As the Minnesota freezing temperatures and snowy walks are finally melting into puddled sidewalks and warm, breezy days, and here at St. Thomas, COVID-19 cases are also turning to the bright side as we hit the one year mark since the pandemic pushed classes online.

As reported by the Center for Well-Being, COVID-19 cases on campus have been pretty low, even down to one case per week, with the highest number of cases being 19 since spring semester started. Case numbers are much lower than we tracked throughout fall semester, so much so that Residence Life is allowing students to visit students in other dorm halls. More restrictions on campus have been lifted, but classes seem to remain the same.

Although having in-person versus online classes is the professor’s decision, it is frustrating to have so few in-person classes. Online classes are great for convenience and are especially nice on days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, but with the lack of in-person classes last spring, one can only hope that more classes will be in-person.

According to an announcement by President Julie Sullivan, the transmission rate of COVID-19 is low thanks to the socially distanced seating, facial mask requirements and sanitation stations available to clean any touched surfaces. Of course, there are chances of students and staff being exposed to each other in classroom settings, but it is more unlikely than other campus settings.

Being cooped up in the dorms for most of the year has not been easy on students’ mental health. As a student who came from out of state, and not knowing anyone, it has definitely been a challenge trying to meet others with the COVID-19 restrictions and lack of events and classes. One of the main ways students are able to meet each other and connect is through in-person classes. Being able to surround yourself with other students in a learning environment is helpful and an easy way to build that connection.

With only one and a half months of this semester left, faculty should consider broadening their restrictions and move some classes to be in-person, whether it be every class session students attend in-person or even moving in-person just once a week. Surrounding yourself with other students is a great way to improve mental health and help students and professors build that one-on-one connection. We can all be more hands-on during the class.

St. Thomas has applied to be a vaccination site for students and staff, providing even more safety in the classroom setting for those who choose to get the vaccine. This positive news, and the potential in-person experience, can only help students feel more ingrained on campus and give us a chance to leave our dorms or places of living. We can start to be more immersed in our classes and build connections with other students.

Of course, it is still normal for students and staff to not want to switch to fully in-person, for either fear of the virus, not having the vaccine yet, or simply just that they enjoy online classes better and feel like it is a better learning environment.

Students may not get the ideal in-person classes for the remainder of the spring semester, but a recent email for St. Thomas expects campus going back to normal in the fall, a chance for students to experience a normal college year. Even without in-person classes, students are still able to reach and connect the university in fun, creative ways St. Thomas has come up with so they can try and give students a “normal as possible” school year.

Macy Berendsen can be reached at macyberendsen@stthomas.edu.