By Jeremy Schwab
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Boston University leadership to re-engineer the campus experience, dramatically curtailing gatherings and in-person contact in order to protect students, faculty and staff, while trying not to curtail any of the growth and learning that happens on campus.
arts&sciences magazine spent a day in April speaking with undergraduates about their personal experiences of campus life during the 2020/21 school year. What we found was encouraging and even inspiring, as students spoke of becoming more adaptable, finding innovative ways to stay connected with friends, enjoying some aspects of remote learning, and finding new ways to take care of their own physical and emotional wellbeing.
Learning to lean on others
With large gatherings out of the question and required to keep their social circles small, students found creative ways of connecting with others. For Alex Gilbert (CAS’24), it meant walking off campus to meet fellow dog lovers. “When the weather’s nice I will walk to the Common and a lot of times find a socially distanced dog meet-up party,” she said. “It’s a great time to get fresh air and also see some cute four-legged friends. ”
Other students said the pandemic made them even more aware of their need to connect with people—via study sessions, shared coffee breaks, or Zoom meetings with student groups that couldn’t meet in person.
Senior Ezgi Eyigor (CAS’21) said the restrictions on her freedom of movement actually pushed her to deepen her friendships. She had had a group of friends since freshman year, all of them from Turkey like herself. But having to rely on them during a stressful year allowed her to value their connections even more.
“Before COVID I would travel a lot,” she said. “When the pandemic started I felt trapped at first. Then I learned to create a community in a way I didn’t think I would. I got closer to those people, learned about myself more, and attached myself to people in a way I was scared to before.”
One of Ezgi’s favorite hacks to get around social distancing at mealtimes: outdoor picnics featuring a full Turkish breakfast whenever the weather was nice, often with her close friend Vilara.
Changing up the routine
Students found a variety of stress-relieving activities to stay balanced during the long, sometimes anxiety-provoking year. For freshman William Pugh (CAS’24), it was playing in the all-campus orchestra and a 7 AM run each day before breakfast that he described as a “mental health break.” For Ezgi, it was meeting friends at the BU Beach. For sophomore Anna Rafferty (CAS’23), it was her daily trips to Starbucks followed by hanging out on the COM lawn with a good book or some friends.
Alex was very conscious about taking care of her spiritual and emotional health.
“I have learned more during this pandemic than I ever thought possible,” said the freshman. “At first it was very nice, just an extended period of time for me to slow down and feel almost human again. When quarantine kept getting extended, that is when it was a little more difficult. With the pandemic and the dire need to really watch our health, I was able to build a better lifestyle for myself. Eating healthier, meditating, journaling, finding new exercises, reading new books, listening to different music.”
Zoom classes aren’t so bad…
Many students this year chose to stick with remote learning, rather than in-person instruction, for most of their classes—flexibility that was built into BU’s Learn from Anywhere approach. The students we spoke to in April helped us understand why.
Some liked having video-recorded classes so they could go back and review past lectures and discussions. Others, like Anna, liked not having to travel to class. “For me, it is kind of fun,” she said. “I don’t have to wake up early to be somewhere. And my teachers have been great at adjusting to the flow of discussion when leading Zoom panels.”
…but let’s get back to normal
More than anything, though, students were eager for life to get back to normal. Ezgi looked forward to being able to travel again. “I can’t wait to be able to meet and greet people on the streets,” she said. “I want to be able to connect with people without being scared, the way we used to.”
Anna eagerly anticipated the fall, when her Model United Nations student group could meet in person again, and also the chance to go to theater productions and musicals. For Alex, live concerts were calling. “Some of my favorite artists released their concert tickets for the fall so I am very excited!” she said. And she looked forward to being vaccinated and seeing her family again without risk.
To hear stories about BU campus disruptions throughout history, including the Spanish Flu of 1918, go here.