ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) Winthrop University’s campus is alive once again. While many students started online virtual classes a couple of weeks ago, many are now back on campus for the first time and as you can imagine things are looking a little different.
No one is seeing faces and everyone is wearing masks which makes interactions unique.
Winthrop Freshman, Jaquarius Norman , says, “So I would pass people in the same program as me and I’ll have to like double take like Is that them or is that not, type of thing. I can’t really tell who’s who.”
Winthrop University a welcoming around 1,200 new students onto its campus and of that, about 1,000 are freshman and although they say it’s not the college experience that they were expecting, they are grateful that the University is continuing to offer new opportunities.
“Well this is definitely different this year with corona and different types of conditions that are the situation at hand. I kind of got here and was like I don’t know how it’s going to be with corona going on and, but it’s actually better, I mean it’s sufficient for now, for what we have going on,” says Norman.
But these students say, they are enjoying the programs and opportunities Winthrop’s continuing to have.
“I really do appreciate that they found a way to allow you to go to events and become active in different organizations, you know since you can’t do it face to face. That’s been really nice and I’m really grateful for that,” says Winthrop freshman, Jacob Doyle.
And it’s not just students having to adjust to this new normal, but new members of the university’s faculty and staff are as well.
One of Winthrop’s newest faculty members, Assistant Professor of Elementary Education, Dr. Richard Cox, says, “It’s I guess, an unfortunate learning experience for everybody but the best comes out. And I can see that the best of the students is coming out during this time.”
In the video above, CN2’s Rachel Richardson is speaking with students and faculty about what the campus looks like this semester.
