Shortly after in person classes were cancelled, universities all around the country began closing down their campuses and imploring those who could leave to return to their homes and move out of the dorms. Pacific is no different, but for students that aren’t able to return home, their lives on campus have changed dramatically.
The halls in dorm buildings like Cascade that were once teeming with activity have almost completely diminished.
“Overall, it’s a whole lot quieter,” says Chiffon Noble, a Sophomore and RA at Pacific. “It’s peaceful but it’s not, because we know why it’s so quiet.”
As part of this post- COVID campus, many students who decided to stay at Pacific had to switch dorm buildings, often finding themselves in wildly different living conditions. Majestik De Luz, a freshman at Pacific who once lived in a single dorm in Cascade, now finds herself living in a quad in Burlingham.
“It’s so awkward,” De Luz says. “It’s a lot of space for one person and it kind of makes it harder to adjust.”
For many students, online courses don’t offer the same interpersonal classroom experience that is necessary for engaged education. One thing that’s suffered since the switch to online classes is students’ work ethic.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s been a struggle,” Noble says. “Now that I’ve been moved to Burlingham and all the other buildings are closed and you can’t have access to them, it’s so hard not to just take a nap when you’re supposed to log into classes.”
It feels like all that’s on the news nowadays is depressing stories of how fast the coronavirus is spreading, or how many are now infected or dead. It can be hard to stay positive in the face of such an incredible threat. Everyone has different ways of staying hopeful and coping with what’s going on in the world.
“The only way I can control it is to realize I don’t have control,” De Luz says. While that approach may be a little ‘hands off’ for a lot of people, Noble has a technique of their own.
“I just think about the future,” Noble says. “I’m always planning. I like to just look forward and not focus too much on the present, just because it can be a little depressing if you think about it like that. I just try to stay as positive as possible.”
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