Returning back to campus during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic had many students worried about how this Fall 2020 semester would unfold. After the first week of classes many students believe, despite the changes in the arrangement of places on the campus and class organization, this semester will turn out better than they first expected.
“I was a little unsure [about returning to campus], but I feel pretty comfortable because I was only supposed to have one class in person anyway. I feel that they are doing a good job of social distancing,” said Jarod Sweetland, senior business major.
Due to new social distancing procedure on the campus, most of the classes have turned into hybrid courses or completely virtual ones, said Dr. Dennis Hall, vice president of student affairs. This change and the patience of the faculty and staff this first week has made the transition back far less stressful, said Sweetland.
“It is different being back but most of my courses are either hybrid or exclusively online anyway so it was a good way to get set up and have a better understanding of what is to come,” Sweetland said. “I feel that professors have done a great job of communicating with students and illustrating their plan for the semester.”
Along with the return to campus, the other concern that was faced by students was how the new virtual system would affect them academically during the semester, said senior music major Alisha Sharp.
“I need to do better about doing online days. I almost treat it like a day off. I wake up 5 minutes before and chill in bed.”
“I think my grades may be a bit worse than last semester. Not failing…I hope, but not the best they’ve ever been. Online classes aren’t fun.”
Sharp, among other students, is happier with the fact that courses are offered in a hybrid format because if they were solely virtual, she has doubts on how successful she may be.
“Having a hybrid schedule at Wesleyan was reassuring. I took no summer courses because they would be all online,” said Sharp. “I’m glad that there is an in-person time because I have no intrinsic motivation.”
For many students they have found that there will be some bumps in the road when it comes to using programs like Blackboard Collaborate to learn, said Sharp.
Senior Iyana Brown commented that although there are some difficulties sometimes with the online version of class, she is shocked at how fast everyone adjusted.
Brown said, “Wesleyan is open and doing its best to stay open. I actually feel safer with the option to go in person or at home. Everyone is adjusting and never complaining. We keep pushing [forward].”
