As students prepared to return to classes in a new way, they voiced expectations, concerns, and hopes for a public health-informed fall 2020 semester. Using guidance from the CDC, the state of Michigan, and U-M public health experts, students had the opportunity to decide whether to return to Ann Arbor campus for a hybrid learning experience, or stay home for a fully remote semester. The Welcome HoMe podcast series features a diverse array of students across campus sharing their plans to adapt to our current environment this fall.

 

DISCUSSING STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR FALL

Rising sophomore Alana Milow discusses her ideal semester in these given circumstances. Planning to take her classes fully remote and at home, she recognizes that “every additional body in a space is that much more of a risk of the spread of the virus.” One of her goals this semester is to maintain virtual connections with her professors and peers.

 

MASKING UP MICHIGAN

Vaishnavi Krishnan and Divya Ramamoorthy, co-founders of Masks of Michigan, provide insight about their influential social initiative to encourage mask-wearing on campus. Masks of Michigan started through the College of Engineering’s COVID-19 Campus-Wide Challenge as a desire to make a positive impact this fall, at a time when many details about campus operations were still uncertain.

 

MIXED EMOTIONS AND UNPRECEDENTED TIMES

President of Girls Teaching Girls to Code, Shreya Patil expresses her excitement to be back in Ann Arbor for her senior year, but also her hesitation to enter this unchartered territory. She describes the challenges of navigating virtual programming and recruitment as a new organization looking to establish its place on campus.

 

RESIDENT ADVISOR EDITION

Resident Advisors Cam Turner and Ryan Victor Joseph share their thoughts about returning to dorm living, supporting incoming freshmen, and their evolving roles as RAs. They discuss how overcoming adversity could potentially bring incoming freshmen closer as they go through this transition together.

 

PRIORITIZING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUPPORT NETWORKS

Chase Camp, Michigan senior and Director of Marketing and Outreach for Wolverine Support Network, emphasizes the importance of students taking care of their mental health this semester. His advice for students, both at home and returning to campus, is to incorporate something you enjoy doing into every day.