As University Police officers, front-line health services and, most recently, college instructors teaching in-person become eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, many are reflecting on what this means for the university moving forward.

While the duties to ensure everyone’s safety on-campus have not changed for UP during the pandemic, non-emergency, or service calls, may involve police officers taking some reports over the phone. But emergency calls or any call for help will be addressed in-person.

If the pandemic has altered campus law enforcement officers’ schedule, it has allowed them to spend more quality time with family, UP Chief Kevin Velzy said.

“I know that some people may disagree, but I feel that the sooner everyone is vaccinated, the sooner we can put this pandemic behind us,” Velzy said. “That would change things in that we could go back to having those sporting events, concerts, gatherings and important moments in our lives such as in-person commencement ceremonies.”

Even though UP has begun to receive the required doses for the inoculation, Velzy’s team is still required to wear personal protective equipment until they receive advice from the health departments along with the SUNY Director of Environmental Health and Safety that it is no longer needed.

“It’s a huge step in the right direction, but to be effective, we will need a majority of the population to become vaccinated,” Velzy said. “As soon as I was eligible, I registered for the vaccine, and I got both doses.”

Similar to UP, health services has faced many challenges during the pandemic, Director of Student Health Services Angie Brown said.

“I would say the hardest was developing a COVID tracking system and protocols from the ground up and COVID fatigue,” Brown said. “As nurses you are always prepared for the unknown and the ability to shift and use what you have. What we were unprepared for, as were many others, were the long, non-stop hours of work and the constant changing and evolution of the virus.”

Brown is optimistic about the future, not only for her department, but also for the campus community as a whole.

“Hopefully it provides front-line workers extra protection against the virus,” Brown said. “By protecting us, we can help others.”

In terms of the faculty, for many, the pandemic has led to experimenting with new ways that would help students be successful.

Dr. Jessica Reeher, Department of Communication Studies Chair, said the pandemic has really changed the way they do everything.

 “Our faculty are also in the same pandemic as students and are trying to figure out the best courses of action,” Reeher said. “Sometimes we get it right, but sometimes we need to find other ways to deliver our course content and meet the course objectives. I think the vaccinations are the first step to getting back to the classroom in the ways that we prefer, with our students, working together.”

From a communications standpoint, Reeher said the pandemic has brought far more challenges than just those that are utmost tangible.

“In a classroom, even when looking at one student, I can see hands up, nodding heads and disagreeing faces through my peripheral vision,” Reeher said. “I can see most of the students in a class. I lose all of that on my screen, especially when cameras are off. When you’re muted, I don’t know if you’re laughing at my jokes. When a screen is blank, I don’t know if you look confused.”

Reeher also added that she cannot imagine the impact the pandemic has had on students.

“I’ve had to change the way I work, but [students] had to change the way [they] live.” Reeher said. “Many have lost a secure home or secure meals that the residence halls provide. We all have experienced this ‘pandemic tired,’ which is tired but on a whole new level.”

Similar to Reeher, Communication Studies professor Maggie Simone said the pandemic has upended her “normal” class routine.

“I’m just beginning to grasp the true impact on college students, including my own two,” Simone said. “Developing the tools and tricks to stay engaged, to stay positive, to manage time, to battle pre-existing or new mental health issues – I think the effects of the last year of virtual learning have impacted how students are developing into adults.”

While she has been able to receive the inoculation, Simone recognizes the adversity that individuals with pre-existing conditions who have not yet been able to receive the vaccines endure.

“I was so grateful to get vaccinated, the relief was immense,” Simone said. “But so was the guilt, my husband has cancer, and he just became eligible. My mother has Alzheimer’s, and because of where she lives, I couldn’t get her an appointment until April. So while I know the light at the end of the tunnel will include vaccinations for everyone who wants one, the immediate relief has been tempered with a certain amount of ‘survivor’s guilt,’ if you will… [a] weird combination.”

Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian