UNIVERSITY NEWS
Campus Weathers “Year of COVID,” Looks to the Future.
After a year and a half of restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Frostburg State is looking forward to a school year that will look more like what students have been used to. Still, it will be a new year influenced by a still-present pandemic, but also with the recognition that much was learned, and it’s possible to adapt new ideas and skills into a better way of doing things.
Our students experienced a period largely without the usual dances, concerts, performances, in-person campus activities, cheering on sports from the stands, spring break or formal commencements. There were virtual and masked/distanced options for activities, but it was a significant change from the experience of previous students. Faculty converted their classes to hybrid online/in-person formats. Everyone became much more used to seeing classmates, coworkers and friends on a screen instead of in person. Tens of thousands of COVID tests were administered. Anxiety over the virus was always present.
With the advent of the vaccines, things are beginning to return to “normal.” The University System of Maryland mandated that all students and employees must be vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious exemption. There’s the real possibility that the fall semester will look a lot more like it has in the past, with the understanding that changes may be required based on local health conditions.
Areas of need were highlighted — financial, technological, emotional, structural — as were the ingenuity and perseverance of Bobcats. All of it will require attention and cultivation in the years to come.