CINCINNATI, Ohio — Like all forms of education, college looks different this semester with most schools operating with a hybrid schedule of in-person and online classes, while their campuses are opening up for student life.
What You Need To Know
- Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati welcomed back students this month
- UC enrollment numbers are steady despite many classes moving online
- University officials credit their efforts to recruit local students
In Cincinnati, the city’s two largest universities welcomed back students in this month.
For those who didn’t know any better, the thousands of students moving in may have looked like a familiar scene.
Addison Tessi said she had been looking forward to coming to campus all summer, getting a taste of freedom even though family is just an hour away.
“I was hoping we could be here because I was cooped up in my house for all these months,” she said.
But Tessi said her first semester at UC is already off to an unusual start.
“I have three in-person classes at the moment. My labs and a chemistry lecture and then the rest are all online,” she said.
Things are similar at Xavier University.
Ohio native Samarra Plinter started her first day of college there on her laptop.
“Most of my classes today are through zoom, so I don’t get to see anybody in person and my teachers are teaching online,” she said.
Both universities are operating with that hybrid strategy, limiting in-person interactions for those hands-on classes or experiences and asking students to wear masks and maintain social distancing wherever possible.
One thing that isn’t changing though is the number of students UC will have enrolled.
Jake Miner, the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at UC, said with 46,388 students, last fall was a record-breaking year for enrollment and while the final 2020 numbers aren’t in yet, they look fairly similar.
“We’ve had a number of students that had planned on going other places or have even attended a year at another school that are starting to transfer back to University of Cincinnati cause they want to stay local,” he said.
Miner said that’s why UC shifted its recruitment strategy this spring to target local students.
“One of the campaigns that we’ve focused on is the opportunity to come home to college or stay home for college,” he said.
Miner said Ohio students have always represented a significant majority of UC students, but due to the pandemic, students and families have been opting to stay local and he credits that shift for the steady enrollment.
Still, he said the university still wants to make the on-campus experience worthwhile.
“We’re trying to keep things as close to normal as possible,” he said.
That means ensuring student co-ops and clubs continue with limited in-person meetings, though Miner said that will only work if students take personal responsibility.
“Expectations like before you leave your dorm in the morning, before you leave your apartment in the morning, do a wellness check,” he said. “Think about whether or not you’re experiencing any symptoms. Do a temperature check.”
As for those new students, Tessi said she’s optimistic.
“I just plan on meeting friends outside, maybe in class,” she said. “We can hang out maybe outside of our dorms.”
Plinter too, hopes her unconventional semester will still give her a taste of college life.
“Even if it is through zoom,” she said. “I would like to meet new people and form friendships and I still want to learn.”
