Students were asked to move out of their dorms by the Department of Residence to avoid the spread of COVID-19. 

President Wendy Wintersteen sent an email to all Iowa State students March 18 to explain how the university would handle COVID-19 through virtual instruction for the remainder of the semester. The Department of Residence also began limiting the ability to live in residence halls, requesting that students move their items out between March 20 and May 9. Students that were eligible to stay in the residence halls were asked to fill out an application by April 1. 

Students were asked to move out on short notice and start online classes after spring break. This was a large and abrupt change for many.

Ellen Cook, freshman in agricultural and life sciences education and resident of Elm Hall, moved out as quickly as possible. 

“I only saw one other family moving out,” Cook said. “The signs were very clear about the process — move out as quickly as possible, practice social distancing and do not bother cleaning.”

Moving out was a difficult process for students, especially for those not close to Ames.

“It was really hard to move out halfway through the semester for several reasons,” Cook said. “First, it was obviously hard because I had nothing packed. […] It was also super hard to not be able to say goodbye to any of my friends or my roommate. Living in the dorms can be a little rough sometimes, but it’s also such a unique opportunity and sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have all your college friends living so close. Moving out without them there and seeing campus so dead was really hard.”

Jasmine Gaukel, sophomore in animal science and resident of Oak Hall, said she was really upset when she had to move her things out last week.

“I had just started to get my life on track,” Gaukel said. “I felt as if everything I had worked for had been taken away from me. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my friends that I see every day.”

Abbey Riemenschneider, sophomore in animal science and resident of Geoffroy Hall, built a routine for herself to stay on track through virtual instruction. 

“I am […] trying to keep my schedule as close to what it was at [Iowa State] by waking up at my regular time, eating breakfast and then ‘going’ to class,” Riemenschneider said. “I have also been looking for internship opportunities in my area, which just adds to growing frustration and stress that is already on myself with doing my classes online.”

Cook said her experiences with the first day of online lecture was different from the way it was in her old routine on campus. 

“The learning curve of finding where [professors are] posting online lectures is difficult,” Cook said. “I would say as of right now, it’s the equivalent of finding the buildings where classes are on the first day of the semester. I kind of click around on Canvas for a while, then actually read the announcements where they say what the plan is, and then I can find it fairly quickly.”

Each student is now faced with the challenge to find their comfort within their own homes as a full-time student while practicing social distancing. Keeping up with classwork and outside responsibilities is a balance that is different for everyone. 

“This isn’t an ideal situation, but I’m so thankful that everyone has been really understanding and patient, especially when it comes to learning in a completely new way,” Cook said.