With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Union University’s ResLife staff is working constantly to ensure that students are healthy and are able to find community.
The coronavirus has affected residence life in many different ways. There are obvious health procedures when it comes to social distancing, disinfecting and reminding students of good handwashing technique.
“When your whole philosophy of ministry is for students to form distinctive relationships with each other in order to mutually encourage each other towards Christ-likeness, you have to be creative to rethink how to make that happen when we want you to stay in your room!” said Ken Litscher, director of residence life.
The ResLife staff is working hard to come up with new and exciting events that allow students to have community, while also practicing social distancing. They are currently working to close gathering spaces in order to limit in-person contact but will keep students as updated as possible.
The residence halls are to remain open, but students should be sure to communicate with their RA about their on-campus status, so that everyone is accounted for. During this time, ResLife wants to make sure that students have a place to self-quarantine if necessary. In some cases, it may be safer to stay on campus than it is to go back home, especially if students have family with other health issues or are unable to get home.
“We can only take the knowledge that health experts are sharing with us and the knowledge that none of this has caught the Lord by surprise in order to make prudent decisions with the information that we have,” said Litscher. “We want what is best for our community in order to continue to fulfill our mission, and right now, it looks different.”
While practicing social distancing, it is important to make use of social media to connect with others. ResLife is working to hold movie nights where buildings are able to all watch the same movie at the same time but from their individual rooms.
Aubrie Brister is a senior nursing major as well as an RA who is staying on campus during this time.
“While this has all been a bit jarring, I think students are doing well at taking it in stride and trying to love their neighbor well by adhering to the restrictions we all have,” said Brister.
“Vespers” is another event going on nightly at 9 p.m. It is an evening worship time where the community on campus can step out of their doors and join together to sing a few hymns to close out the night.
All on-campus RA’s and ResLife staff encourage students to reach out if they have any questions about social distancing, how to adjust to this new lifestyle or even how to stay healthy. The staff wants to provide as many opportunities as they can so that things can be as normal as possible.
“The ResLife staff is here for our student body, and we want to help you in any way we can,” said Brister. “This is a crazy time, and if you need someone to talk to, we are always here!”
To stay up to date on all activities offered, follow @uureslife on Instagram.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Woody