EDUCATION IN ISOLATION Life of a Remote College Student Written by Alyse Messmer Photos by Kelsie Stevens or college students around the globe, getting an education looks very different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools across the country range from offering in-person classes, fully remote classes, or offering on-campus housing for students, California Baptist University has chosen to remain open for the Fall 2020 semester and provide students on-campus housing and dining while they complete their classes fully online. As online classes differ from the usual college class format, students are having to determine what value they place on schooling, if living on campus is worth it and what online schooling looks like for them. But according to a statement from CBUs President Ronald L. Ellis, even with the changes in class format and health guidelines, CBU had another groundbreaking year of enrollment, totaling 11,317 students in Fall 2020. The university announced the housing protocols and guidelines students would need to follow in order to keep on-campus housing open for students in a coronavirus update on July 31, 2020: “CBU has taken steps to provide safe residences but the responsibility to prevent the spread of coronavirus is a shared responsibility. … Residents
F
54 | Pursuit
are expected to assist in the effort to promote safety by following all CBU health guidelines and directives. Students are expected to keep personal living areas clean and avoid behaviors that would jeopardize their health as well as the health of others.” CBU implemented new guidelines and rules in addition to asking students to be safe, such as daily health screenings, face masks and social distancing, no visiting hours and canceling all in-person events for the semester. For Hudson Goegebuer, senior mechanical engineering major, living on campus was important to him because it is his senior year. “I don’t want to be the reason somebody’s life is at risk from unknowingly spreading COVID-19, though it is practically undeniable that it is much harder to learn online than in person,” Goegebuer says. “I read my Bible outside in the morning, but I otherwise sit in my room all day until my classes are over. I try and schedule at least a single oneon-one every day as well as schedule time with friends to try and maintain a healthy life balance. It is what it is, but hopefully next semester I’ll be able to watch movies with my friends again before I graduate.” ➤
