Overview to Interview

The Covid-19 pandemic began to impact the United States in March of 2020, and  the majority of the country went into lockdown. The virus is a respiratory disease, meaning that any sneeze, cough, or even prolonged exposure to somebody else’s breath could spread the virus. Because of this, college students were sent home in the middle of their spring semester, and ended up not coming back to school to finish out the year. This left 2020 high school graduates worried and confused as to what would come of their freshman year of college. Many psychologically and simultaneously prepared both to move away to college and preparing to be  okay with the possibility of having to stay home.

Luckily, JMU students were allowed to move to campus in late August, but that joy did not last very long.   JMU President Jonathan Alger reluctantly made the decision to send most on-campus residents home in early September, following a large spike in Covid cases at the university. Some students applied for an exemption that would allow them to stay on campus throughout the month, but even with that small population, campus turned into a ghost town, especially without classes being held in person.
This interview with MW discusses her personal experience with this unique kind of chaos, and gives an insider view of how James Madison University has navigated the Coronavirus pandemic.

Biography

MW is a freshman student at James Madison University, and is majoring in public policy. She is from the Richmond, VA area, and has two siblings. MW has been very Covid-cautious this year, and continues to pay close attention to the guidelines set by the state of Virginia, as well as the Stop The Spread agreement issued by JMU.

Citation

Interview with MW, Life as a JMU First Year During Covid-19, Hist 150 Honors Spring 2021, Conducted by Meghan Villarreal, March 10, 2021

Transcription

Meghan Villarreal 0:00
Today I’m going to be interviewing one of my friends and she’s going to go by MW. MW, do you consent to this interview?

MW 0:07
Yes, I consent to having this interview.

Meghan Villarreal 0:09
Wonderful. Do you want to introduce yourself a little bit?

MW 0:11
Yeah, hi. Um, as Meghan just said, I’m MW. I’m a freshman student at JMU.

Meghan Villarreal 0:19
Awesome. Okay, so today we’re gonna be talking about the Covid-19 pandemic as a freshman student, specifically at JMU. So the first question I have is, can you describe your basically original knowledge of COVID-19 and talk about your perception of the virus in the spring of last year- 2020- compared to how we think about it now?

MW 0:39
Yeah, memories. Um, so it was almost a year ago, um, my, I remember not knowing that much about it. Um, I, my senior, my senior class at my school, my high school, was planning a trip abroad for our senior trip. And we were supposed to go to Italy. And Italy was one of the places that was doing really terribly, like in February. And so we weren’t really sure like, whether we were going to be able to go in like, April, but we’ve had it up in the air. But like, I saw it as something that was just affecting them over there. Like I didn’t think it would have the same impact. But it did seem pretty real. And then, yeah, I went on spring break, like the 6th through the 13th of March, I think. And then we were like, out in the out in the country of Virginia, and stuff just started showing up on the news like, oh, the NBA is shutting down. Oh, Tom Hanks has it, oh, Broadway is closed, New York is shutting down. And my dad is a school administrator. And so while we were on spring break, like they were trying to figure out like, whether we should cancel school for a couple days when we come back, like whether it’s safe to have it. And then the governor of Virginia just closed all the schools down for two weeks. And so that was my first sign that things were like changing a lot in Virginia and the United States specifically. But yeah, I saw it as sort of like an overseas thing. And then it really started affecting me like, last year, and then it was like, Oh my gosh, everything’s going to be so different. There was just, I remember there being so many unknowns, like, we didn’t know whether it was safe to see our friends. We didn’t know whether we could do certain things. And so, yeah, that’s what I remember.

Meghan Villarreal 2:26
Yeah. Could you explain a little bit more about, like, how you feel about it now, a whole year later after the pandemic first hit the United States? Yeah. Like, what do you notice any change, basically?

MW 2:36
There’s definitely a change in which like, some things have started to feel normal. And I feel like that’s, that’s awful, because it’s like, it’s not normal. A pandemic is so, so abnormal, but like, I can’t, I can’t really like, you know, when you watch movies, and you see the people hanging out in big groups, and they’re not wearing masks, and it’s just so crazy. It’s like, Oh my gosh, like, I’m not supposed to be doing that. And so it’s just like, I see that kind of thinking, like, permeating my brain. And it’s just like, wow, it’s really starting to, like, become a permanent thing in my life, which is honestly sort of sad.

Meghan Villarreal 3:14
Yeah.

MW 3:16
It definitely, definitely not what I would have thought last year, if that makes sense.

Meghan Villarreal 3:20
Yeah, no, over time, I feel like there’s definitely a stronger like psychological effect on how we’ll think of the virus in years coming. Um, jumping to move in day of freshman year in August um, and like a little bit after that, how do you think the pandemic affected your first year experience in terms of living in campus in a dorm?

MW 3:43
Yeah, well, the first thing I remember is that, like, we weren’t allowed to bring any of our siblings. So like, normally, it was just me and my parents moving in. And so like, normally, everybody’s siblings would come and like, I think that’s what would happen in a normal year. I don’t know. It’s weird. I haven’t had a college experience outside of a pandemic. So like, I don’t know what it would have been like to have been there. But that was the first thing. And then we were supposed to wear masks when we like, went to the bathroom. And we were doing we’re supposed to wear masks when we’re doing everything except like, shaving, showering and brushing our teeth, I think was the memo that they gave us.

Meghan Villarreal 4:21
The big three.

MW 4:22
Yeah. And so yeah, I just, that was like the biggest change because it’s like, I don’t know it’s supposed to become your home. But like, you’re also having to wear a mask like when you’re going and doing these things that are like a normal part of your daily life. So that was kind of crazy. Um, and then yeah, we couldn’t have anybody outside come into our dorm. So like the first couple weeks my roommate and I, um, only knew a few people and like, they were like our next door neighbors and so like, it was definitely slow in terms of like getting to meet people because you could only- there was really so many opportunities to meet people there were not as many opportunities as there would be a normal year. There’s no like big Student Org night, there is no like, huge gatherings, so I just remember meeting people but meeting them very slowly.

Meghan Villarreal 5:11
Yeah, that makes sense. Kind of talking a little bit about the social aspect in September of last year in 2020, President Alger released a send home statement and basically sent home the majority of on campus residents. Did you- did you stay on campus? Did you get the exemption?

MW 5:30
Yeah, so that’s kind of an interesting story, because by the time that he sent everybody home, I had, unfortunately, already contracted COVID-19. Okay. And so when he sent everybody home, I was waiting, the day that they announced that they’re sending everybody home was the day that I started having COVID symptoms at all, like, I started having COVID symptoms, I didn’t think that they were COVID symptoms, but I wasn’t sure so I waited and got tested. And then while I was waiting to get tested, my roommate and I both applied for an exemption, because we were pretty sure that I was going to be negative. And both of our siblings went to in person school back at home. And so we didn’t want to unnecessarily risk bringing anything home. And we just thought it’d be more fun to be on campus even. Um, so we both ended up receiving the exemption. And then ultimately, I tested positive and left campus for two weeks, which is kind of a longer story. And then I reached out to Residents Life and asked if I could come back for the rest of my exemption. Once that was up, because the day that I was finishing up with my quarantine was also the same day that they announced everyone could come back to campus. So it really just all lined up. Um, so basically, they announced that we could come back to campus, I talked to my parents about it. And they were like, yes, you can come back to campus. And then I talked to reslife about it. And I said, I have an exemption, can I please come back? And they said, Yes. Like, you probably won’t get the whole refund that they promised everyone that will like leave campus, but you can’t come back, especially because like, your COVID free, like you’re not as much of a risk anymore. And so I ended up coming back, and then just staying there from the last two weeks of that month long period that they sent everyone home. And then I just stayed the rest of the semester.

Meghan Villarreal 7:21
Okay. Um talking about the send home statement. I know, it’s tricky with your situation, because you had COVID at the beginning, but then came back in the middle. Do you think the that sending on campus residents home at all was a smart decision for Alger to make at that time? Or do you think it would have been better to keep the students on campus, but kind of isolate a little bit stronger?

MW 7:43
I don’t know. Because, yeah, I think there were some things that were not being regulated as well, at the beginning of the semester that I think that they did change when we all came back. Um, so I don’t, I don’t know what I would have done. If I was President Alger, I think that action definitely needed to be taken because by that time, like after two weeks, we had so many COVID cases and like, it was really just a terrible breakout.

Meghan Villarreal 8:09
It was, it was pretty bad.

MW 8:10
Yeah, obviously, they needed to take action. From like, protecting the rest of the community standpoint, I’m not sure how I would have felt about that decision. Because like, I really didn’t- my biggest fear in terms of Coronavirus, would be bringing it home to people that I love and know or spreading it to people that I know and love. And so like that was something that like, I was just not in total agreement with. But it’s hard because I don’t really know what I would have suggested as an alternative besides like, implementing more distancing measures, but again, you can’t enforce everybody to follow those at all times. So I think that sending students home did bring the cases down, which ultimately was what they were trying to do.

Meghan Villarreal 8:53
Exactly. Since you came back to campus at that halfway point in the month long break in September, and coming back even in second semester, do you feel safe on campus? Like, would you rather have more or less restrictions and why?

MW 9:14
I definitely feel safer on campus since coming back than the two weeks before they sent everybody home. And I think specifically in terms of the dining halls, they’ve implemented legis- like, not legislation. Sorry, that’s me being in my major for a second. Um, they’ve just implemented some more like regulations and like precautions that have been helpful like checking the live safe and putting better line organization into like the dining hall lines. And so in in those ways, I feel safer. I also think that the surveillance testing program that they have for students just to get the general feel of like how COVID is spreading on our campus is a good idea. I feel like they should have been doing that from like, the start, like just because we saw that other universities were doing And doing it successfully. Um, and like if you have the resources and the capability to do it, like, why not? So I’m glad that they’re doing it. And then I think that testing everyone when they came back to campus in February was a smart idea as well, like, even though rapid tests can’t catch everything, obviously, like, I think it’s better to have a pretty clear picture than have, like no picture at all.

Meghan Villarreal 10:25
Try a little bit.

MW 10:26
Yeah.

Meghan Villarreal 10:26
Instead of not at all.

MW 10:27
So yeah, there are still, there are still things that there are still choices like people make on campus, but like, the university can’t necessarily enforce that, like, may not be the safest option. But ultimately, I think the university has done a much better job since September of last year.

Meghan Villarreal 10:44
Yeah.

MW 10:44
So like, making, making better precautions.

Meghan Villarreal 10:48
That actually kind of leads well into my next question. How do you think the students here at JMU feel about the pandemic? Like what is the general mentality of the average student here?

MW 10:59
If I had to come up with a word? I think I would say tired. And like, that’s understandable, because like, I think we’re all tired of the pandemic and tired of having to do the same things like wearing masks and social distancing. And like, I think that for some students, that translates into like, feeling like they don’t want to do it anymore, or just not doing it at all, which can be dangerous. And so like, even though I’m tired of wearing masks, like that’s something that I’ll try to do, because it’s like, it’s good for the greater community but again, like, we’re all tired of having classes online. We’re all tired of wearing masks. We’re all tired of social distancing. So yeah, I’m definitely holding out hope for those vaccines in a couple- Production will increase a little bit. And then yeah, hopefully, we’ll have some more things in person next fall, it’s

Meghan Villarreal 11:52
Yeah, my hope, I hope that JMU will find a way to distribute vaccines, that would be wonderful. Okay, talking about academics here during the pandemic, are most of your classes online, or hybrid or fully in person? Like in general.

MW 12:07
Most of my classes, yes, most of my classes are online or hybrid last semester, I started with, I believe, I have five classes, and two of them were in person slash hybrid. And then three of them were online. And then once we got put online in September, after that announcement, the two that I had never went back in person. So last semester, I had all online classes. And then this semester, I have a mix of online and hybrid, mostly online and synchronous, which means that they happen at a certain time every day, or every other day, or whatever. And then I have one class that meets in person in the classroom, two days out of the three days that we have it. And so that’s really nice, because it’s been really good to go back in and like, have discussion with students. And I feel safe in that class, because it’s small. And like we’re pretty spread out and everyone is masked. And for the most part, because of the layout of the class, most of those students are pretty, like close to me on campus, like, depending on where we live. So I definitely feel safer about going to that class. So it’s actually been really nice. Yeah, like it?

Meghan Villarreal 12:09
No, I believe that. In person- I was itching to get back in person. So I feel like, it’s nice that JMU figured it out for at least second semester.

MW 13:32
Yes. Even if it’s not all of them. It’s been nice to just have one that like-

Meghan Villarreal 13:36
Just a little taste.

MW 13:37
-motivates me to go over there and get there on time. Like, feel like I’m living like what is eventually going to be normal student life and what was normal student life before the pandemic.

Meghan Villarreal 13:46
Right. Um, do you think that online classes produce like a higher level of stress or less participation and effort in class? In your general observation.

MW 13:58
Yeah, I think definitely there is the tendency to like produce, just because we’re on screens all the time, I think it’s definitely easier for people to get distracted. Because like, when you’re on a zoom class, you don’t have to be looking at the zoom window all the time. Like there’s all sorts of stuff that you could be looking at, potentially instead. And so I think that that is a temptation for people, especially when they don’t feel like they have to engage as much. I have some classes where the professors will ask us to turn on our cameras for the entire class, and those have been some of my best online class styles of like, times that I’ve had, but when they don’t ask you to turn on the cameras, like people could just be doing anything so like, they could be cleaning their room while they’re sitting on class. So um like, it just it definitely is easier to focus when the teachers are making- the professors, sorry- are making like really intentional efforts to like engage with the rest of the class. And like, asking lots of questions and asking their students to turn their cameras on. Like, I just feel like I’ve done better in those classes, that like invite participation instead of just like an online lecture.

Unknown Speaker 15:11
So you said turning the cameras, like ha- professors having their students turn the cameras on is a good way of engaging the students. Do you think that there are any other ways that professors can make their relationship with their students stronger, and help them with their academics more in this time?

MW 15:27
Yeah, I think a lot of professors have done office hours online, which has been helpful. I’ve had some professors that have had like just, lots of discussion based classes on zoom. And I feel like that has been helpful in terms of like, sharing things or like, like, last semester, I had a class that switched to asynchronous halfway through the semester, just because of the, the transition online. And the professor said, I’m gonna put up the lectures for you to watch. But we’re gonna have a weekly discussion based class that you’re welcome to attend, if you can make it. And that was actually really fun, because we just got to talk about all these current events. And like, it was really actually something that I looked forward to every week. And so like having that discussion time, was really helpful. So just, I just think that factoring engagement into your online classes, like has been really helpful.

Meghan Villarreal 16:22
Yeah.

MW 16:23
Instead of just like, passively-

Meghan Villarreal 16:25
Right, like posting the lectures and having the students watch and-

MW 16:28
Yes, definitely.

Meghan Villarreal 16:29
Right. Um, okay, so one, one of the last questions that I had that I kind of meant to touch on earlier, but it was just moving nicely. What was your personal experience with contracting the virus last fall? Could you explain, like how you think you got it, a little bit of your symptoms, if you’re comfortable with that.

MW 16:46
Yes, yes, no, I’m very- I’m comfortable talking about I, I talk about it to people all the time. It’s like, I lived through history a little bit. Um, so I would describe myself as a very cautious person, I feel like for the first two weeks of being on campus, like, I only saw a couple people, the events that I went to, to, like, meet people. And first year organizations were socially distant with masks, or they were outdoors and like with plenty of space. And so I was like, I was staying pretty, pretty cautious. I feel like and I definitely did not go to any parties and like, or any of the big social gatherings that might have caused some super spreading events. But on Tuesday, I don’t remember the day it was a Tuesday, I do remember it being a Tuesday, um, it was the same day that they announced that we were all going home, everyone who lived on campus was going home. I woke up that morning, and I had like, a 100 degree fever. And I was like, Okay, I was really warm, like, in my bed that morning. So I was like, maybe I’m just super toasty underneath the covers. And I’m like, that is how like, and it went down pretty quickly. And it went down to like a normal range. And so I figured that’s just what it was. And so like, I went out that day, and like, did things and stayed away from people for the most part, because I was like, I don’t really know what that was, but I feel fine now. And then later that afternoon, I was just feeling like, tired. And like, it was just super, super weird. And it was like, you know, when you have a cold and you like, everything feels weird when you’re wearing it, like that’s how I felt. And so I was like, okay, that’s not that’s not great. And then they announced that they were all going home and I called my parents and I was like I really am feeling sort of weird and I don’t really know what’s going on with me. I was walking around yesterday and it was raining and I was walking around in the rain so it could just be allergies like I really didn’t feel anything worse than like a regular cold

Meghan Villarreal 18:46
Yeah.

MW 18:47
And they said well just in case you’re supposed to come home, just in case you have to come home and you don’t get the exemption or you don’t get to do anything and you have to come home get tested because we haven’t had it and we want to be safe and like it would be bad if you came home if you were positive. Um, so I went and got tested the next day at the University Health Center. I had to take my own test because when you’re maybe possibly positive, like, the nurses don’t want to like come up and get in your face and do it. Um, and so I was like I hope I did it right but by the next day my fever was gone the Tuesday night so like it showed up again it was like in the morning, gone, showed up again, gone, and then I felt completely fine. So I was like I walked around I quarantined because they asked me to quarantine,

Meghan Villarreal 19:34
Right.

MW 19:34
Um, but when I came back from the UFC, I was like I’m gonna sit here and quarantine but I’m pretty sure that I’m negative. I’m pretty sure that that was just a fluke day. And then I woke up on Friday morning, and I got a test result. And my roommate and I were there and I opened it, and I was like you’ve got to be kidding me because it was positive.

Meghan Villarreal 19:57
Yeah.

MW 19:57
Um and yeah, it was, I was very fortunate and that no one that I was around got it. My roommate didn’t even get it.

Meghan Villarreal 20:06
Wow.

MW 20:06
It was that mild of a case. Um, and I only had to contact like three people for contact tracing. So I was like, I really did like, the most I could to like, not spread it to people. So I was really like, thankful that I nothing came out of me testing positive.

Meghan Villarreal 20:25
For sure.

MW 20:25
Um, but yeah, and so that was really crazy. And then, so I started noticing that I had that day that like, when I was packing up to like, leave the dorm that like, Oh, I feel a little more fatigued than I normally would. And like, those are things that I probably wouldn’t have noticed had I not known that I tested positive, but I did start to notice them a little bit more like once I found out I was like, oh, that’s why I-

Meghan Villarreal 20:51
Right, once was there was a name to it, you can kinda put it under that category.

MW 20:55
And so I ended up, I did not go to the quarantine dorms. I was lucky enough that my, somebody in my extended family had an apartment, an empty apartment in Charlottesville. And so my dad picked me up that night, and we went to Charlottesville for two weeks, I sat all the way back in the back of the car, he had two masks on he sat in the front of the car, we drove on the highway with the windows down.

Meghan Villarreal 21:20
Nice.

MW 21:20
We got to the house, there were like two separate rooms, like we stayed in two separate rooms. And like whenever I would come out of the room to like, get food we’d mask up and like stay socially distant. And so we did that for two weeks until my quarantine period was over. And then we had to stay some more because of his like, when you’re exposed you have to quarantine for another two weeks. So it added an extra week to my like 10 day isolation period. Yeah. But we did it. We stay socially distant, wore masks, my dad went home, like took a COVID test, like, he was negative.

Meghan Villarreal 21:55
Wow!

MW 21:55
So he did not get it from caring for me for those two weeks.

Meghan Villarreal 21:59
Nice!

MW 22:00
I really did have like the best quarantine experience I possibly have. And by the end of the week, when my isolation period was over, and we were just waiting for him. It was like, I hate to say it, but it was sort of like a mini vacation!

Meghan Villarreal 22:14
I believe it, getting to leave school for a while, stay with your family.

MW 22:17
Just a little bit. And because all the classes were online, I did my classes and there was no like, hard transition. Yeah, so it really was the best that it could possibly be.

Meghan Villarreal 22:26
Yeah! Gotta make the best of things during this time. Um, is there anything else that you just want to comment on?

MW 22:33
Um, I don’t know. I’m the worst at coming up with things when people ask me for like, final thoughts.

Meghan Villarreal 22:42
Oh me too.

MW 22:42
But yeah, it’s just there’s definitely I think the last thing I’ll say is this, there’s definitely, it’s definitely hard once you’ve had it, to figure out what you should do next in terms of like, masks.

Meghan Villarreal 22:55
Yeah. Like do you have the antibodies, or-

MW 22:57
And whether I still have antibodies. And like, I don’t know whether I have antibodies still. But because I had it in September, and like some people have said it’s three months, some people said it six months, some people have said it’s lifetime. So I, to this day, I do not know. But I think for anybody who’s listening, if the pandemic is still going on and you’re listening, like years and years in the future, maybe you will, just like for the people who’ve had it to continue to wear your masks and to continue to social distance to like, make your- the people around you comfortable. Like I just feel like that is so important and like to continue to practice safety guidelines, even though you’ve had it for the good of other people is so important. And like, I think so much of like the strife with COVID in our country has been like people wanting to do the things that like they want to do. And it’s so important that we like, give up some of our livelihood in order to keep other people safe.

Meghan Villarreal 22:57
Right, to keep everybody safe.

MW 23:07
It’s just, it’s a hard thing to do. But I think it’s so important. And like, I’m gonna keep doing that until it’s over.

Meghan Villarreal 24:06
Definitely, yeah. Looking forward to that vaccination. And then hopefully a more regular college experience after, I would say.

MW 24:15
I’ve definitely had a good year here, even without the pandemic or even with the pandemic sorry, but yes, I would love to just be at JMU without all of the COVID-

Meghan Villarreal 24:28
Yeah.

MW 24:29
-Precaution someday in the future.

Meghan Villarreal 24:30
Yeah. Eventually we’ll get there. Well, thank you for answering my questions and telling a little bit of your story.

MW 24:36
Thanks so much for interviewing me.

Meghan Villarreal 24:37
I think that’ll be all for today!

MW 24:39
Awesome! Thanks so much Meghan.

Research

The global Covid-19 pandemic has been a hot topic of conversation for the past year or so, especially since it hit the United States at the beginning of 2020. The respiratory virus forced an almost world-wide lockdown in March of 2020, and most countries around the world are still encouraging their citizens to stay home and limit contact with people outside of immediate family members or roommates. In fall of 2020, James Madison University decided to bring students back in person and have a blend of in-person, hybrid, and online classes, while also allowing students to live on campus. All JMU students were required to sign a “Stop the Spread” agreement, in which they agreed to limit social interactions to a small social bubble and be sure to mask up and socially distance when on campus. Coordinators at JMU worked to ensure desks in classrooms were correctly spaced, and improving dining hall conditions so that they matched up with capacity restrictions placed by Ralph Northam, the governor of Virginia. However, these precautionary measures were proved unsuccessful as the campus case count continued to rise through the beginning of the fall semester, and on-campus residents were sent home and all classes forced online. This interview discusses MW’s perspective of the University’s handle on the Covid-19 pandemic, and her experience with the virus itself.

Bibliography

Peters, Laura. “UPDATE: JMU COVID-19 Cases Jump Past 150, Days after Move-in Weekend.” The News Leader, Staunton News Leader, 28 Aug. 2020, www.newsleader.com/story/news/2020/08/25/jmu-sees-covid-19-cases-days-after-move-weekend/5631087002/

Tandfnewsroom. “New Study Suggests That College Campuses Are COVID-19 Superspreaders.” EurekAlert!, 13 Jan. 2021, www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/tfg-nss011121.php

Sreenivasan, Hari, et al. “How the Pandemic Is Impacting College Students’ Mental Health.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 19 Jan. 2021, www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-pandemic-is-impacting-college-students-mental-health

Follow-up Commentary

After the interview, MW and I talked about our repetitive use of filler words such as “like”, “um”, “yeah”, or “right” and whether to remove them from the transcription or not, but ultimately it was decided to leave them in, as it made the transcription look like the casual conversation that the interview really was. We felt that what was discussed in the interview covered a great variety of topics concerning Covid-19 and its effect on the environment at JMU, and that for the most part, the conversation flowed smoothly throughout the interview.

Recording and Transcription

This interview was recorded in the Interfaith Chapel in Madison Union on my (Meghan Villarreal) iPhone using Voice Memos. The audio was processed through Otter AI for transcription, and edited later for clarity and accuracy.