The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Tree Years Since Campus Shutdown

By SOFIA RUBINSON and AIMÉE EICHER Sun Managing Editor and Sun Assistant Managing Editor

Exactly three years ago Monday, Cornellians sat next to each other in classrooms and chatted face-to-face, while professors spoke, maskless, to lecture halls full of students. They thought this would be the last day of classes for three weeks. It turned out to be more than two years before the campus would return to a sense of normalcy.

Through quarantine regulations, masking requirements and weekly mandatory testing, students and faculty navigated the pandemic together. Each class year currently at Cornell faced different challenges and opportunities throughout their time at the University, with the Class of 2023 the only one to experience pre-pandemic Cornell.

The Shutdown

In December 2019, Abby Drucker ’23 recalled hearing about the coronavirus for the first time. As a first-year experiencing the excitement of campus, she didn’t imagine that a virus that had yet to make it to the United States would have an impact on her daily life.

“First semester freshman year was overwhelming, but in a great way, because you entered a new atmosphere and you’re meeting so many new people,” Drucker said. “Back in December, I had heard of some virus in China. My mom was always saying make sure to wash your hands and whatnot, but I don’t think anybody expected it to be as big as it was.”

On March 10, 2020, Cornell announced that the University would go virtual for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester following spring break on March 27. However, in a move that was described as “unexpected,” President Martha Pollack released an update on March 13, 2020 that all in-person instruc- tion would be suspended immediately and students were strongly encouraged to return to their permanent residences.

Drucker remembers going on a run and seeing a friend who asked if she had seen the announcement. Chris McDermott ’23 recalls waiting for the University’s announcement email in his dorm building.

“People were just running out into the hallway, just reading out what the email had said,” McDermott said. “I just remember there being mixed emotions. People were happy, they were scared, they were confused.”

The Transition

On March 20, 2020, the first reported positive cases of COVID-19 at Cornell were documented. In the new era of social distancing and uncertainty, students and faculty had to readjust courses and learn how to teach and participate in classes virtually.