For me, every day of this summer was spent in anxious anticipation of returning to campus and adjusting to the new rules and new normal of life in a pandemic. I am sure many of you felt the same way, especially when we did not know whether we would be returning at all. I felt very conflicted as my senior year approached because I wanted it to be as normal as possible. But, given the circumstances, normal is not an option.
I wanted classes to be in person because I learn better that way, and I wanted to return to campus to have access to some of the facilities. But at the same time I did not want students flooding Boston and endangering the residents, Boston University staff or faculty. I was torn on my feelings for this semester.
Regardless of how you wanted life to look this Fall, the semester is set and students are making their way back to campus in preparation for hybrid learning.
As you arrive on campus, I know there is a strong temptation to return to life as normal. You are finally getting out of your childhood bedroom and many of you are back in the environment you were in before the pandemic. Even I feel a bit of relief to be in my apartment and independent again. Still, I cannot stress enough the importance of following BU’s guidelines and being the responsible adults we are all capable of being.
I have to applaud BU’s system of testing and containing the virus. I have been tested three times now and each time I was in the building for less than two minutes and received my test results within 20 hours. I feel safe knowing that every student has to get tested and there is no getting around it — you even get an email reminder every time you need to schedule your next test.
The system the University created is our best shot of getting through the whole semester as safely as possible. The quickest way to screw it up is by attending large gatherings and not social distancing. No one wants to get sent home again, but many colleges have shut down recently, so it is very much a possibility if we act selfishly.
The New York Times found that many of these college outbreaks are not linked to the classroom, but instead to Greek life events and other large gatherings. The University of Alabama had more than 1,000 cases after just the first week of classes. Schools that are shutting down or experiencing large outbreaks serve as a precautionary example of why we must strictly follow the guidelines and sacrifice the partying.
All I want is to be able to attend classes and get the in-person learning my degrees require. I also want to be able to stay on campus and live my life outside of my childhood home — I am sure many of you can relate. Skipping out on the partying for this semester is worth it if it means everything else can happen safely and as normally as possible.
While partying is a fun part of college, the main reason I am here is to learn. I do not want to lose that.
There are so many other ways to be social without ruining it for the entire campus. You will have roommates and people on your floor you can safely see, and while the weather is nice you can even have distanced hangouts with friends outdoors. Clubs will be resuming activities both virtually and at some socially distanced in-person meetings. Campus facilities like the library and dining halls will be open. While it may not feel the same, you are not confined to your dorm every day.
There is a whole city out there to explore beyond campus. Wear your mask and social distance, but get out there! Grab pizza and a cannoli in the North End and sit in one of the city’s endless parks. There are ways to have fun and be safe at the same time that do not include a frat basement.
Just get creative and don’t ruin this semester for the rest of us.
