If you’ve ever been a freshman at the University of Idaho when a virus wasn’t running rampant around the world, you likely are able to look back with fond memories of the “typical freshman experience.”
You likely remember eating at The Hub and waiting in line for far too long to get a mediocre slice of pizza. You may remember how Palousafest eased some of your first-week jitters after you collected copious amounts of flyers and free pencils and gave your email out to every club and organization who would take it. Perhaps you remember the dread and simultaneous excitement of making new friends, meeting your classmates and professors and making new connections.
These moments defined many of our college experiences, but they look quite different for this year’s incoming freshmen.
Diving into Greek life during a pandemic, Isabella Leija, a new member of Kappa Alpha Theta, spoke about her unusual experience as a freshman in a sorority on campus.
“Rush week was all online this year,” Leija said. Philanthropy, preference rounds, everything.”
Bid Day was not what she was expecting it to be either. She remarked how the rules weren’t as strict this year compared to the usual Bid Day rules, but everyone was split into 10 groups, and everyone wore masks and social distanced.
Everyday life in sorority houses has changed too. Leija said everyone is required to wear a mask except when eating or while in their rooms.
Before COVID-19, Leija anticipated she would make a lot of friends and have big classes, but she said COVID-19 has increased the difficulty of socializing and academics immensely.
“Being online is hard,” Leija said. “I’m a very visual learner and I appreciate face-to-face learning.”
Addison Thomson, a new resident of Delta Delta Delta, spoke about her similar experiences of Greek life. She said new safety measures are in place due to COVID-19, changing house dynamics.
“The sanitation levels have gone up a lot more,” Thomson said. “Masks are required pretty much everywhere throughout the house. It’s kind of difficult because you have to watch every step you take, and it’s hard to navigate sometimes.”
Thomson also mentioned she’s had difficulty meeting new people and making connections because of COVID-19.
“I think that COVID-19 has inhibited a lot of social activity,” Thomson said. “It’s a privilege to live in a sorority, but even the interconnectivity here seems hindered.”
However, she also voiced how pleased she was with her sorority in their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I am very proud of all my sisters,” Thomson said. “Everyone does exceptionally well following the guidelines, wearing masks and sanitizing. I am impressed by their effort.”
Though social distancing may be inhibiting socialization, both Leija and Thomson expressed their gratitude for still being able to have the close-knit community a sorority provides.
So, what about those who don’t have that community to rely on?
Charis Peever, a new resident of the Theophilus Tower, said all the Tower residents have single rooms, and no one has roommates. Some of the additional procedures put in place for Tower residents include mandatory masks in the hallway and lobby, and students are required to social distance and wear masks at any events that take place.
“It is definitely very different,” Peever said. “There are a lot of little things you don’t think would be affected that are.”
One of the biggest changes Peever said she had to adapt to is online classes. Peever said she feels it has made her worry about online classes much more.
“I’ve been more worried about academics going online,” Peever said. “I’m very much an auditory, kinetic learner. I’ve had some technical issues and have almost missed deadlines because of them. It’s also been a challenge to keep track of what days I have online and in-person classes.”
Among these changes, Peever said she has also had trouble meeting new people and “expanding her horizons.”
“I can’t really strike up a conversation in the elevator with someone,” Peever said. “Masks and social distancing kind of take away from connections with other people.”
JC Beals, a resident of the Wallace Residence Center, spoke about some of the measures taken to ensure social distancing in the dorm.
“The events are social distanced, and everyone has to wear a mask and gloves,” Beals said.
This combined with a visitor policy prohibiting non-residents from entering has increased the difficulty of making connections with others.
In contrast with the Tower, Beals said she does have a roommate and two suitemates. She expressed her gratitude for the “forced friendship” quarantine has placed on all of them, and that even a small sense of community has been nice to have.
Beals said her expectations of college were wildly different than what she’s experiencing currently.
“I had the movie stereotype in my head,” Beals said. “You know, you meet new people, big groups, welcome week. COVID-19 kind of took that away. Everyone has to stay six feet apart; interactions are short or don’t happen at all, there aren’t big lecture halls. It’s a lot more distant and you don’t feel that sense of community.”
Even more isolated outside the close-knit university campus, Madilyn Hull’s freshman experience has been a tad out of the ordinary as well. Living in an off-campus apartment, Hull and her husband expressed their concern with the isolation COVID-19 has forced upon them.
“We’re living in an apartment so we’re away from all the other freshmen, so we don’t have the opportunity to meet many other freshmen,” Hull said.
“I’m kind of sad that I haven’t really met anyone, but making friends isn’t really an option right now,” Hull said.
Hull expressed how her own expectations of college remained unfulfilled.
“I was expecting that friends would come over for game nights,” Hull said. “I was expecting people in my major to be close-knit. I guess I expected it to be like high school but with more specific interests.”
She also conveyed her frustration with the seclusion she has felt from COVID-19.
“I love to meet new people, especially like-minded progressive people,” Hull said. “I was excited to express myself, but COVID-19 has kind of taken that away.”
From Zooming in on Bid Day, to living solo in the Tower, this year proves to be strange for all of us, especially this year’s freshmen.
A global pandemic certainly wasn’t a hand everyone expected to be dealt, but as Peever said, “College is always a bit of an adjustment, and this just adds to it.”
Story By Bailey Brockett
Photos By Nataly Davies
Design By Taylor Lund