The third anniversary of COVID-19

Toreros reflect on pandemic three years after lockdown

From COVID, Page 1 much easier to get distracted, and the classes were less engaging,” Ortiz said.

The pandemic also made Jalbuena more appreciative of those close to her, especially amid the losses of loved ones.

“It made me value my relationships more [...] I lost two of my uncles to COVID. However, throughout these obstacles I think it has encouraged everyone to embrace time with their loved ones,” Jalbuena said. “Not being able to see my family and friends after a while made me value in person connection and time more. I’ve definitely learned to cherish the time I have with my friends now, especially as a graduating senior.”

Along with the major losses of life throughout the pandemic, for Asian Americans such as Jalbuena, the lockdowns brought up the issue of anti-Asian hate and racism. According to an

NPR broadcast from 2021, approximately 4,548 hate crimes against Asian Americans were reported for the year of 2020.

During the majority of the pandemic, Jalbuena was concerned for the safety of her parents, her grandparents and herself.

“We noticed more elderly Asians were targeted so we bought pepper spray for them. Even coughing in public during COVID I feel like I was getting even more stares just because I was Asian. I would literally try to hold in my cough,” Jalbuena said.

USD junior Maryana Castro felt similarly and also feared that she would be attacked.

“I didn’t get hate-crimed, but I thought I would. I was just afraid of always getting classified as the ‘Asian girl,’” Castro said.

When first-year students entering college in the fall of 2020 finally did arrive at USD, the dorm population was reduced to half, with only one student per suite of any on-campus apartment. USD opted not to return to in-person learning, but housing was still available for students who needed it.

Castro commented on how empty the campus felt.

“Living in Manch [Manchester Apartments] as a freshman, in a double room by myself, campus felt like a ghost town. Everyone on campus was close, because there was barely anyone.”

Ortiz shared the same sentiments as Castro. He noted that the transition back to campus felt pointless, since learning still took place on Zoom.

“There was no point really in trying to transition us back, especially in a peak of the pandemic. Moving back was really socially isolating because they were really strict with COVID regulations. My roommate even got kicked out of USD housing because of it,” Ortiz said.

In addition to dealing with isolation and restrictions, firstyears who are now juniors grappled with issues of loss and mistrust in institutional powers. Since their senior year of high school was largely lost to COVID, the class of 2024 worried about losing their limited freedoms and privileges in college.

“The uncertainty definitely gave me trust issues, and I was worried a lot if I would be sent home soon,” Castro shared.

Now — three years since March 2020 — the California state government marked an end to all COVID emergency measures and protocols.

According to the office of Governor Gavin Newsom, the administration is seeking “two statutory changes immediately upon the Legislature’s return: 1) The continued ability of nurses to dispense COVID-19 therapeutics; and 2) The continued ability of laboratory workers to solely process COVID-19 tests.”

Otherwise, Newsom’s emergency powers to “make, amend and rescind state regulations [and] suspend state statutes and redirect state funds” will no longer persist, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Biden administration announced its plan to declare the pandemic emergency over on May 11 of this year, at which point state and federal governments will be aligned in their stance on controlling the virus.

The California Department of Health reported that California deaths due to COVID surpassed 100,000 earlier this year, which is about an eleventh of the total U.S. death toll of 1.1 million since 2020. California has the highest total death toll of any state, followed by Texas, Florida and New York. Although the emergency protocols may have ended in California, the substantial loss of life will continue to affect people all over the world, and at USD.

Every year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducts the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey” (YRBS), measuring health behaviors in high school students around the United States. On Feb. 13, the CDC released the data from the 2021 survey as well as an analysis of trends of the past 10 years from 2011-2021. Although this survey analyzes high school students in 2021 when the survey was conducted, many USD first-years and sophomores were still in high school.

According to the YRBS, poor mental health has continued to rise in the past 10 years. The percentage of high school students who experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness grew from 37% in 2019 to 42% in 2021. These numbers are much higher for female students and LGBTQ+ students who experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, at 57% and 69% respectively.

USD’s student wellness team confirmed the rise of increasing mental health concerns, commenting “we have continued to see an increase in mental concerns in teenagers and young adults over the past several years. While it’s difficult to come to a definitive explanation for this, several studies have pointed to the potential negative impact that social media may be having on young people’s mental health. Furthermore, young people who hold marginalized identities (ie. LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and female-identified individuals etc), often experience higher rates of mental health concerns, which can be significantly impacted by experiences of racism, sexism, homophobia, as well as access to care barriers in various communities. During the pandemic, students also experienced increased isolation and loneliness, which are issues in and of themselves and can exacerbate existing mental health issues.”

The CDC also attributed worsening mental health to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2022 press release on the CDC’s website, the CDC’s Acting Principal Deputy Director Debra Houry explained, “The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental wellbeing. Our research shows that surrounding youth with the proper support can reverse these trends and help our youth now and in the future.” The new YRBS further corroborates the effect of COVID-19 on youth mental health.

USD first-year Fiona Smith commented that she was not surprised that the percentage of students who felt sad and hopeless grew during the pandemic.

“A lot of people were isolated and away from their friends. And especially for people of that age, all of their social development is based on their peer relations more than their parent relations. And if you’re at home alone with only your parents, and you don’t have those peer relations to build upon, I could totally see how that could lead to more sadness and hopelessness.”

Smith expanded that she believes this affected many of her peer’s transition into college.

“I think it made people make it a lot more difficult for people to have social interactions because they have been away from them for so long. It definitely makes it a lot harder for people to connect with one another.”

USD senior Carina Tanaka is the President of USD’s “Active Minds” club, which seeks to bring education and create conversations about mental health. She noticed how COVID19 especially impacted younger students, who were in high school when the pandemic started.

“Fortunately, I was already in college when COVID began, but I can tell that it has left a lasting impact on this generation’s mental health,” Tanaka said. “Students who transitioned from high school to college during COVID definitely had a more difficult time adjusting to college. These students have experienced quicker burnout, limited opportunities to socialize with their peers and were challenged with creating a healthy balance between school and personal life. Because of this, students were less engaged in classroom discussions and were less likely to be involved on campus.”

Although COVID-19 had many adverse effects on mental health, Tanaka says it also created an opportunity for mental health to be prioritized.

“Administrators, instructors and other students including myself realized that we need to take a step back and evaluate the consequences of the pandemic and how prioritizing students’ mental health can improve education and quality of life at USD.”

One of these initiatives Tanaka pointed to is TimelyCare, a free service for all USD students that provides 24-hour access to virtual mental health care, as well as 12 scheduled counseling visits per semester. Another way USD is prioritizing mental health care is with wellness events and groups such as Active Minds which bring awareness to mental health.

Students who are struggling with their mental health are encouraged to book an appointment at USD’s counseling center. For immediate help, the counseling center’s 24-hour number is 619-260-4655. Other resources include the 24-hour San Diego Access and Crisis Line which can be reached by calling 1-888-724-7240, or the national suicide hotline at 988. All of these resources and more can be found at the student wellness website https://sites. sandiego.edu/youareusd/.