With this academic school year being the first full year that Sam Houston State University is at full capacity since the beginning of the pandemic, there is bound to be concerns and hesitation from students.
In the current state of still having to navigate around the virus, students are trying to make their way by processing and understanding what campus life has become and how to maneuver around any potential obstacles.
“I am still hesitant because I know that COVID is still present,” senior film major Dalton Meyer said. “Especially with the delta variant, it makes me nervous because you never really know who has their vaccine and whose sick or not.”
Despite the state of a pandemic being a lot more controlled than when it first surfaced, rules and regulations, such as that of a mask mandate, are still recommended but are no longer being enforced. Subsequently, there is distress about there being a possible resurgence of the coronavirus on campus.
Since the beginning of this academic school year on Aug. 16, there have been about 416 self-reported positive cases on campus, which are concerning, considering not all are documented.
“My worry comes from the fear of quarantining again,” senior multiplatform journalism student Peyton Heussner stated. “Not being able to do hands-on tasks in class is hard, and I would be saddened to see the pandemic put us in a remote learning situation again”.
Although there is still apprehension towards their being more crowded areas on campus, students are finally able to participate in the clubs, ceremonies and projects, with all being in-person that were not available in previous semesters due to remote learning.
“Sometimes, the excitement definitely outweighs the worry”, Heussner said. “I am also hopeful and excited that we are just going to figure out new ways to improve and progress and hopefully make the world a better and healthier place for everybody.”
With the last year keeping many people away from their normal lives that they became accustomed to, the joy of coming back to an open campus is something almost all students are grateful for.
“The emotions I’m feeling coming back to campus is definitely excitement because I love being around people,” Meyer explained. “So being in the middle of a public area again is fun.”
While some students do still hold hesitation as to life on campus during the pandemic, many are eager to return to as close to what was considered the norm before the pandemic began here at Sam Houston.
