Students and professors share their opinion on the university pause that started last week on Sept. 3. A UW alert informing the community of the pause was sent in the evening of Sept. 2 after five positive cases were received in a day.
“I was so excited to go to football games and compete with my swim team. I was also so excited to find new interests and friends at UW,” said Madeline Bane, a freshman on the swimming and diving team.
She said online learning is especially difficult since there is not a professor explaining things right in front of students.
Though this semester is much different than expected, she decided to stay for the experience and hopes that President Seidel can help find a way to make this year feel more normal even with the intensity of the situation.
Faculty members were not surprised by how quickly the pause came.
“I was not surprised to hear it,” said Michele Bird, a statistics teacher at the university since 2012. “I think it is very easy to make mistakes in terms of social distancing and mask wearing.”
The switch to online learning has also been tough for those living off campus.
Larissa Lum, a senior, said, “The wifi signal can be poor in Laramie which has led to problems during Zoom sessions. No matter how hard our professors try, technology doesn’t always work.”
In light of online learning, students and professors have admitted the commute is much easier and shorter.
Professor Matt Gray said, “[The] easiest part of online learning – commuting from my living room to my porch.”
With the current weather, he may not even have to commute to his porch, but he brings up a lighter perspective about the digital switch caused by the pandemic.
“Everything will be fine,” said Gray. “Eventually.”
Bane said she has learned from the pause caused by COVID-19.
She said, “It taught me to treasure the time I have in person with other people, because that type of connection isn’t something you can have through a screen.”
