The reality of Zoom U: Lots of screen time, very little social life

Roughly one month into the academic school year, most students at each of the Triangle's major universities spend their days gazing into the screens from which their professors lecture. Classrooms, quads, and libraries are empty. This semester has come with its fair share of challenges, but the adjustment to remote instruction is less jarring than you might expect. This is the second in our series tracking local seniors through a school year unlike any other.

Posted 11:48 p.m. Sep 11, 2020 — Updated 1:43 p.m. Sep 14, 2020

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Roughly one month into the academic school year, most students at each of the Triangle’s major universities spend their days gazing into the screens from which their professors lecture. Classrooms, quads, and libraries are empty.

At UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State, campus was brimming with students just three weeks ago. Mounting COVID-19 cases on campus forced both to backtrack on their plans for in-person instruction and switch to fully remote learning.

“I'm just frustrated with the university for kind of putting us in this position. I feel like the university might not have been as prepared as they thought they were for students to come back,” said NC State senior Bryce Royal.

Both UNC and NCSU pushed students to leave campus housing, where many COVID-19 clusters were located, just weeks after moving in.

The community-wide fear that stemmed from the rapid spread of the virus in Chapel Hill still lingers for Vivian Le, a senior at UNC.

“Even though I live off campus, it's still concerning because if I leave my house there is still and chance I could be infected or be exposed,” said Le. “I was worried for my parents and people in the community, not so much myself.”

Royal says now his concern is for the communities students returned to.

“[Parents] have to come and get [their] student – who may or may not be infected – and take them back to [their] community and you have like 10 days to do that and figure it out,” said Royal.

While plans for in-person instruction unraveled at UNC and NC State, Duke was approaching the matter with a different set of tactics: Testing every student upon arrival, enforcing social distancing and quarantine standards and continued monitoring of symptoms for all students.

“I think Duke has done a really good job with handling COVID,” said Sharmi Amin, a Duke senior on the pre-medical track. “I think we've had about 5,000 students tested and five have been positive.”

Amin notes that, while in-person instruction is an option, many students opt to take their courses remotely.

Amin, Le and Royal all say that this semester has already come with its fair share of challenges, but the adjustment to remote instruction is less jarring than in the past.

“We kind of have a better grasp on this new environment that we find ourselves in. Whereas in the spring, it was kind of new, and we didn't really know what to expect,” said Royal. “And now I feel like we're in the thick of it. So it's just easier for us to get adjusted to new things that we weren't expecting.”

It is overcoming social restrictions during senior year that will be the greatest emotional burden.

Each Amin, Le and Royal are holding out hope that some sense of normalcy will return for the final semester of senior year on campus. However, none are too optimistic.

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