‘Getting back to normal.’ UK students return to full classrooms for fall semester
For many University of Kentucky students, Monday felt like a return to normal.
After spending more than a year with virtual classes and meetings, UK classes are back to full capacity and are being offered in person again. Masks are still required indoors and the university has set a goal of getting 80% of students and employees vaccinated against COVID-19.
Students began moving back to campus last week, and Monday was the first day of the fall semester.
UK sophomores Grace Smith and Cameron Tvrdik spent part of their senior year of high school and all of their freshman year with mainly online classes. The few classes they had in person meant desks were six feet apart and masks required.
Now, they are starting their sophomore year with in-person classes.
“It was definitely a bit of a shock,” Tvrdik said. “All the classes we had last year were specifically set up so no one was sitting near each other. I walked in (on Monday), and there’s seats everywhere. People are everywhere.”
While classes and dorms are back to full capacity, people are required to wear a mask indoors on campus regardless of their vaccination status.
Smith said she was looking forward to getting back to in-person classes.
“I’m excited about that,” Smith said. “I hope, if anything, they keep that in place. It would be really hard to go back to Zoom again.”
Tvardik said he thinks the mask requirement is reasonable right now, given the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky.
UK is not requiring students or employees to get the vaccine. Currently, 72.5% of returning students, faculty and staff reported they were fully vaccinated, according to UK’s COVID-19 dashboard. New students have not yet been added to that percentage.
On Friday, UK announced 37 cases of COVID-19 among students and employees. UK will update its COVID-19 dashboard weekly on Fridays.
People who are not vaccinated are required to complete a daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure, and will also be required to be tested for COVID-19 throughout the semester. Unvaccinated students are required to take a COVID-19 test and submit results to UK before Aug. 27, according to the university’s fall guidebook.
Mallory Burford, a junior, and Emma Rupard, a sophomore, said they were looking forward to getting back to more in-person activities.
“I think it’s a lot better, just mentally, to be in-person so you can see what’s happening, you can watch your professors and get a better experience out of it, instead of just being at home,” Burford said.
Rupard finished her senior year of high school online, and had all but one of her classes online during her freshman year at UK.
“Now, getting to actually be in person with my professor, and be around other students and getting to interact with people, I feel like is really beneficial to my education, because sitting in my dorm room last year was definitely a struggle,” Rupard said. “It was a lot harder to be motivated and I just enjoy being around people. I feel like I get a better experience out of college when we can be in person.”
Wearing a mask on campus is worth it for them, because it means things can begin returning to normal.
“I’d rather get to hang out with my friends and be in person learning and wear a mask than having to sit at home,” Burford said. “So I think it’s worth it.”
“I would much rather be in an in-person class with a full seating arrangement, wearing our masks, because I do feel like that’s one step closer to getting back to normal,” Rupard said. “Anything to me is better than being by myself for a class.”