The Scene staff
How strange is it going to school during a pandemic? Extremely. But as a future vocal performance major, I’m sure my opinion on the matter is a bit different from that of the average St. Louis Community College student.
I was overjoyed when I was informed that all of my music classes this fall would have hybrid schedules. It was nerve-racking last spring, having to suddenly switch from in-person to online courses due to COVID-19. I was blessed to be able to navigate the situation successfully, but it was certainly not my preference.
I will admit that it’s not ideal being on a campus where sneezing can make you a pariah and school is the furthest subject from most students’ minds. Nevertheless, I was delighted to hear I’d be back learning in person for three out of my five courses this semester.
No doubt there are many cons to attending college during a pandemic. The most prominent is the heavy burden of getting on with your life while more than a million other lives have ended. This summer, I even had a moment where I “unenrolled” from all of my fall courses because I was questioning the importance of college in a world that seemed to be in constant decline.
The sad truth is, I’m not the only person with these feelings. Many students, especially those in low-income households, have not only contemplated leaving college, they’ve been forced to act on it due to the lasting effects of the pandemic.
Another con is the requirement that people wear masks and social distance in a place that already presents challenges in forming meaningful relationships. The additional physical and social barricades among faculty, staff and students make communication even tougher.
However, I do commend professors and other employees for enduring all the extra training this summer to ensure the safest return for students. While the transition hasn’t been easy, the college has done its best, and it shows.
Some students may think it’s justified to feel melancholy and pessimistic at an unprecedented time like this, but I beg to differ. There is no true benefit to that. I have taken the other route toward optimism, and I’ve found a couple of positive aspects to appreciate.
I’ve noticed a sense of genuine caring on campus that was absent before. For example, faculty no longer assume the worst when students miss class, but rather there is concern. It’s disappointing that it took a pandemic for this to happen, but it’s still worthy of acknowledgment.
I’ve also learned that STLCC students are resilient. It’s absolutely amazing to see them continue to pursue their different degrees at a time like this, and it further encourages us all to keep going.
I attend school full time on the Meramec campus, but I also work part time in the Forest Park bookstore, and working on campus during a pandemic also has its pros and cons. I’ve come in contact with many students of all ages and degrees paths, and they all have one thing in common: They need assistance, now more than ever.
People who aren’t fans of fast-paced work environments might see this as an annoyance or a stressful situation, but I was honestly grateful to interact with students again after being separated suddenly last spring. It was comforting to be needed.
On the other hand, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, so the amount of contact I have with other human beings is much more limited than it used to be. The first couple of weeks on campus, I found myself apologizing profusely for getting too close to people. Who knew 6 feet of distance would be so hard to manage?
When bookstore employees started working in late July and early August to complete inventory, the campus was almost silent. I was working with the same people who I’d grown to get along with, but everything felt different.
I was unsure of how to start a conversation, and truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. We worked quietly and in solitude, as opposed to the usual collaboration in a busy, Pandora-filled environment. I began to understand that it was an adjustment for all of us, and while we didn’t speak much, I could tell my coworkers felt the same discomfort as I did.
As time passed, we were able to advance from small talk to full conversations, and by the time fall semester commenced, I started hearing genuine laughs again. It was an accomplishment to adapt and be able to help bookstore customers and relieve some of their stress.
If you take away anything from this, remember that the world is negative enough as it is. During such a perilous time in the world, it’s important to stay vigilant and be sensitive to the situations of those around you, but also to take note of the positives and relish in them.