Due to COVID-19, most students at AU have been forced out of their on-campus residences without many of their belongings or, in some cases, a safe place to go. In addition to this transition, students have also had to adjust to online learning.
For junior Emily Frost, the biggest challenge so far has been finding motivation.
“It is really hard to want to get work done during the day,” Frost said. “It feels overwhelming, and as an extrovert, it is really hard to stay energized when you cannot go out and see people.”
Luckily for Frost, she has the option of staying home with her family in McCordsville.
Junior Drew Sonnefeldt was stranded on campus for the first few days of the quarantine.
“It was kind of weird.” Sonnefeldt said. “I was spending the nights on my friend’s couch and the rest of the time packing my things.”
He is now back home with his parents in Illinois, but was scared he would not be those first few days.
Freshman Haven Hoffencamp has been staying with his family in Chicago.
“I miss the dorm life,” Hoffencamp said. “I miss my friends. I miss the activities we would do together, and I miss laughing with them all.”
This has certainly been a time of change. Many students have had a difficult time adjusting to the new “normal.”
“I would say the biggest change for me since moving back home has been the environment,” freshman Alaina Buroker said.
Buroker had become very comfortable living the dorm life before the quarantine. She is currently in Evansville with her family.
Many of the students have also voiced their concerns about the spreading of the virus and the long-term outcome.
“I’m worried about the economic impact it is having in the world,” Frost said. “Already, people are losing their jobs.”
“The thing I miss most is my friends,” Buroker said. “Since I am back home, I am now almost three hours or more away from all of my close AU friends.”
Sonnefeldt said that he misses his sport of soccer, as well as his friends. He also commented on the lack of time he has been able to spend in the gym since campus shut down. As a defender for the AU soccer team, he worked out almost everyday before the Kardatzke Wellness Center shut its doors this semester.
Frost explained that online learning has been difficult for her, with occasional internet issues and family members attempting to work from home. Like Frost, many other students eagerly await the day that they can return to the Raven’s Nest.
“Being at school is like living in a neighborhood where all of my friends live, too,” Frost said.