COVID-19 and the recommended social isolation forced colleges around the country to close campus temporarily to limit the spread of the virus. Students attended their classes online from either their own home close to their campus or from their parents’ house, unable to stay in the college dorms.

“My house is about ten minutes from campus,” said Mia Beauchamp, a senior at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. “Four out of five of my classes are studio classes, so it would be easier if I could get on campus. Instead, we have to email the professor in charge when things are due.”

“When KU announced they were closing, I was in Texas for spring break,” said University of Kansas sophomore Kaylee Cart. “If you were able to go back and pack up your dorm, they allowed it, but I couldn’t.”

Cart moved back in with her parents during isolation, unable to continue living in the dorms with the risk of the virus.

“My mom and I went up to Lawrence and moved me out. It was a dead zone; no one was there. My car was the only one in the parking lot. It was very sad,” Cart said.

The closed campuses and social isolation has presented problems for college students. Many college students are frustrated at their spring break plans and graduations being canceled, and others have their own responsibilities at home that are difficult to handle under isolation.

“I think this is hitting the students that are also parents pretty hard, honestly,” Beauchamp said. “Before this, we had uninterrupted hours to work, and now there are kids everywhere. I’ve been locking myself in my bedroom and throwing myself into my art, since it’s the only way for me to survive.”

A majority of campuses do not plan on reopening before the end of the semester, and some plan on keeping the campus closed during the summer and just doing classes online. Though it may seem extreme, it is necessary for this social distancing to continue until a more effective method of fighting this virus is found.

“My family has been taking this super seriously because my dad has ALS. The fact that so many people aren’t taking this seriously bothers me even more because that means I’m not going to leave the house for so long. If my dad catches this, it’s game over, so we can’t take any chances,” Cart said.