Writing SNHU’s Story
VOLUME XXVII
ISSUE 3
NOVEMBER 6, 2020
PENMENPRESS.COM
Life On Campus: Emergency Housing
questions regarding their living situations which helped to gauge the number of students in need of emergency housing. “After hearing from a number of returning students that campus is their only safe place to live and learn, SNHU opened a very limited number of housing options for students who were in unsafe or unstable living situations. This emergency housing option is tru-
ly only for those who do not have anywhere else to live, and applicants who meet these criteria were approved for emergency housing this fall,” says Athena Adair, Resident Director. A follow-up email was sent soon after, which included a form to be filled out as well as guidelines that students need to follow while on campus. Residents on campus are restricted from having guests
on campus however can visit one another, though with no more than two people in the same room. Upon arrival to campus, students are required to quarantine in their dormitories for up to 14 days, including if they travel outside of New England and back to campus. Additionally, students need to keep their Wellness records updated, take a Covid-19 test and follow social
distancing protocols. Housing costs typically range between $4500 and $5500. Currently, students in Monadnock pay $5000 for their room. Additionally, campus residents are expected to purchase and prepare their own meals. They can find the items they need at the provided SNHU food pantry, The Cupboard. While on campus, students are prohibited from going to public locations on campus such as the dining center, library and fitness center. Meanwhile, other services like in-person office hours have also been closed on campus, and virtual meetings are strongly encouraged. “Before the coronavirus pandemic, resident students were allowed to have a limited number of guests visit them on campus. Their guests could be fellow SNHU students, or family and friends. There was no curfew for residents on campus. All students were expected to follow the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook,” says Shannon Brown, Resident Life Director. Throughout the
are all being watched over by public safety. "Public safety includes general services such as helping students who may be locked out of their room, helping them access their car, and escorting them on campus," says James Winn, the head of public safety. "If somebody comes back late at night
and they are alone, you might escort them from the parking lot to a resident hall." However, with a decrease in student population, Winn explained that public safety has moved away from general services. Instead, he sees his department dealing with more security-related
matters. One of which includes checking on the status of buildings. With a smaller campus population, fewer people use these facilities, which makes maintenance checks especially important. Public safety also continues to conduct security patrols across campus. "Since there
is such limited activity on campus, it makes us more vulnerable to break-ins, thefts, and such," says Winn, stressing their importance this semester. However, Winn also highlighted this procedure's success, making it clear that there has not been any crime since February.
Monadnock Hall. (image source: SNHU External Affairs) Taylor Posik Staff Writer Students have been given the option to utilize emergency housing on campus for the 2020 fall semester. This option was put in place for those that were in unstable and unsafe living conditions as well as for those that had nowhere to live. Prior to the fall semester, an email was sent including a survey that asked students
Joshua DiNapoli Staff Writer Even with SNHU's campus mostly closed, public safety continues to aid the remaining faculty and students. Those utilizing SNHU’s emergency housing, grounds keeping, or those that need to be on campus to do their jobs
Public Safety on Campus during COVID
course of the fall semester, residents have had to adjust to the new normal on campus. "I arrived to SNHU with high expectations of bustling college life, complete with sororities, organizational events, and extracurricular sports. Instead, I was greeted by a ghost town, and share a building with fourteen other students who are too occupied with their online classes, or cautious about COVID-19, to socialize,” says Dones Williams, ‘22. “Simply, it's been tough for me to adjust to living in a new state on a campus that has been closed for health measures. We cannot have visitors, so if I mean to connect with other people, I must venture out into the pandemic-ridden world. I want to connect with others with common interests, because spending most of my free time in my huge, empty room can and will eventually drive me mad." As SNHU enters the second quarter of the school year, staff and students are beginning to prepare for the remote spring semester.
COVID has also impacted the working hours of public safety. The department has lowered the typical 10hour shift to 8 hours. Furthermore, employees no longer work overlapped shifts. Before the pandemic, the busiest . . . . . . . . . . . Continue to page 2