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The morning of Friday March 13, 2020, Elizabethtown College stood still. Any other morning, students would fill the campus, moving between academic buildings and gathering areas, anticipating the approaching weekend. Today, however, classes were cancelled, as the College had decided to send students home and move to online learning until April 3 due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.
The day before, when the suspension of face-to-face classes was announced, students packed for “Corona Break” and prepared to leave by Sunday, the mandatory evacuation date. Under the impression that they would be returning in three weeks, students slowly left campus.
Friday morning, senior mathematical business major Sarah Conway and her roommates prepared a breakfast in their apartment, a “see you later” celebration between close friends. Laughs shared over cups of coffee, fried eggs and avocado toast allowed the seniors one last moment of each other’s company before they parted ways for almost a month.
Little did they know, this was really a goodbye.
While Conway made the drive back to Baltimore and fitted her bedroom to suit her academic needs, professors adapted their course materials to be taught online. By the following Tuesday, classes started right back up again.
“It was different, but I wasn’t too upset about it because everyone adapted well and the transition was pretty smooth,” Conway said. “Still, I was looking forward to coming back and spending time with my friends in person.”
The hope of returning did not last long, though, as President Cecilia McCormick announced on March 20 that the College would remain remote for the rest of the spring 2020 semester.
“I understand these decisions will cause immeasurable disappointment for our campus community,” McMormick said in an email statement. “I cannot wait to see how much stronger we will be, together, once again.”
But for some students, this meant the end. Reading this news, Conway was forced to accept that her college experience was over. No last Thank God It’s Spring (TGIS), no more college nights at Lucky Ducks, no Junior Senior Dance, no senior week and uncertainty regarding commencement.
For the seniors, the glory days of college and the last moments of adolescence have come to an end; the real world arrived quicker than it should’ve.
“It was surreal,” Conway said. “With a lot of other colleges announcing they were suspending the rest of the semester, I felt like it was inevitable, but I didn’t know how to react once it was actually confirmed.”
This feeling resonated among the rest of the senior class. “I was devastated when I read the email,” Senior occupational therapy major and Conway’s roommate Sammi Bailey said.
Bailey will be returning to campus next semester to complete her Master’s degree, but she will be without many of her classmates. “I’m just sad I won’t get these last few months with my friends,” Bailey said.
Last semester, Conway completed her major requirements, and is currently only taking classes to finish her data analytics minor.
“When they told us we wouldn’t be coming back to campus, I considered dropping my minor and just being done,” Conway said. Without the experience of being on campus, it makes it difficult for her to want to continue with her courses.
The senior experience, though, takes a backseat to the current global pandemic, as personal health and stopping the spread of disease takes priority.
