Kenyon College welcomes students for first day

GAMBIER – Freshmen, sophomores and new transfer students were on campus Aug. 31 for Kenyon College’s first day of class.

The campus also has international students and those with exceptional circumstances living residentially this semester.

Overall, the feeling is comfortable. For the most part, students wore masks and socially-distanced as they walked to and from class.

Student Raul Romero sounded excited about his first day back to school. He feels the school is handling everything well and is trying hard to not only ensure the health of the students, but also the local community members.

Romero, from Venezuela, is living on campus for this fall semester.

“I feel like living on campus is an important part of the experience and education that Kenyon provides to the students”, he said.

While international students must come to campus, Romero felt comfortable being there around the faculty and other students, and that everyone is taking the proper precautions to ensure the health and safety of everyone else.

While some college campuses are having food and housing issues, Romero said Kenyon is doing its best to ensure everyone has adequate space and resources.

Online courses felt smoother than they did when it all started back in March, according to Romero.

Professor of Anthropology Bruce Hardy reiterated what Romero felt about coming back to class.

“It feels weird, but I’m happy to be here,” Hardy said.

To comply with social distancing, other buildings on the campus are being utilized to hold classes in, Hardy said. With class sizes ending up at approximately 20 students, the mixture of online and in-person learning is starting without a hitch.

Hardy agreed with Romero that living on campus is part of the experience, but he also acknowledged that the health and safety of the students, faculty and community must come first.

“We don’t know how things will look in the spring,” Hardy said. “We certainly hope that we can welcome all of our students back onto campus and everyone can be safe when we do it.”