Picture by Stephanie Arnold
Cassandra Matthews ~ Assistant Editor
University of Lynchburg was a hive of activity as students moved back unto the campus between Wednesday, Aug. 5, through Monday, Aug. 10, in preparation for the start of the fall semester on Aug. 12.
First year student Samuel Krieg was part of the first group of students to move in. He said, “I would say the students were excited, and I would say the parents were nervous.”
Krieg himself experienced mixed emotions, saying, “I am definitely excited to start this new chapter, and I am definitely excited to meet new people. And I am a little bit nervous [because] it is difficult to go in not knowing the outcome. Not knowing how long you are going to be there, not knowing if everybody else is being just as safe and as cautious as you are, because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We can only be as safe as the least safest person on campus.”
Krieg has observed that some people are not as careful as others. “I know how bad this virus can get, so I know to be cautious, but others might not know because they do not know how truly bad it can get. You really do not know until you have either experienced it or a loved one has.”
Settling into campus looked different this year because precautions were implemented in order to keep the community safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Ruby Grant, a sophomore, assisted families with move-in. “This year, they did temperature checks [and] I heard that we had at least two people who had fevers, but they were instructed to stay in the car,” said Grant.
Krieg said that “[the move-in assistants] definitely helped as much as they could and as much as they felt comfortable with. They were definitely excited to see everybody […] and I knew they wanted to do more than what they were told they could do [because] they really wanted to help you bring in your stuff, and they really wanted to help you set up your room the way you wanted with your parents, and they just could not because they could not get close enough, and they could not handle your stuff.”
Instead, assistants were working to keep buildings and items sanitized, as well as direct people and traffic. Grant said, “I think everybody knew what they were supposed to be doing. Everybody wants to stay on campus so they wanted to make it as safe as possible.”
The reopening plans of the University of Lynchburg are available on the website. Please visit https://www.lynchburg.edu/about/covid-19/
