Paul McCoy

Ross Weisenberg, a biology major at Shenandoah University, learned that the school was going fully online while he was in Florida. “When I first heard about the possibility of this I thought it was a joke,” Weisenberg said. “But then my girlfriend texted me that she wasn’t coming back and I realized the severity of the situation.” 

More than a year ago, it was being announced that everyone around the world would be required to stay in their house and quarantine. This had ramifications for all the students at Shenandoah University. Students and professors had to start to learn to do online classes and adjust to all the new changes. 

Tom Lee, a history major at Shenandoah University, was at home relaxing with his parents when he saw that students were not coming back. At first he didn’t really believe that they were not going to return at all. 

“I tried to refute the idea,” Lee said, “but my dad kept on insisting it was real and we should go get my things from my dorm.” 
COVID-19’s impact on him wasn’t that much because he tends to usually stay in one place. 

“I was able to go to class in my pajamas so that was a very big plus,” Lee said.

At Shenandoah, students, faculty and staff continue to be socially distant at all times while also easing the way back into a normal life with fun activities all over campus. Shenandoah University turned its arena into a vaccination site, not just for the students but everyone in the community.

Walker Speer, a sports management major at Shenandoah University, was at a friend’s house fishing when he heard the news.
“I was shocked to say the least,” Speer said. “I never thought that something like this was going to happen.” The lockdown was hard because he had just turned 21 and wanted to go to bars and stuff, but it helped him.

“Because of the lockdown I am a better time manager,” Speer said. 

Right now the state of Virginia is currently relaxing its COVID-19 restrictions and everyone is mostly back at school with some people still doing Zoom classes.