LYNCHBURG, Va. – Students are back for a much-anticipated fall semester at the University of Lynchburg and many are looking forward to a fresh start after a year unlike any other.
“I’m looking forward to things getting back to normal, seeing the campus more lively again and having classes in person,” junior Caitlyn Freece says.
Whether an upperclassman like Freece or a brand-new college student, everyone seems to have the same high hopes.
“I’m looking forward to getting to meet a lot more people without masks on,” first-year student Olivia Vanmetre says. “Also, getting a hockey season because I didn’t get that last year.”
While students say they’re looking forward to a normal year, there are a couple of things they’ll have to do first to get there.
Students must show they’re vaccinated, or paperwork that says they can’t be, before unloading into the dorm rooms. About half of the first-year students are already moved in.
The rest will have a two-hour window between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day to join them.
“We’re back to normal hands-on move in with our volunteers, back in the classroom face-to-face and activities on campus are back to normal,” Move-in Coordinator Steve Bradney says. “We survived last year and made it through the full year. That’s the plan again this year.”
Tuesday was the second of four move-in days for first-year students. The university typically has about 500 freshmen in the dorms, but this year, they only have 400.
For now, it’s a green light for life on campus. After a year unlike any other, many are hoping it stays that way.