By Sydney Young
Since the coronavirus in 2019, many things have changed. There have also been difficulties along the way, especially with college students and college life.
Hannah Bazinaw, a sophomore at Montevallo University, spoke of her experience with COVID-19 during her freshman year, and how it affected her academics and college life.
UM enforced a mask mandate on campus, allowing people to remove them when outside, socially distanced, and in residence halls. Bazinaw, who lives on campus, says the mandate could be stricter.
While she enjoys not always wearing one in a dorm, she feels students should still wear masks when gathered in common areas or walking around.
Regarding the mandate last year, Bazinaw said “It was annoying at first, but it became second nature.”
Going to college during a pandemic, mask mandates, and different styles of classes, made it difficult for Bazinaw.
“I do better with in person teaching, because it allows me to be more hands on,” said Bazinaw.
UM continues to work hard to keep students safe. While Bazinaw said the mask mandate could be stricter, she feels that the university is doing a good job. UM hosted a vaccine clinic for students, which Hannah appreciated how convenient it was for unvaccinated students.
While UM did not enforce vaccinations, Bazinaw says “I would have felt safer… knowing there’s still a chance you get it with the vaccine, but risks are lower.”
However, she understands that if the university enforced vaccines, it could have caused issues among students and faculty.
The University of Montevallo plans to keep its students safe, with their health protocols and COVID-19 testing.
Summary
College life is hard, and then adding a pandemic into the mix, makes it even harder. Hannah Bazinaw understands the university’s mandates to keep students safe and is glad they made getting the vaccine easier for students. Hannah is glad to be back in person and to continue her college life as normally as possible.
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