By: Adrienne Sauer
I arrived at The University of Tulsa on August 26 — terrified.
After moving in all my stuff, rearranging my room and bidding my parents adieu, I sat in my dorm room. My head was full of questions: Will I make friends? Will my classes be hard? Will I be able to survive on my own? On top of everything, COVID-19 loomed. Would I be able to make friends with a mask on? Would my classes be hard online? Would I be able to survive on my own without getting sick?
The first few hours seemed to last for days, but the following weeks flew by. I attended orientation and made friends. I began classes and survived virtual learning. I ate actual meals, woke up before noon and did my laundry. My semester was going better than expected – it seemed almost too good to be true for college during a pandemic.
Then I got a call . . .
Then I got a call from the Alexander Health Center. More accurately, a text from a close friend and a call a couple of days later. I had been exposed to COVID-19. This was always a possibility in my head. There were constant reminders: wearing a mask, signs about capacity and traffic flow, limited business hours, single rooms. Although I was scared, I was prepared to quarantine; I had accepted the risk by being on campus. Quarantine came with unique challenges, but it helped me appreciate all TU has given me.
After finding out about my exposure, I quickly signed up for a COVID-19 test for the following day. I woke up, rolled out of bed and walked in the near-freezing rain to the Lorton Performance Center (LPC). There, I received a test that I have become all too familiar with. Sitting on a bench against the large windows of the LPC, I leaned back my head and felt the swab find its way up my nose. The test did manage to draw a few tears from my eyes, but it was over before I knew it. I bundled up and trudged back through the rain to my dorm.
As I sat and did homework, my stomach growled. It was time for lunch, but how was I supposed to get food without entering public spaces like the Student Union? Luckily Food Services came to the rescue. With a quick call, I was able to set up food delivery for my two weeks in quarantine. They delivered two meals a day in the lobby of my dorm, which made for the most exciting part of my day.
My life in quarantine
With my initial COVID-19 test complete and my food secured it was time to stay inside. I decided to stay in my dorm room to keep my suitemate company, and I did not want to risk exposing my family at home.
The first day of quarantine went by fairly fast; at least I had the excitement of my initial virus test! However, the following two weeks seemed endless. My daily routine consisted of doing asynchronous classwork (in my pajamas), getting my first meal from the lobby (in my pajamas), attending my synchronous classes virtually (in my pajamas), grabbing my second meal from the lobby (in my pajamas) and watching hours of television with my suitemate (in my pajamas). Each day concluded with changing into a different pair of pajamas and falling asleep.
As mundane as it felt, the only large difference in my quarantine routine from my regular one was the wardrobe. Within a couple of days, I mastered my routine. Online asynchronous classwork did take some adjusting to at the beginning of the semester, but by the time of my quarantine, I had a study plan that already worked for me. For my synchronous courses, I had no trouble switching to online-only delivery; all my courses were prepared for virtual students. School was manageable during quarantine, but I had an abundance of time to spare.
Taking stock
It was a conflicting time. I missed socially distant picnics on the Old U and daily walks taking in the beautiful TU campus, but I somewhat enjoyed pausing life for a few weeks. After receiving the clearance call from the Alexander Health Center, I could not wait to enter the outside world.
However, I was going to miss playing Just Dance with my suitemate and dressing up in various costumes just to watch TV. We had found a way to enjoy our quarantine; leaving was bittersweet. I was thankful to have spent two weeks with a good friend, and even more thankful TU had introduced us.
Being stuck inside, I was able to reflect on my short time on campus. I made friends with masks on, I conquered my classes online and I was surviving on my own.
But had I survived without getting sick? Lucky for me, my initial COVID-19 test came back within 24 hours and was negative. The following week, I was selected for random testing and had another negative test result. At the conclusion of my quarantine, I had to get tested a final time, resulting in another negative COVID-19 test result.
I was ecstatic to find out I was in the clear, and even more excited to know I had not put anyone on campus at risk. I reentered campus with immense gratitude for what it had given me. I departed campus on Nov. 22 for the Thanksgiving break, no longer terrified of being here, but, rather, a little nervous to leave.
Adrienne Sauer is a first-year student from Springfield, MO. She is majoring in arts, culture and entertainment management, with an emphasis on cultural and public administration. Adrienne enjoys thrift shopping, exploring museums and spending time with her friends.