Densely-packed bars, dance floors sticky from spilled drinks, streets crowded with jubilant Miamians — all hallmarks of a typical weekend in Oxford. And up until a few months ago, seen week in and week out. Now, nearly six months after Oxford’s bar scene shut down, it’s coming back to life.
Many upperclassmen are returning to Oxford for the fall semester, but with them come some lingering concerns about the price of online learning and anxiety about student health and safety.
Last fall semester, Miami University professors stood at the front of a classroom, leading discussions, fielding questions and presenting lectures in person. This fall semester, that scene looks quite different due to a sudden change in plans: online classes for the first five weeks.
Twin XL sheets? Check. Shower caddy? Shower shoes? Check. Dorm decorations? Check. Move-in date? Postponed.
Similar to most people, COVID-19 impacted the plans I had for the summer. I found myself at home, bored, and baking way too much banana bread for my own good. So when my dad, a high school teacher, suggested we go on a camping road trip, I was already halfway out of the door. On July 1, we hit the road in our trusty old Dodge Caravan with a stack of U.S. maps and an open schedule. There is no better place to socially distance than the great outdoors; we were armed with masks, sanitizer, and even a pop-up shower to stay safe during the pandemic.
People seem to be bummed about this whole “pandemic” thing, but I think it is better to look at it in a positive light.
Zoom calls and livestreams on Instagram and Facebook have become part of most people’s daily routines, taking the place of lectures, meetings, special events and even workout sessions.
After spending over a month alone in his one-bedroom apartment, James Carter was shocked to find his child-hood imaginary friend, Davey, sitting on his sofa last Monday.
If you’re like me, you hate to admit you spend the majority of your day lying in bed and scrolling through all your social media in a never-ending cycle. It’s embarrassing, but you feel a sense of comfort because you remember it’s become the norm with many other students while you continue to check your friends' Snapchat stories. I mean, how else are you going to keep up with everyone while maintaining social distancing?
Junior Sarah Pankratz, a psychology major on the pre-med track, started writing letters to her friends during quarantine. She picked up the habit when she worked at a summer camp and couldn’t use her phone often. She wanted to communicate with her friends without always being on her phone.
“Live every moment to the fullest and take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with your friends because before you know it, the four years will fly by and/or could come to an early end.” – Morgan Tillery, Class of 2020
Perhaps the greatest benefit of being a younger sibling is having the opportunity to learn from your older siblings' mistakes, or more specifically, their ex-boyfriends' mistakes.
Sometimes, it takes being a suspect drug dealer your first week of college to make you give up vaping.
There are many majors at Miami, and the individuals in these groups share some common charactersitic. Look inside the minds of Leah, Grant, Jenny, and Jack to understand them better.
In this time of isolation and self quarantine, couples are finding themselves thrust into some unpredictable circumstances. From long-distance dating to moving in together, these Miamians are each striving to make their relationships work in the age of coronavirus.
I got into my car for the first time in more than a week. My sister, Sara, loaded our two maltese-poodles into the back seat, and she crawled into the front passenger side. I started down the driveway and turned out of our cul-de-sac, sprinkles of rain hitting my windshield.
On St. Patrick’s Day 2020, the only thing anyone was talking about was the novel coronavirus. I couldn’t go more than about 30 seconds without thinking about it. Reminders were scattered everywhere.
Jannie Kamara has been working toward turning her dreams into realities since the minute she stepped on campus. Kamara, a junior studying diversity and leadership and black world studies, is fully committed to pursuing her newly-elected role as Student Body President and working alongside her executive board and cabinet in the fall.
For the last installment of quarantine streaming recommendations, we bring you teen movies, comedies and dramedies.