Campus life at DU will be different. With new COVID-19 rules and restrictions, daily school routines need to adapt. Freshmen will be the first to experience this new lifestyle. 

First-years will be increasingly dependent on their Discoveries Orientation leaders (DLs) and resident assistants (RAs). They will look to these figures to show them how to adapt, adjust and associate with others on campus. 

“You start off with your Discoveries Orientation leader to make those close connections, and you have your RA who continues with that as well,” said Interim Vice Chancellor/Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Life & Inclusive Excellence Dr. Niki Latino. “What we are focusing on is technology. We are working in partnership with information technology right now on different [and] creative ways that we can connect students. Those at the junior or senior level will be able to get involved with helping first and second-year students.”

This help from upperclassmen will come in the form of a “buddy system.” Plans for how this arrangement will work are still being polished, but it will leverage technology to supplement the lack of in-person connections on campus. 

In the past, orientation has been a time to meet new people and establish friendships. Now, coronavirus regulations prohibit many of the activities that cultivated companionship. DU seeks to recreate this environment both virtually and in small groups. 

“We are trying to take a holistic approach to this new reality. We can do this by having engaging virtual opportunities and being intentional about starting with small group activities,” said Latino. 

The ways Living and Learning Communities (LLCs) operate will also change. LLC classes will remain, but activities and trips will be reworked in order to conform to COVID-19 guidelines.

“We will not be doing a mountain retreat for any of them [the LLCs],” said Dr. Linda Olson, Executive Director of Learning Communities and Civic Engagement for DU. “But we are going to do events that are physically distanced and sort of similar to classes. It will be based on the protocols for rooms, and we are going to try and do some things outside.”

Events will also be affected on a larger scale, with changes in the works for grand campus-wide events like homecoming. Jessie Stellini, the Associate Director of Student Engagement, said that “from a programming standpoint, it will definitely look a little bit different this year.” Homecoming events are being reshaped and replaced in accordance with the school’s regulations.

“One of the things we did last year was our campus-wide capture-the-flag, which is really a scavenger hunt,” said Stellini. “That doesn’t require a lot of people participating next to each other. We will probably bring that back, maybe amp it up a little bit.”

DUPB’s Fall Fest is also being reworked. The homecoming prelude will be filled with creative events that are either engaging online or safe in-person.

“I know they [DUPB] are trying to think about cool virtual programming they can do. How can we space people out and still gather them together?” said Stellini.

All the events and revelry of homecoming, however, are nothing without their main event. The question many students likely have on their mind: What about hockey?

“We haven’t heard yet from athletics whether hockey is an official go or not, and if it is what that will look like,” said Stellini. “We obviously can’t pack Magness Arena the way that we would like to. But if it’s not going to happen with an in-person hockey game, maybe we can screen an old championship game.”

At all of these events, DU will try to uphold social distancing policies. Managing such a large crowd will be tough, but DU administrators have faith their students will follow protocol.

“What we are doing is culture and education setting on why it’s important to wear a mask and social distance,” said Latino. “We are being very clear that any violation of these protocols is going to be referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.”

Some students doubt the ability of these plans to properly allow students to socialize while maintaining the guidelines. James Harman, a third-year international studies and economics double major at DU, worries that this lack of socialization will result in a breakdown of COVID-19 protocols. 

“It’s a pandemic, and these choices have to be made. But I feel like it will be hard to enforce,” said Harman. “When everyone is living in dorms, there will be a lot of: ‘Come over to my room. It’s fine, don’t worry about it.’ I think this will cause the whole plan to collapse.”

While Harman has misgivings about the plan, DU’s leadership remains optimistic. The administration hopes to replicate a pre-COVID-19 student experience while dealing with the realities of the pandemic. Their safety plan places its faith in DU’s students and staff to uphold the COVID-19 guidelines. Only in the fall will we be able to tell if this trust is misplaced.