{"id":163738,"date":"2020-08-31T07:50:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T11:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=163738"},"modified":"2020-08-28T11:46:47","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T15:46:47","slug":"truly-unique-fall-semester-begins-uconn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2020\/08\/truly-unique-fall-semester-begins-uconn\/","title":{"rendered":"A Truly Unique Fall Semester Begins at UConn"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Connecticut this time of year is normally filled with excitement for new beginnings: students and faculty members preparing for new classes, sports teams returning to practice, marching band rehearsal heard for miles around , and droves of families having just moved their new Huskies into student housing.<\/p>\n

This year, though the excitement is still palpable, this year there are no groups of athletes running around campus, no drum cadences traveling through the air, fewer students arriving<\/a> to unload their dorm supplies, and classes will either look very different in person or be conducted entirely online.<\/p>\n

For months leading up to the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 31, faculty and staff have been busy, adjusting and rethinking as circumstances change, all in a massive effort to ensure the mission of education continues despite the pandemic. \u00a0While this semester won’t be quite like any other in the 139-year history of UConn, that commitment is a steadfast reminder that, whatever exterior events may be, teaching, research, and the student experience remain the heart of UConn.<\/p>\n

Life on Campus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jailynn Vidro \u201821 (CLAS) is one of the many resident assistants who will be supporting the over 5,000 students living on campus this semester. Vidro says RAs will be helping to enforce mask warning, distancing, and other UConn Promise<\/a> policies, along with working with students virtually rather than in person.<\/p>\n

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Signs like these will be a familiar sight at all UConn campuses this fall (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cEveryone, including myself, will be wearing a mask every time they are outside of their room. If students are caught not wearing a mask, or are caught with too many guests, then it will need to be addressed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Vidro says she hopes safety is taken seriously, given the nature of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really hoping everyone is being sanitary and wearing their mask. Throughout the year, I am mostly at UConn, therefore I do feel more of a connection to the campus than I do to my home city [New Haven]. I feel like most of my life is here now, so for it to shut down and having to go back home, especially with online courses, that would be tough,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For those living on campus<\/a>, dorm rooms will serve not only as a place for sleep, rest, and study, but also a classroom, and in Vidro\u2019s case, a workplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuty shifts will be conducted from our dorms where many interactions with our residents will be done virtually, whether on Zoom or through phone,” she says. “I tried to make my room as comfortable as possible by bringing things from home to give it a more comforting vibe. I am working multiple jobs from my room, one of which will be as a residential assistant, so it\u2019s definitely going to be interesting being at one job, while also at my other job. Other than that, I am really just going to be doing what I usually do every semester, which is work hard in my courses and try to stay on top of my work as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vidro says that during RA training the lines for dining halls were long, and is hopeful that as more students arrive on campus and more dining halls open, that the lines will decrease as everyone gets used to the new take-out only<\/a> system. This video<\/a> details what on-campus dining will be like this semester, including extended dining hall hours to try to reduce wait times.<\/p>\n

Living off Campus<\/strong><\/p>\n

For students living off campus, like Katherine Kuegler \u201923 (CLAS), one urgent task is making sure an area in the home can be set up and designated for schoolwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the struggle for me being home [this past spring] was that my mindset and focus was a lot harder to come by in my house,” she says. “I’m trying to figure out a space to go to take exams because I had a hard time concentrating and getting in an exam headspace when I was sitting in the same spot I did my homework and attended zoom lectures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuegler is honest about the new semester and the challenges posed by the pandemic and distance learning: \u201cI’ll do my best with this format that we’ve been given, and I don’t plan to return to campus in the spring either, at least not living in the dorms because I don’t feel that it is a safe decision for students who have the option to commute like I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuegler is hopeful everyone will be more accustomed to the online format and this semester will go smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, there was a real disconnect between some of my professors and the class because of the learning curve that comes with teaching online,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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