by James Kile | Staff Writer
Life on campus has undoubtedly been completely different since President Beck Taylor’s announcement on March 12 that class would be online until April 14. On March 16, in-person classes were cancelled for the rest of the semester, leaving residence halls closed to most students.
For those still left on campus, the atmosphere has changed dramatically. Resident Directors still remain on campus, in their respective resident halls. A few students: theme house residents and some who were unable to travel home, have stayed as well. The library and academic buildings are closed, and the HUB is only open for meal hours. Meals are served as takeout.
Duvall Hall Resident Director Emma Almquist is one of the few remaining staff on campus.
“It has been difficult for myself, student leaders and residents to not have much closure to the year and be faced with uncertainty about the future. I miss the student interaction, energy and life on campus, especially on these beautiful sunny days where tons of people would be outdoors spending time together.”
Almquist has taken advantage of the extra time by doing things she enjoys.
“I am spending most of my time thinking creatively about new ways to engage with students virtually as we finish the school year and I’m already dreaming about the fall semester. It’s been good to slow down a bit and work on some projects I haven’t had time for in the past. While I am not working, I enjoy going for walks and spending quality time with friends and family, even if I wish it were in person instead of online,” Almquist.
Phillip Allevato, Baldwin Jenkins’ RD, explained how life on campus has changed for him.
“Life is pretty quiet on campus. With under 100 students here and social distancing efforts, the amount of people out and about is minimal. Students are still taking classes, though, and connecting with each other in the ways that they can. So, a lot of quiet days, but since the weather has been beautiful, campus is feeling bright and new!”
While Almquist is not able to interact with students face-to-face, she has been able to still clue into how they are doing with this transition. For many, online classes have presented many obstacles because of the lack of structure.
“One tool that I’ve given some students and utilized myself is the 168 hour worksheet (you can google this and find one online for free). The idea is that there are 168 hours in a week and how we spend each hour really matters. It’s helpful to identify some of our main time wasters and ask ourselves: What is most important to me this day, this week, this hour?”
In response to the Covid-19 quarantine, Whitworth affiliated social media pages have stepped up to continue bringing our community together despite the new and challenging circumstances. Whitworth Campus Ministries which can be found on Instagram at @Whitworthcampusministries has posted daily prayer devotionals and hosts live Chapel services each Tuesday at 11 a.m. Whitworth University’s official page (@Whitworthuniversity) posts daily informational posts on virtual campus tours as well as daily posts on how students are handling the lockdown.