By Linny Rousseau

This semester has been one for the books, to say the very least. Students, professors, and staff throughout campus have felt a bit different during the last 16 weeks. After finishing the semester online in the spring, the Marian University community has made it work on campus this fall. 

Students have taken classes in person, online, and a little bit of both. Most resources have been available in some aspect on campus. Events happened in their own unique ways. The last 16 weeks have been about reinventing the college experience. 

For some students, it is all they have known from college. First year Tony Fleming said that entering college during the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult but is happy to just be here. Most of his courses were online this semester, but he still managed to make connections and enjoy his first fall on campus. 

The Secondary Education and History major has relied on his friends he has made so far to still have a great experience. He noted that they would play some sort of game every night outdoors. He attended many events that he could, both in person and virtually. He also mentioned that there was “a lot of hammocking in the dog walk.” 

Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic for what the next few years hold for him. He said, “I’m excited to grow deeper into the community at Marian. I want the next three and a half years to be what I look back on for the rest of my life.” 

On the other end of the college experience, seniors throughout campus are missing out on those final opportunities to connect with their peers. 

Communication and Spanish major Andrea Skirvin mentioned that she has hardly spent any time with friends or taken part in any social activities between dealing with quarantine and a tough course load. 

She added that the culmination of everything has been difficult to manage. Senior year brings a variety of stressors on its own and adding a pandemic to the mix is “hard on the psychies”  

Skirvin said she is looking forward to being done and moving on to the next chapter of her life at this point, knowing that Marian has given her the tools to succeed. 

No matter where you are at in your college journey, it has been a semester that will never be forgotten. Rewriting the idea of what it is like to be a college student has been interesting and has forced people to get creative. 

It is unclear what exactly the spring semester will bring at this time, but the Marian University community will get through this pandemic together.