By Lauren Swisher ’22, staff writer

With the onslaught of COVID-19, many LVC students have chosen to take courses online, rather than take the risk of coming back to campus.

LVC has taken many steps to flatten the curve and make it safe for commuter and on-campus students. These changes include outdoor classes to account for social distancing, mandatory mask wearing while outside of dorms and limiting entry and exit points to limit contact.

“I am not too worried about getting COVID in the classroom setting due to the precautions that the school has taken,” Olivia Wagner, a biology major,  said. “However, I was nervous about living on campus for this reason which is why I decided to commute this semester.”

Despite LVC’s efforts, outside factors have affected online learning. On the morning of Aug. 24, Zoom crashed worldwide, causing some zoom classes to be cancelled or postponed. Many students have expressed concerns based around technology and self-motivation.

“It is really hard [and sometimes impossible] to hear what people say in class discussions if they are in-class and not logged in to Zoom,” Amanda Marsh, a physical therapy major, said. “This lag, generally poor audio quality and the fact that I can often not see my classmates or professors make it very difficult to participate in classes that have in-person and online members.”

However, LVC students are thriving despite technical and social difficulties during this time.

Wagner said she treats her online classes the same way as she treats in-person classes.

“It also helps that all of my online classes meet over Zoom, since I am meeting with my professors and classmates very often.” Wagner said.

Wagner and Marsh say a key to a successful semester is a planner.

“I’ve listed all tests, assignments, quizzes and Zoom classes in a planner, so I know the pace I need to be keeping in all my classes,” Wagner said. “I try to switch between classes so I’m not spending hours in a row on one class and getting bored with the material. Having a hard cutoff point of when I stop doing schoolwork is very helpful because it motivates me to be more productive during the day, and it helps me keep focused on schoolwork since I know I’ll have time to do other stuff in the evening.”

LVC’s counseling services are offering virtual hours Monday – Friday from 12-1 p.m. for any student who has concerns or need extra help.