Education

Shaw counting on family atmosphere to keep students, faculty safe in pandemic

Shaw University students returned to class Wednesday, and administrators said the school's small size will help keep students and faculty safe from coronavirus.

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By
Richard Adkins
, WRAL photojournalist
RALEIGH, N.C. — Shaw University students returned to class Wednesday, and administrators said the school's small size will help keep students and faculty safe from coronavirus.

The historically Black university in downtown Raleigh has about 1,200 students, and only about half of them have chosen to live on campus.

"It's a family, it's more of a family," said Renata Dusenbury, Shaw's vice president of academic affairs. "You know who the students are, [and] they know you. I think that helps a great deal."

Dusenbury said that intimacy makes it easier for Shaw to police its mask guidelines. The school also has prepared classrooms to maintain a safe distance between students.

"We have managed to do what we need to do to make sure our faculty and students are safe," she said.
Freshman Jereme Ashford said he feels safe on campus, adding that the benefits of in-person learning outweigh the risks the virus poses.
"[With] remote learning, you don't get to feel the environment. On campus, you get to see everybody, feel the energy of everyone around you," Ashford said.
"You can definitely feel the sense of family, that people care about you and stuff," agreed freshman Jordan Phillips.

Dusenbury also noted that Shaw's dining hall provides some students with more nutritional meals than they could get if they weren't on campus.

"It's a very strange year, very interesting," she said. "Nothing is normal."

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