By: Jamie Holdsambeck

The University of Montevallo’s College Night tradition will be held virtually for the first time in the institution’s 125 year history. To protect students and slow the spread of COVID, this year’s college night ceremony will be held virtually, in addition to other necessary precautions such as meeting virtually when possible, social distancing, and wearing masks by the cast and crew.

This year’s College Night will look different than in recent years, instead of competing against one another, both purple and gold sides have teamed up to create a production together, using past scripts that were not chosen for previous college nights, what the University is referring to as “the untold stories of College Night.”

This is just the most recent adaptation the University has taken to ensure student safety amid the pandemic. College Night is not the only school function changing due to COVID, countless teams, clubs, and organizations have made necessary changes to slow the spread of the virus.

The University of Montevallo’s cheer team hopes to attend nationals this year, but even with the pandemic still in full swing, some students are still finding hope in the mundane. Emma Reid, a University of Montevallo cheerleader says, “Right now with everything going on its hard to manage everything. The campus only allows us to go to so many places with COVID regulations, but we’re making the most of it.”

The University’s plans seem to be working because reports of cases on campus have been few to none.

The Federal Drug Administration just approved a new vaccine produced by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, giving individuals a third option in addition to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. This most recent development has many hoping we will reach a certain level of normalcy within the coming months, hopefully starting 2022 off on a higher note.

College Night will be held virtually from March 10th through March 13th.