“I was very excited. It replicated that feeling of coming onto campus the first time,” she says. “Because everything felt new again, I’ve just gained a new appreciation for being on campus.” Still, scheduling with the University continued to be a problem for Walvoord during her moveout process, which she says was far from ideal and colored with confusion and stress. Before moving out of Plex, Walvoord and her friends received calls giving them clearance to leave at very different times of day. Her ride back to her dorm, provided by the University, had not been confirmed, and despite multiple attempts, she was not able to get a moving crate to transport her items to the downstairs lobby. After calling to inquire about the crate and waiting for one for close to an hour, Walvoord had to carry her items by herself. While Walvoord was “super grateful” to have gotten a ride back to her dorm at the conclusion of her quarantine, she was still stressed about her schoolwork and moving back into her room while her roommate awaited her arrival. When she tried to get into her room, her Wildcard didn’t work, forcing her to get a temporary keycard. She later found out that her card had not been cleared until hours after she left Plex. “I just felt a little bit forgotten about, at the end of the day, and that feeling didn’t sit very well with me,” Walvoord says. As a student starting college remotely, Walvoord was simply happy to be on campus, meet new people and feel more connected to the Northwestern community. She felt grateful for the everyday experiences of being a student on campus, whether it was picking up food at the dining hall or walking by the lakefront. After living in the quarantine dorms and being deprived of these small joys, she sought to reclaim that gratitude for the sake of her mental health and overall college experience. “Starting out school as a freshman in such a crazy year with COVID, and having so many restrictions and things that you can’t do, [you’re] able to overcome that just by feeling like, ‘At least I’m here,’” she says.
WHERE
CAN STUDENTS GO? Beyond CAPS, Northwestern students have access to other resources that may be more attainable. THE FAMILY INSTITUTE
supplies individual therapy and counseling. The
RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL LIFE (RSL)
team and
CENTER FOR AWARENESS, RESPONSE & EDUCATION (CARE),
for students impacted by sexual violence and relationship violence, can be accessed for free. WHITE LIGHT THERAPY LAMPS,
said to be an effective way to treat seasonal depression, can be used in SPAC by appointment. NU ACTIVE MINDS
holds campus-wide events and conversations to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental health. Similar clubs include RESILIENT NU and THE HAPPINESS CLUB, which facilitate safe spaces and resources for students. 48
WINTER 2021