Ansley boles, university of alabama freshman, "there are lots of people who choose not to social distance or wear a mask which is putting others at risk and it's putting football season and classes and i'm in the band so it's putting band at risk as well.'

They hope as classes start, other students will start to take the virus seriously.

Courtney taylor, graduate student "they do whatever they want whenever they want with whoever they want.

They're not really focused on the amount of people they are with.

Being at those bars and in these large crowds that's not helping stop the spread of covid-19.

Ansley boles, university of alabama freshman, " i think as soon as soon as it starts to get real like the threat of getting sent home this fall or rolls around maybe that will jolt people a little bit.

But i'm not really sure how much more can be done for them."

The school's athletic director warned if students don't change how they behave and the number of coronavirus cases spike.

It could cancel football season.

The mayor of tuscaloosa asked police to