Masks at the ready, WVU freshmen Sydney Ailor and Kendal Williams sat on opposite ends of a bench outside the Mountainlair on Wednesday afternoon — day one of the WVU’s fall semester.
Excited about being on campus?
“Yeah,” the friends from Berkeley Springs said in unison.
Nervous about being on campus in light of everything going on with COVID-19?
“A little,” they again responded simultaneously, drawing a laugh from both.
“I was a little bit nervous this morning, but I’m fine now,” Ailor said.
Both said they felt WVU was handling the unique circumstances well so far by mandating masks and social distancing and reducing the number of students actually attending class in person.
They also agreed transportation is one area where the COVID-19 restrictions could cause some frustrations.
“They have to limit the amount of people that can get on, so when a lot of people need on the bus, people get lined up and end up late,” Williams said. “It’s expensive to get an Uber every day. Some people are saying to give it a week or two for them to get everything figured out.”
Senior history/anthropology student Monessa McGaha said she, too, has experienced a mix of nervousness and excitement about starting the semester amidst a global pandemic.
McGaha said it’s not realistic for WVU to think students won’t gather socially. She also said students caught organizing and participating in unsafe gatherings should be prepared to answer for those choices.
“I think it’s really good they’re reinforcing the idea that there will be consequences for your actions if you’re putting people in danger by doing whatever you want,” she said. “This is real and it’s serious for people who could be endangered because of those actions.”
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