Changes to campus life: Some Murray State students face pandemic on campus

As the weather begins to warm up, Murray State’s campus would be full of students soaking in the sun. Trees would be lined with hammocks and some professors would opt to have their class meet outdoors in the quad. This spring, campus is beginning to look very different. 

University students and faculty received an email from university president Dr. Bob Jackson on March 17, announcing the move to online for the rest of the semester along with the announcement of the residence halls closing. Following the week of spring break, students were guided through a social distancing check-out process. 

Some students were granted their appeal to extend their stay on campus and were relocated to College Courts and Regents. 

Regents officially closed at midnight on Tuesday, April 14. The residents who choose to not move off campus were relocated to College Courts.

Kaitlyn Brooks, resident director for Elizabeth College,  said life is starting to look very different. 

“I see many people out on walks but there is no hanging around or stopping to chat,” Brooks said. “It is quiet. It does not feel like campus.” 

Ryley Kimmel, a senior social work major, remains in her apartment in College Courts. Kimmel also noticed the major change on campus.

“It’s a lot like the summer, where there are very few students, all the
parking lots are empty, and nothing’s really going on,” Kimmel said. “A lot of families and older people walk on campus as well, which is nice to see.”

Kimmel decided to stay in Murray at her on-campus housing because she is interning with two campus offices and works as a College Courts Resident Adviser. 

Resident directors and advisers are working to keep in compliance with the quarantine and social distancing guidelines. 

“The rules for social distancing are mostly just enforced by the RAs and RDs as we work the desk,” Kimmel said. “We’re really careful to wipe everything down and clean a lot, we mostly deal with residents through an open window instead of letting them come into our office and if they do have to come in, they’re only allowed so far into the space. We don’t exchange things hand-to-hand, we have residents set things in a basket on the window sill and we clean anything in the basket before we touch it. Otherwise, there’s not much we can do aside from what the university has asked residents to do, which is just to follow the national guidelines of staying six feet apart, limiting social interaction, and staying home as much as possible.”

Brooks said employees still on campus such as Resident Directors have also been asked to limit trips to the store and other outings as well.

It can be hard to enforce social distancing in the residents halls as students live so close together. Kimmel says that some people aren’t leaving at all while others maybe aren’t doing as well.

“The people on campus are social distancing somewhat, but many of them still seem to be having contact with their friends who are still here.” Kimmel said.