Written for The Argo by Elana Augustus

Falling leaves, a gust of wind, the shuttle cruising up and down the road; these are of the few sounds you’ll hear at Stockton University this semester. Our campus has gone from having a buzzing Campus Center to being able to hear a pin drop on most days. COVID-19 made some drastic changes for this university.

Michael Killabrew, a current junior at Stockton University, who is also a part of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha says the environment on campus is very different from previous semesters. “Other semesters I have done a lot, but now there are no events to do in person so it’s dead,” Killabrew said.

He then pointed out that he regrets living on campus because there is “nothing to do.” He feels he wasted his money because he is not getting the full college experience that he desires. Being a new member of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, Killabrew explains that he didn’t get his neo season. Although he is glad to be a part of the fraternity, Killabrew didn’t get the full experience like other members when they first joined. 

Freshman, Jayde Bey from Sicklerville, NJ tolerates the changes with a different attitude. “Living on campus in the middle of a pandemic is surprisingly pretty chill,” said Bey.

Bey says most students follow COVID social distancing and sanitization guidelines, and that the past couple of weeks have been fun despite the obvious changes. “A small group of friends and I have found things to do around campus that still follow the guidelines given to us by the university to social distance,” Bey said. “I feel safe on campus; I like the way the university is handling this pandemic.” 

Killabrew and Bey are just two students at Stockton University who feel mixed emotions about adjusting to the new environment this semester. However, there is a shared hope and confidence that the virus will eventually die down and Stockton will come out of these strange and unprecedented times stronger than ever.