Photo courtesy of The Summit.
(From left) Senior suite mates Kelly LaRegina, Emma Cromidas, Brenna Kueter, Madison McKenna, Gina Treveloni, Anastasia Pumphrey, Liz Alfiero, Colleen Stravin, and Kaitlin Peters smile in front of Donahue Hall in their masks.
By Anastasia Pumphrey
It was a cool day on March 11, 2020, the day every Skyhawk’s devices all buzzed or dinged with an email containing two words that would change the course of their college career—some for the very last time—remote learning.
Whiteboard dorm calendars stayed marked “March” for two months that spring, events like Take Back The Night, Relay For Life, or even a simple Brother Mike’s night became hollow promises.
“At our core, the Stonehill community is one of scholarship and faith, guided by a mission of educating the whole person so that we each think, act, and lead with courage toward the creation of a more just and compassionate world. That work remains central to everything we do, but we cannot fulfill its promise without a safe and healthy campus environment,” President Fr. John Denning, C.S.C. wrote to students that day in March.
Since this day, the College has been preparing for its students’ return from their remote hiatus to continue on-campus learning, even if it is in a modified way. “The most challenging aspect was the unpredictability of when guidelines would change,” senior Head Resident Assistant (HRA) Regina Treveloni said, “We really had to take everything day-by-day as new guidelines would come out while we were already in training and trying to reopen.”
Treveloni said that Residence Life was one of the most affected departments when it came to COVID-19 guidelines, although the virus has touched the entire campus as a whole.
“Residence Life was very flexible during the reopening process,” she said. “They had to develop new systems at a moment’s notice to reopen and move in thousands of students, most with very special circumstances. The professional staff was really receptive during the entire process, which was a huge help to the RAs whose jobs look different this year.”
Due to the COVID-19 Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, there are many new policies in place in the residence halls, including mask wearing, lower room capacities, and barring students from entering residence halls they do not live in, according to the Residence Life website.
“Resident interactions have looked much different this year. We aren’t able to have as many in-person interactions, which complicates things but also takes away arguably one of the best aspects of the job. RAs have definitely had to get creative with how they will maintain programming in the halls and check-ins with their residents,” Treveloni said.
Academic life has looked different as well for the past two weeks, as students and professors wear masks and meet in smaller cohorts to allow for social distancing, as well as join classes over Zoom if they are remote or not feeling well.
There is a daily check-in that has been added to myHill and the College’s app so that students and faculty can submit their temperature and answer a few questions that ensure they are symptom-free for class.
COVID-19 testing on campus is given to each student at least once a week, and contact tracing is in effect, according to Health Services. The semester calendar has also been shortened to end on November 25, as well as all breaks being taken away in an effort to “minimize risks due to possible travel over breaks.”
Some other challenges have come with the new campus life as all large events and sports have been put on hold for the fall. The Admissions Office and the Office of Student Financial Assistance have also faced challenges over the spring and summer.
To control the amount of people the campus lets in and out, the College has also installed a new gate system to both the Route 123 and Route 138 entrances of the campus. These gates are opened by transponders that were distributed with each resident and commuter student’s parking decal. The remote students, according to the new policies, were asked to refrain from coming onto campus for the semester.
“So many faculty and staff have worked diligently all summer to make this semester happen for you, and your own personal behaviors will determine the success of these efforts. I ask that you join me in committing to keeping one another safe and healthy,” President Denning, C.S.C, wrote in his August 19 update to the college.
Today students walk across the quad, mask and all, and are once again able to wave to friends from a social distance. They reunite with their roommates, and the seniors are able to enjoy the quad in the summer sun for the last time, something that was once uncertain.
“This is a place defined by a powerful sense of community, a place filled with the sounds of life being lived to the fullest,” Denning said in a video released on the College’s Instagram in April. “This campus will once again be filled with the energy and the inspiration that you bring.”
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