Over the past few years, the University of Minnesota has been an absolute ghost town with COVID-19 halting in-person classes. What was initially thought to be a two-week extension of spring break turned into a complete lockdown of the campus.  

Throughout the nearly two-and-a-half years since, everything started to fizzle, we have learned a lot about our country, school, and community. If anything, it divided people greatly throughout the period of heavily enforced quarantine.

Students trying to live a normal life now would receive dirty looks if they weren’t wearing proper mask.

One unnamed University of Minnesota student recounts, “I remember when I would be outside with a couple of friends and people would ride by my fraternity house and take pictures of us on our private property, and then proceed to post them online essentially making a false image of us.”  he went one further by saying, “I think it really shows how crazy some people became with all of the quarantine and mask mandate.”

It was about the time when at the end of the spring semester the university announced mask mandates within the classroom setting would be taken back for the upcoming semesters.  Still, the University states, “Although masks are not required, please respect everyone’s choice to wear or not wear a mask.”  While this stance should have been in effect for the duration of the pandemic, it was actually quite the opposite.  During the pandemic, if you didn’t wear a mask people wouldn’t respect your decision while people who wore masks in their cars, for example, were praised. 

University of Minnesota senior, Nick Sherek, was asked how it felt to step into the classroom once again without a mask.  He said, “It’s relieving.  Now you can really get a feel for how people are reacting and see real-time facial expressions.  I think it really brightens the classroom and makes everyone feel more comfortable.”

It is students like Mr. Sherek who feel they lost a good portion of their college experience due to a pandemic.  Even he remembers, “One day we leave for spring break, and the next I have to move out of my door within a week’s notice.”

Without a doubt, students feel a sense of normalcy within the classroom after all this time.  Whether it was not being able to hear your professor with their mask on or not being able to recognize your own classmates.

Still, it is incredible to have the latest class of freshmen on campus and to see the entire student body traveling throughout campus.  As a matter of fact, most third-year students and younger, have never experienced a normal classroom setting.  

There are still many uncertainties about what the future holds for Universities, including the University of Minnesota, and students.  How long will COVID-19 testing protocols be in place, or will we ever see them disappear? 

The University of Minnesota is a few days away from Homecoming week.  This is a week for the University to come together despite everyone’s differences.  Additionally, this is something that the University of Minnesota has been longing for.  While the University had some festivities last year, it wasn’t to the scale as it once was.  

The hope for students is to return to the days of phenomenal school spirit, meet new people and make new memories that can only be made during a short period of a lifespan.

It is truly an exciting time for the University, its students, the community, and much more to return to a regular lifestyle where we can continue to grow our experiences and live life.