Gabbie Fisher – 2nd-Year Russian Major
Last semester was one for the books. Coronavirus shut down everything, including schools and universities around the world. It was a very difficult time. Personally, I hated the transition to online classes. It seemed that all my professors felt they could assign more homework now that we were home, but that just meant that I sat in the same area of my house working on assignments and listening to lectures for eight hours a day, sometimes even twelve. Somehow, we all got through it! There was so much uncertainty as to what this semester would look like, but I am very happy with how it turned out. I have two classes that are fully in-person, two classes that are online, and one hybrid class. All of my teachers are understanding of any situation that occurs, whether a student tests positive for COVID and is now in quarantine or if a student is just having a rough mental day and needs extra time for an assignment. We are all still adjusting to this new lifestyle.
In addition to this academic shift, university life has also had to make changes. Walking around campus it seems as if nothing has changed, besides the appearance of masks, students are seen interacting and socializing with others as they would have last year. Personally, I have made a major shift within my social circles. Parties and group outings have gotten much smaller and personal compared to the typical college frat parties. Any parties that happen are typically between friend groups with no strangers that could possibly be COVID-positive. As for advertised on-campus events, there are still quite a few, they have just transitioned to an online format instead of in-person. Daily student life has definitely had to make adjustments in this new environment, but everyone seems to be handling the changes responsibly.
Mera Cronbaugh – 4th-Year Russian major
Усталость от зимы, усталость от зума. As a Russian major, I thought that I was only studying one language at Ohio State. When COVID-19 hit, however, I realized that I was inadvertently learning two. Learning to be a student during a pandemic is not unlike the cross-cultural experience of learning Russian – both require skills of transition, resilience, and lots of patience. Neither offer any guaranteed outcomes. The transition to Zoom during 2020’s spring was a testament to this, when thousands of us were suddenly launched into finishing projects, classes, jobs, and entire university careers online. During this time, I especially appreciated increased communication between professors and students. I took a history course in which my professor checked in with us at the beginning of each class, challenging us to think about our local situations within the context of our global history. As a part-time student worker in the department, I appreciated occasional in-person run-ins with faculty and staff, many of whom were kind to offer smiles behind masks and even advice about the future. Furthermore, the Slavic Center’s webinars covering critical global topics provided a chance to learn from international experts at the click of a link, an opportunity that would not have been as accessible in the past.
Zoom fatigue remains a consistent reality and despite the fact that we are more connected than ever, it has been easy to become isolated. Finding ways to remain engaged both locally and globally have been all the more vital and helpful in ways I did not expect. This semester, maintaining community amongst my student organization felt like driving a manual car for the first time – starting and stopping and then starting again with all sorts of ideas to keep our members connected. We tried weekly Zoom calls with breakout rooms, small cohorts meeting outdoors in person, and worked to create a morning meeting so that students living across time zones could feel welcome to join. It is unclear how successful this all has been – measuring community can be hard to do – but I am incredibly grateful for and proud of this cohort. I also regularly meet with a Columbus high-school student through a new American youth mentorship program. This spring, she navigated finishing her senior year and applying to college – all online. Our mentoring relationship has become primarily relegated to the halls of WhatsApp, which means that the few times we have been able to see each other in person have been all the more precious.
As a senior, this season also means preparing for academic and professional next steps. It feels strange to make plans amidst a very uncertain time, and alongside thousands of my peers, I have learned zoom etiquette for interviews and pushed through online career fair technical difficulties. While this next year still holds many unknowns and anxieties, I am grateful for the support of my academic community as we all learn the language of COVID-19.
Katya Tikhonyuk - SEELC Graduate Student
As a graduate student, I can say that my student-experience in courses really improved from spring to fall, as it seemed that most had adjusted well to Zoom over the summer. Things moved very smoothly, and functions such as the randomized breakout rooms were helpful in that I often found myself working with all of the other students in the course at some point. Many parts felt quite similar to in-person courses!
Of course, some of the hardest parts of the past year have been the feelings of isolation. While going to the store is a nice to experience human interaction, I do miss the meetings with close friends and can’t wait till I can take a trip home to Russia to see my family.
