College in the Time of COVID

Think of the way of life is being reconstructed during the pandemic. A new normal is being defined, hopefully with the result of a better way of living topping the previous lifestyles.

The pandemic is having a major impact on everyone. It is making people reconsider inviting close relatives or companions over, going out for leisure - to put it simply, everyday fun about which people would normally not think twice.

It is clear that some forms of change are occurring with the way people live and how they live. With change being the topic of conversation, people are starting to fix their eyes upon the next generations, also known as Millennials and Generation Z. These demographics comprise an age group that ranges from the late teens to the early twenties. They have been major contributors to the current change.

With the pandemic being brought upfront, it is safe to consider that a good portion of these individuals also comprehend risk. One risk in particular includes going back to school on a college campus during COVID.

As big as this conversation is, evidence depicts two sides to this issue. One side promotes the usage of face masks to protect themselves and others from disease while the other side disposes of this idea.

Mixed feelings linger in the air on whether or not college students are mentally prepared to return to campus. Some are happy to attend school on campus once again. While college students should be excited to return to college, it is important to remind new and current college students to what they are returning. If they return, they will come back to a campus that has no direct solution to cure COVID-19. Students have to beware that this is the very reason schools shut down earlier this year.

Although there are protocols in place to reduce the spread of this disease. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) has provided people with consistent clarity and all-around hope to move past this. The CDC encourages people to wear masks, keep six feet apart, avoid touching areas of the face,

wash hands constantly and, if affected by the disease, to self-quarantine for two weeks.

With schools and colleges attempting to make a safe reopening, those are the guidelines that will have to be followed properly. This is why some students worry. They fear they may contract a deadly disease from returning to an institution that is supposed to do what is best for the students. Most people can agree that colleges are in place to set their students up for success, but what will happen if their campus cannot control an outburst of COVID-19 cases?

This is a thought many new and returning students have to face.

To many students, going to college means conquering another chapter in life in order to get to where they want to be. Now, students have to take the focus off themselves and pay attention to the possibility of their peers’ bad habits.

This kind of thinking has the potential to cause an uproar because students have to depend on others to follow the rules in a world where rules seem to be broken. Although the University of Kentucky has not taken those rules lightly; they are doing what they can to promote healthy living for the incoming and returning students as quickly and efficiently as possible.

With the current reopening of the school, testing sites have been made available for easy access, producing turnover rates in 42 to 72 hours at the earliest. Signs of enforcement like social distancing reminders and hand sanitizer stations can be seen across the campus; in addition, a mask, a bottle of sanitizer, a thermometer and a pack of disinfecting wipes have been provided for incoming and returning students staying on campus.

Since the University of Kentucky has been implementing the CDC guidelines, everything is going well, and students are showing signs of joy to be back on a campus that promotes healthy living. Students are looking forward, hoping for a refreshing semester.