Controlled Chaos: Campus Life + COVID-19

It feels good to be back! 

Although I’ve missed in-person classes and campus life, I can’t pretend that being back at UNC is nothing but positives. 

We’re still in a pandemic. And as much as we want to believe that we’re getting back to normal life, we aren’t. 

Students and faculty are getting COVID, masks are required in buildings, some of our favorite spots on Franklin are shut down and Zoom options for classes are optional in case people are uncomfortable returning to the classroom. 

This is not normal, but it’s been our reality since March of last year. 

Instead of trying to end the pandemic, it seems like we’re just learning how to navigate life throughout such trying times. Even with vaccines, it seems like the end of this is still out of sight. I’m trying my best to enjoy campus life and the “normalcy” that has come with it, but I can’t help but feel like a disaster is brewing. 

In a way, I’m hoping for the best while expecting the worst. Carolina doesn’t seem to ever put students first, and after the year we’ve had and the money the school didn’t get to make last year, I feel like Kevin G. will do whatever it takes to make sure he gets his coin! 

I just want to make sure I’m being protected and supported by my university during times like this. But if UNC lets me down (like they have done plenty of times before), I know that I have the best support system making sure I’m keeping it together and not falling apart as the semester goes on. 

College life at UNC has never been easy, and being a student during a pandemic has brought on a new set of challenges, but looking back at how I’ve handled obstacles throughout this past year has given me hope that I’ll be able to do the same for these next couple of months. 

I won’t throw in the towel just yet, I have way too much to accomplish.