This semester wasn’t like anyone thought it would be. Neither was this year if we’re going to be frank. 2020 had so much hope before Miss Rona waltzed on it. There were a lot of strange happenings- from the murder hornets to the US government confirming UFO’s (this actually happened). College was something none of us really expected to last but it’s already November and only a handful of colleges seemed to have shut down.
But being in school wasn’t all that great. With so many restrictions and so few things going on, colleges made a lot of mistakes by allowing students back on campus. Many stayed home out of fear of sickness or bringing it home, but not everyone had the option. For some, it seemed like you either went back in person or you took a semester off- there wasn’t always a safe choice. My personal experience has been rough. It’s been a very lonely, very hard semester. They’ve shut down my favorite dining options on campus, stopped off-campus shuttles from running, and canceled all my in-person classes after the first week of the semester. Without a housing refund, I’ve felt incredibly trapped here.
In my opinion, colleges led us astray and made many mistakes. One of the biggest was thinking kids would just obediently do as they’re told. Look at Chapel Hill and Oneonta- two schools shut down by partying. Many schools gave students no incentive to stay. They didn’t give kids activities and limited classes in person. They frowned upon kids sitting in a group together, so what do the kids do? They leave campus. They go to the bar. They go home and go to the bar. They don’t stay on campus and they bring the virus back with them. It was a huge mistake for colleges to expect everyone to just sit in their dorms or apartments. That was dangerous of them.
The restrictions on guests were indeed necessary but they failed to see some of the repercussions. Many freshmen moved in thinking it would be the best experience, but many were left stranded and alone. A friend of mine has a guest policy at their school that the only people allowed in dorm rooms are themselves and their roommate but her roommate keeps sneaking a guy in. My friend said she spent a good portion of the semester hiding in the bathroom so she didn’t get in trouble for the guy being there. Another friend of mine has been sneaking her boyfriend in using move-in bins so she doesn’t have to spend every day alone. A family friend is a freshman who moved from Upstate New York to Florida for a dive team and everyone at her school lives in singles. She said she hadn’t met a single friend and moved home shortly after the semester started. A friend at my school says she has nowhere to take her classes with study rooms and lounges in her residence hall closed.
A lot of colleges were also challenging when it came to food as well. NYU was in the hot seat for this when the semester started back up. They quarantined a lot of kids and weren’t feeding them properly- especially disappointing when you realize they had to rely on the university for meals. My school especially shut down a lot of the dining options and students with dietary restrictions are really struggling. Many kids paid for a meal plan that’s simply gone to waste.
We’re in the long haul here when it comes to the pandemic. We’re nowhere near the end and I hope many universities see the issues and institute some change. You want kids to stay safe? Maybe we all should have stayed home.