{"id":32413,"date":"2020-07-31T08:09:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T12:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=32413"},"modified":"2020-07-31T08:09:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T12:09:34","slug":"be-flexible-consider-others-be-kind-keep-your-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2020\/07\/be-flexible-consider-others-be-kind-keep-your-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"Be flexible. Consider others. Be kind. Keep your cool."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wearing a mask is required whenever anyone \u2014 students, faculty, staff, visitors \u2014 are on campus.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Being in charge of her life is a big deal to Brittany Roth, but this summer, control has proven elusive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are just constantly up in the air. I think that things change so quickly, it\u2019s hard to kind of stay on top of everything,\u201d says Roth.<\/p>\n

The sense of disorientation isn\u2019t just a case of being in her first semester toward earning a master\u2019s in nurse anesthesia at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, although that\u2019s certainly part of it. What\u2019s throwing her, too, is being one of the first students coming to class on campus after COVID-19 crashed into the world like a meteor. The guinea pigs, if you will.<\/p>\n

However, because of their experiences, Roth and others have learned the ropes of life at UTC during the pandemic. They have well-earned advice for those heading onto campus for the fast-approaching fall semester.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe flexible,\u201d Roth said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s going through this for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe aware of those around you. It\u2019s not all about you,\u201d said Drew Lamb, also in Roth\u2019s class.<\/p>\n

Kennedi Walz,, a music major, said it\u2019s important to keep your eye on the prize, even though so much has changed and so much is strange. Just chill. \u201cI\u2019d advise students to: Keep your cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just grateful that I\u2019m able to be here and continue on with school,\u201d she continued. \u201cBe grateful that we\u2019re being able to go to school at all. You could be set a year back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students this summer are dealing with the familiar guidelines: Wear a mask when you\u2019re on campus. Wash your hands often. Use hand sanitizer. Stay at least six feet away from anyone else. The same guidelines that are in place for fall semester.<\/p>\n

But summer students also have teachers instructing them through computer screens in Zoom meetings. Even when they\u2019re in a classroom for face-to-face lessons, their faces are scattered throughout the room. They\u2019re wearing masks, so words sound like they\u2019re coming from a mouth packed with cotton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI laughingly tell my students, \u2018I can\u2019t hear what you\u2019re saying because this mask is making me deaf,\u2019\u2019\u2019 says Linda Hill, coordinator for graduate courses in the nurse anesthesia program in the School of Nursing and one of Roth\u2019s instructors.<\/p>\n

The entire situation\u2014masks, social distancing, handwashing, COVID-19 itself\u2014can be nerve-wracking, Hill said, but there\u2019s some comfort in knowing that everyone is in the same boat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very anxiety-provoking to many people, so know that you\u2019re not alone in that,\u201d Hill said. \u201cYour faculty members are certainly not. They\u2019re probably just as anxious as you are, but they\u2019ll be a strong support. If you have concerns, then talk to your faculty member. Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust do the things you\u2019re supposed to do. We\u2019re like a little small town on this campus and we\u2019re going to have to take care of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Goforth Elverd said that, as a faculty member, she must realize that an extra dose of effort is critical, both for her and students.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of COVID-19, this challenge means to be creative beyond what we\u2019re used to doing. Make modifications.\u201d<\/p>\n

With so many classes online, students need their professors to be on top of things, to make sure expectations are clear and precise,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a syllabus. Have due dates up and published and ready to go. Have everything planned out, at least to where they\u2019ll be ready for the first half of the semester.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Mary Record, earning a music therapy certificate, echoes both Walz\u2019s and Lamb\u2019s advice and said it applies to everyone on campus: Remember there are others in the exact same position as you. Think about them rather than just yourself.<\/p>\n

Oh, and remain calm.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe considerate of everyone, whatever that person needs to feel good about things,\u201d she said. \u201cDo what you\u2019re told just to have that wonderful privilege to be able to be here at all.\u201d<\/p>\n