As schools reopen in the age of COVID-19, students are reacting to newly implemented guidelines on campus and in Ellensburg.

The guidelines include things such as mask-wearing, social distancing and plenty of hand sanitizer.

Brandon Worgull, a senior majoring in computer science and a member of the water polo team on campus, said while he agrees with the measures being implemented on campus, it doesn’t make much of a difference when there aren’t people around to enforce them.

“With the new students that are there right now, yeah, they’re practicing it decent enough when they’re outdoors and in the commons, but other than that I don’t think people are really too keen on following it if they’re not in public eye,” Worgull said.

Worgull said while he wants people to wear masks if they’re sick, he has no say in what other people do. He said if someone is going to do something to potentially expose themselves, it’s not his place to tell them not to. However, he personally follows the guidelines the best he can.

An employee at Fred Meyer, Worgull said  he could potentially be exposed to the virus there as well as on campus.

“I do the best I can to keep myself safe, but again, I work in a very public area where people touch all the items all the time…and probably aren’t washing their hands when they do so,” Worgull said.

Worgull said he is hoping, “optimistically,” that CWU will return to normal by winter quarter’s midterms, or at least by spring quarter. He said he wants to walk in the 2021 graduation ceremony, and it would be his last chance to walk since he doesn’t see himself going to school for a master’s degree.

 He also voiced his sympathy for the freshmen  who came to CWU this year.

“I just think it’s unfortunate that there is a year of freshmen that did not get to have the same experience I had when I came here as a freshman,” Worgull said. “I feel like they got the brunt of that experience.” 

Worgull said as a computer science major, many of his classes were already moving online, but now there are only a few computer science classes offered in person, which he doesn’t entirely mind.

“Not going to lie, the convenience of online classes is really nice, but I do miss the human interaction,” Worgull said. 

Alexis Heng-Beckley, a freshman majoring in secondary English education, said  she generally feels safe from the coronavirus while on campus. 

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who are also worried about COVID-19 and are taking the precautions and it makes me feel better that others are also trying to be safe and not get sent home or cause an outbreak,” Heng-Beckley said. 

Heng-Beckley said she understands the guidelines and  they’re pretty standard, but it’s still hard to be a freshman during the pandemic.

“We aren’t getting the full college experience like we hoped and dreamed about,” Heng-Beckley said. “I think that the staff and faculty are doing the best they can while trying to still let us be college students.” 

Leslie Cote, a senior English language and literature major, said she thinks the university is trying to do their best to make sure students remain safe while living on campus.

She  said  it’s difficult to look at how everyone is dealing with the pandemic and connect it to how it might affect students’ education and their college experiences.
“There are a lot of moving parts that include adapting to new changes in housing and dining, but I recognize their efforts during this unprecedented time,” Cote said.