In an email to the Notre Dame community Monday, the Rev. John Jenkins, the university’s president, announced a series of guidelines to follow once the fall semester begins. Students can begin a phased return to campus July 27. Undergraduates will move in over a two-week period.
In relation to these guidelines, the university’s website has a page dedicated to health and safety practices. Everything we’ve come to expect during the COVID-19 pandemic is accounted for. This includes, but is not limited to wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands and daily temperature checks. Basically, it’s a reminder of our way of life until a vaccine, widespread treatment or whatever can knock this virus out.
Yes, even college life has to change in a way it never anticipated doing. Yet here we are with these drastic measures that will enable people to feel some sense of normalcy because being everyone learning everything online long-term is not what the normal college experience should become. We just have to suck it up and make a few sacrifices for now so we’re not still doing this five or 10 years from now.