What Colleges Need to Consider Before Inviting Students Back to Campus in 2020

Hint: it’s not just providing masks with a school logo for students to wear (although that is a bonus)

I read the news most mornings and am bombarded with messages from all directions, often conflicting messages.

One common story I heard at the beginning of my first semester of college was university students recklessly throwing parties, spreading Covid cases, and thoughtlessly putting people at risk.

Although it is easy to condemn those whose careless gatherings of over 50 people have spiked cases on university campuses across the country, the assumption that students must stay 6 feet apart and masked at all times otherwise they are thoughtless and do not care about the lives of others makes a nuanced issue look too black and white.

Having recently experienced my first semester at college while living on campus, expecting students to live without close human interaction for 3 months is both unrealistic and unhealthy.

I come from a big family and am used to always having people around me. Although falling on the more introverted side (at least since high school when social anxiety and depression squashed my enjoyment of hanging out in large groups of friends), I love talking to people I know well and feel comfortable around. Even sitting in companionable silence is enough to make my brain feel like it is resetting, and gives my mind a reality check that allows me to not spiral into a depressive episode.

In the first two weeks of the semester, all students were required to stay on campus and quarantine to ensure that those traveling from high-risk areas did not spread Covid to surrounding neighborhoods and into the city. Although the quarantine was a difficult period, I understood the necessity of this step, and also was offered lots of support from the university, from small outdoor lunch gatherings with dormmates, to zoom game nights.

The novelty of a new living space, a new campus, the potential to make new friends, and the knowledge that after two weeks were over students would be allowed to leave campus, attend some classes in person, and eat meals in the dining hall was enough to make the quarantine bearable.

However, there was a period of time when a student could not go into other dorms and only had the opportunity to socialize outside.

This worked relatively well on the weekend, but during the week I would sometimes go days without speaking to people because everyone was busy with school and did not have a good location to study together. For someone who easily makes a group of friends, there was more potential for socializing, but for me, this was a very difficult time.

I make friends best through classes or shared interests, but over zoom, it was not easy to build a lasting friendship with all the uncertainties that came with it. I would find myself watching students' faces to see who laughed when a teacher told a joke in hopes that I would be able to gauge who was friendly and approachable.

I was talking to my friend on the phone during the semester. She is currently a freshman in Nashville; we both took a gap year together. We were swapping stories about what our respective campuses have been like while in semi-shutdown and she mentioned that her dorms were closed to other students, the dining halls had plexiglass between seats, and they had no in-person events.

The university wanted to invite students back to live on campus, which could be beneficial for students, but unfortunately, they did not have a good plan for student support and providing socialization.

Her college campus was without in-person events or gathering places for anyone who had managed to make friends, which when the weather was nice was somewhat sustainable. Sadly, once the weather turned cold there was no place for people to hang out. Students living in isolation without support from friends end up either focused only on school or stop work completely from lack of motivation.

This is a real problem that colleges need to be aware of and to prepare for so that when they have the safety of their students in mind, they consider both limiting excessively large gatherings that put a student’s physical health in danger and minimizing isolation which puts a student’s mental health in danger. Campuses that invite students to come back in person need to have a plan that allows people to socialize and interact in some way or at least space for students to gather in a small group. It is too detrimental for someone to be isolated in a new location and situation all alone.

At one point I even had a conversation with two friends I had made early on about how long it would take for someone to notice if something was wrong. I think the way the question was phrased was “how long would it take for someone to find my body if I died in my dorm room?” It’s a morbid thought but one that illustrates an interesting point, not only relevant for college students but for anyone living alone or without a familial or friendship bubble. Would someone be there if something happened?

As the semester progressed I began to see some familiar faces on campus or would pass students I recognized from my classes. Students began to form friend groups, and small events were thrown by the university to provide a place for students to hang out and make friends.

My favorite story of making a friend was from a zoom interaction to a real friendship. In one of my smaller classes over zoom, I watched a girl almost flash the class while putting her hair up. After realizing what happened the girl clapped her hand over her mouth and looked so horrified I began to laugh. She noticed me laughing and began to laugh as well. In the next class, I happened to be put in a breakout room with her and brought up what happened. She was mortified but also a sweetheart and I knew I wanted to be friends with her. A week or so later I made friends with another girl on campus who told the same story about her roommate. I realized it was the same person and was able to meet her in person through her roommate.

The little connections and shared experiences between the people I met began to turn into friendships and I started to feel more comfortable.

Seeing familiar faces and having people to get meals with made the world of a difference for my mental health. I was not pining after wild frat parties or crazy college experiences, but rather support, friendship, and community with the people around me. Without it, I felt isolated and alone and lost the motivation to do my schoolwork. I even considered returning home and dropping college altogether. Finding a group of people to spend time with, study with, and talk to, helped me reach the mindset that I am at currently: excited for a break but also looking forward to the next semester and already missing my newfound friends.