Interviewer: Paige RiehlStudent of East Carolina University Interviewee: Grace ReganApril 14, 2021PR = Paige Riehl (interviewer) GR = Grace Regan (Interviewee)

PR: Hi, Grace Regan. How are you today? GR: Hi,PR: If you just kind of want to introduce yourself and kind of talk about your affiliation with East Carolina University, kind of talk about your year major, anything that you're kind of involved in just real quickly.GR: Okay, so I'm a sophomore I recently got into the didactic program for nutrition. So I'm in the cohort for that. I'm a member of the team. And I'm on the executive board for Piratethon dance.PR: Amazing and you're also part of the honor's college is that correct? GR: Yes, I'm in the honor's college.All right, so basically, we're just going to talk about Covid-19 and its impact on you. So we kind of have to jump back first to your freshman year. And so, what was your 1st initial reaction to closing about like the March time period?GR: Initially, I was a little excited to have a break from school. I didn't think we would not be returning to campus for the rest of the semester. So I thought it was an extra spring break week. And then, once they announced that they were going to be online I was really disappointed because I couldn't like - go to office hours of my professors, and it was just a lot harder to get help for classes.PR: When you were moving out; did you move out like, right when they told us we were closing school or did you have to wait a little bit like everyone else?GR: I moved out right away. When I knew we had the extra week. I went and got some clothes so I was kind of halfway gone with my clothes from the dorm. And then when they announced that they were closing, I was lucky enough to be able to drive and move out that day.PR: Yeah, I was kind of the same way and with the extracurriculars and stuff you talked about earlier were you part of those, your freshman year too, or had any extra ones, you're a part of.GR: So, I wasn't on the board for my freshman year. That was something started in the fall, but I was still a member of the dance team.PR: So, how did club dance kind of react to school closing? Did they do anything or kind of just like - end for the year.GR: Yeah, we ended for the year. We were supposed to go into a competition the week after spring break and Myrtle beach. So, we had to cancel our competition and send in our costumes and cancel that. And we had our end of your banquet that we had to do on zoom.PR: Yeah, how was the honor's college with classes ending? Did they do anything special, or kind of give you guys any information, or kind of change the class around?GR: Yeah, so I was working on Chem 1160 and our lab for 1161 got cut short. They didn't like the online lab kind of.I remember just making it not having much lab work to do. I was surprised that a lot of my professors didn't hold face to face meetings like on a Webex or teams. It was just kind of post PowerPoints and we'd have to reach out because I think that was the biggest shock for me initially when closed.PR: So, would you have preferred them to kind of do like the Webex or zoom kind of thing instead of just posting PowerPoint.GR: Yes, I would prefer that. I learned better in the classroom setting so that's the most. That's the way for me to learn on my own.PR: So, basically, you did not enjoy finishing school online. Did you enjoy anything about it? GR: No, I don't like online school.PR: If you kind of had to rate the university's decision, ending school in March. Um, did you agree with them or do you think there was any way we could have possibly stayed at school?GR: I kind of agree with them when the pandemic started. I know I was, like, very nervous and worried what was going to happen. I'm sure it was on a larger scale for the University. They have more people to worry about. I just kind of have myself. So, I agree. It was just very uncertain how the pandemic would play out. So I think you made the right decision closing in March.PR: Yeah, so now we're going to go into kind of like your summertime and how it affected summer for you. So, if we were going to talk about between, like, June and August, what did your daily life kind of look like.GR: So, I worked at a summer camp at the lake all summer, and I lived there and we had about 200 kids each week, so honestly it did not affect my summer that much. Once it got warmer we - we were able to spread out outside in social distance. No one at the camp got Covid. We went a whole summer without a case. So, it was pretty successful.PR: Was there anything you guys did specifically at the camp in terms of covert precautions, or kids having to be tested all the time? Or, like, did you have a mask mandate then?GR: Yeah, so every camper that came to the camp had to do a 14 day screening of their temperature and their symptoms every single day before breakfast everyone had to get their temperature taken. And if you had a fever, you had to go home within 6 hours. So that was something that we've never done before also we had bunny groups. So staff was only allowed to be around 3 other staff members without a mask. And if you were around someone, not in your buddy group. Yeah. Pistons wear a mask. So that was kind of weird, not being able to be around everyone all the time kind of made me sad not to see all my friends.PR: Would you say that kind of hurt camp or camp still went pretty well and was still worth it despite all the little changes you had to make.GR: Yeah, so it definitely took a toll on camp because of the mandate of eliminating the number of people inside. We weren't able to open right away. So the camp lost a few weeks of summer camp, which definitely takes a toll on how much money they're making, but once we were able to start camp, it was really successful and definitely worth it.PR: Good good. So, around that time. We were starting to hear a little bit about what ECU was going to do in the fall. Did you have any guesses at that time of what you thought was going to happen and that pertains to like online classes or campus being open?GR: In the summer, I was hoping that maybe would give the option for people to have in person classes and it was up to the student to make that decision and be responsible on campus. I was a little shocked when we found out, it was mostly online. I haven't had an in person class the whole year. I definitely would rather have the option to do online or in person.PR: Yeah, so if you were to like, be able to make your own schedule, what would you have made it? Look like.GR: In terms of in person, I would have had all in person and classes. Um, I feel like it just makes it more personal loan. I'm able to retain the information better. I chose not to sign up for any online classes in the fall. I'm not a fan.PR: Yeah, I understand. So, then now we finally get into your fall semester. How was moving back onto campus your moving day? Just kind of where you lived. How was that day in general in terms of CovidGR: So all of the staff at the apartment, I moved into wore a mask so I thought they did a really good job of trying to control traffic and we were required to wear a mask while we moved in until we got into our apartment. So, I thought that was responsible.PR: Yeah, so would you say a lot of students that lived in your apartment complex would follow certain mandates put on by the apartment, or did the apartment have any specific rules?GR: Yeah, so the apartment has a rule where you have to check in before you go to the gym. So they only let 3 three people at a time. So you sign up before and check in and that's something they haven't done before and same with the pool. You have to show you are a resident. And you're only allowed to go to the pool during office hours. So the staff can make sure people are forward with precautions. And from what I've seen, people do usually do a really good job with it in the gym. Everyone wears a mask. The only thing is, the apartment asks us to wear masks inthe hallway and not one person does that. That's the only thing I see people not following code precautions.PR: Did - did you go on campus a lot your fall semester?GR: I would go for walks just to be on campus. I honestly kind of missed, like, walking to class seeing people and just being, like around all the buildings, so I would go sit outside on campus and do my homework and go for walks when I could.PR: would you wear a mask when you were outside? GR: No, no, no, it'd be around me.PR: Did you see anyone else ever wearing a mask? GR: No, yeah, usually most people only wore it inside.PR: Did you ever go inside any buildings at that point? I'm pretty sure. It was just the student center that was open.GR: Yeah, I would go inside the student center to get a coffee or some lunch and I wore a mask inside.PR: Yeah, so I think you said earlier, you didn't end up having any in person classes your fall semester correct? So how did you feel about your online classes? Was it kind of the same as how you felt back in March when we first got put online? Were they any better or worse?GR: I think it was worse in the fall. I feel like professors stopped caring that we were in a pandemic and a lot of my professors were very understanding in the spring that these were, like, really challenging times. And in the fall, it's almost like all my professors were just over it and they were getting twice as much assignments and not responding to emails being kind of not as understanding as I felt some of them should be. And some of the classes I took were pretty hard to do online and teach myself. I would appreciate a little more help from the professors.PR: So, do you think online really impacted your abilities to succeed in this nutrition program and with those classes or was it still somewhat manageable?GR: Not enjoyable. It was manageable. Not enjoyable. My nutrition professors especially were really good with getting directions and helping us out. We need help. I'm very glad to be in that program for that. It was just a little more studying and work to the extent.PR: So, if you were to make a guess of how many hours you would study in a day, when you had in person classes versus having online classes, would there be a huge hour difference between them?GR: Very much. I think I do about like, 7 or 8 hours of work a day and doing homework assignments. With online stuff including the weekends, it's kind of like the weekends are the same amount of work as the weeks, compared to four that were in person. So I'd say it's about twice as much. Yeah.PR: You see a lot over social media people talking about how they've kind of fallen into a slump doing so much online work. Would you say that you ever hit those kind of points?GR: Oh, for sure. Especially being stuck in my apartment doing work. I would need to get up and move around for new places to do homework. Just being, like, at my desk all day is not good for my mental health and I know it's not really good for anyone. I try to go to the gym a lot to break up homework assignments. That definitely keeps my mental health better. I'll have classes in the morning, break, and then two more classes. Sometimes I'll go to the gym again and then have dance practice. It's just a balance of finding good spots to do homework and balancing breaks here and there.PR: So, as you mentioned, you would go to the gym, would you go to the gym on campus, your apartment, or somewhere outside of the school system?GR: So, I went somewhere outside, I got gym membership at Planet fitness. The 1st day they opened the gym backup because of Covid.. You don't have to reserve a time to get a work out there. That's why I chose to do that, rather than the student rec center. The time I was pretty unpredictable and I didn't want to be tied down to a certain time slot.PR: So, did you ever try this student rec center at all, or kind of just avoided it? GR: I avoided it.PR: Okay, and then how did working out at Planet fitness look like, did they have a lot of rules there? Or was it a lot more laid back?GR: It was pretty laid back at first. They didn't require masks. While you were working out when I first joined, it was only, you only had to wear a mask when you're taking breaks or walking in and out of the doors. And they changed that rule over winter break. You wear a mask at all times and they have cleaning stations. Not many people follow the mask rules, a lot of people work outwithout them. A lot of people don't clean their equipment when they're done, but on a good day, I'd say, 75% of people are wearing the mask and cleaning the stuff.PR: Has wearing a mask ever stopped you from wanting to go to the gym, or has it not gotten really in your way.GR: It has definitely gotten in my way. It was challenging at first to adjust to it like the heat on my face. I'm sweating. But personally, I don't think it's that big of a deal and I'll still go to the gym, even though our mask.PR: In the fall semester, did you still have club dance going on or were they still on pause in the fall?GR: It was on pause. In the fall. We started up again in the spring semester, and we have to complete a screening on an app called sway before each practice where we record any symptoms and our temperature, and it sends it to the rec center and club sports and then we get our temperatures taken again when we walk into the rec center.PR: Do you think ECU is overdoing it when it comes to the stuff you have to do to go to one of your club dance practices or do you think ECU has a right to do kind of all that if you get what I'm saying?GR: Yeah, I think it's good. That we have to do that, we haven't had many cases of COVID on our team. Also ECU doesn't consider us a contact sport. So we don't have to get Covid tested. I know other sports, like the club baseball team have to get Covid tested, like everything periodically I guess we'll have to do that. So I really can't complain. It's not too hard to fill out a screening to make sure everyone stays safe.PR: So, to touch back on some of the other extra curricular, as you started talking about, which again were the ones that you started up this year.GR: The dance marathon and then I've been helping out one of my professors with some research.PR: How is that research project? What precautions do you have to take for it? Is it online in person?GR: So right now it's online we're planning on doing in person. the spring hoping that we would be more back to normal this year. So I'm doing it online. A few weeks ago II was helping withfinding articles for a grant professor. Now, I am working with another professor on the West Coast, helping with transcriptions for our project.PR: Okay, did you think it was hard to get involved in this research project due to Covid? Or was it still easy to, like, seek out.GR: I think it was easy to seek out them. It's important to make connections with your professors. So then they want to seek you out for these opportunities. And I was lucky enough to get a connection with one of my professors and she likes my work ethic. It was, it was not too hard for me.PR: You sound like you're definitely in a lot. Do you think Covid has Impacted your ability to get involved in the school system, or do you still think you're involved enough?GR: I think I'm involved in as much as I'd like to be, but I do think that it has affected it. I joined this semester, the nutrition science Association, and we haven't met in person at all. So, I don't know the other members. I don't know the president, it's kind of hard to do that stuff as well volunteering. I haven't been able to volunteer at many places that are accepting volunteers, because, and I need to do the same with shadowing. It's been hard to get shadowing and volunteering.PR: Did you ever look into getting a job the fall semester or was it just going to be too much?GR: I looked into getting a job I applied to a few places in Greenville, like, just maybe place grocery store and I didn't get any of them.PR: So kind of just that was your whole fall semester. If you looked at it as a whole, would you say ECU did a good job with their rules? And kind of what they did? I do know they sent freshman home, but I don't think that impacted you at all. But do you think ECU did a good job in the fall?GR: I think they did. There were a lot of cases in the beginning, and then they got all stricter with their rules and I think it kind of stopped so much of the cases. So, I can't think of anything that ECU should have done differently in the fall.PR: Yeah, so now for your 2nd semester, Did you end up having any in person classes for your 2nd semester?GR: No, I'm completely online again.PR: And how do you feel about that?GR:I still much rather be in person. Thought that it would be easier for me to learn that way.PR: Has there been any changes between your learning styles, or how your teachers are presenting information.GR: So, I have only 1 class that meets at a designated time with the Microsoft teams meetings, other than that all the other classes PowerPoints get posted and it's up to us.Read all through it, and just kind of do at your own pace.PR: You were saying earlier that you would have preferred teachers to have specific zoom times kind of back in March. Do you still agree with that when you come down to the 2nd semester that you wish all your professors had specific calls.GR: Yes, I think it's like the day is a more normal, like a more regular schedule. I'm a person that loves the schedule. So I appreciate knowing that every day. I'll have a class for a certain time.And then be able to engage with the professors more rather than back and forth email.PR: Do you think ECU should have required Um, all professors to have certain webexes or get specific on certain classes so big lecture courses that are. Specific and required for a major that ECU should require them to be.GR: Specific webexes I think it would be awesome if you did that. I know some of my classes. would have been a lot more helpful to see a professor and even hear and be able to ask questions like, live professors teaching. Um, I don't know if that should be required, but it definitely would be beneficial for a lot of classes, especially like health majors and anyone trying to go into that field. I think it'd be really help.PR: How do you think classes are going to look for you next year?GR: So, as of right now I'm signed up for all in person classes so I'm really hoping that we don't have any surprises this summer, and we're able to be on campus for class and in the classroom.PR: How would you feel if for some reason some of those classes went back online.GR: It would be disappointed. I feel like it's taking away from the quality of my education in some ways, I'm not asking as many questions as I normally would like, in a classroom setting and I'm not able to build strong connections with my professors and get to know more about their career in their field. See, what really I'm interested in.PR: Do you think that now next year you're going to be a junior; that juniors and seniors have first option to in person classes or do you think it should range throughout the entire school, because I know sometimes junior and senior year is when you get really close to finishing off your major.GR: I think it'd be awesome if they give priority to that. I think too, like a lot of freshmen.This year since they've never been to college before they're the ones not following all the Covid precautions and I think it'd be nice since we have been here before we're able to be in person.PR: How about your extracurriculars for next year? Do you still want to be part of club dance?GR: Yes, so I still will be a member for the club dance. Hopefully we'll be able to practice in person again with maybe less COVID restrictions, I also would love to be on the exec board for Piratethon again, this year Piratethon's big main event was all virtual online. So we didn't raise as much money as our goal. I'm hoping we'll be able to have that big event, even if everyone has to wear a mask, just to get more people and get more money raised for the foundation.PR: Yeah, and for club dance, have you had any, um competitions this year.GR: No, we haven't been able to do anything. We just practice at REC center spread out with masks. We participated in a homecoming skit but that was since it's all virtual, we were able to do it with our team wearing masks and small groups of 5 people. So, that's the only thing we've been able to do.PR: Do you think you're going to have any events or competitions next year?GR: I hope so, club sports lets us since the athletic department is able to have games. Like, I hope we'll be able to go to a competition and do more stuff in the community. Like, we were able to do last year.PR: Yeah, do you think that life is sort of getting back to normal somewhat for you.Um, or is it still kind of going back and forth between super strict restrictions and seeming not normal and sometimes seeming normal?GR: I think it's getting more normal.I think I think that's only because the fears gone, I think a lot of people were scared of them in the beginning. I know I was, I lived in more fear and now I'm scared of it anymore. It's not new. It's just not new and exciting anymore.So I think people are getting more lenient with the rules and restrictions, because they realize that something we could live with for a while. So kind of adjusting and returning to more normal actually.But there's still that, like, oh, this is weird. I can't touch this. I need to hand, Where's my mask is just kind of weird that our normal has been adjusted.PR: Yeah, do you think daily life around Greenville seems to be getting normal? Do you still see people in masks? Do you still hear about people trying to stay at home and quarantine?GR: So, I've seen a lot of people live life, just completely normal and Greenville going down to the big parties. And then there's also people on the other side of the spectrum that are leaving their apartment. And are not going outside.I think it really depends on the person and their friends and what they're involved with on campus.PR: Yeah, do you have anything. That is going to happen this summer that you're looking forward to that COVID might have impacted in any way.GR: So, I'm working at the same summer camp this upcoming summer that I worked at previously. And as of right now we were told that if we were fully vaccinated, we're able to go without cobit restrictions for Buddy groups. We'll still have to do daily screenings. So, I'm hoping that that will be more normal than last year, and that we'll be able to have a successful COVID, free summer again.PR: And you don't have to answer this if you don't want to. But have you gotten your COVID vaccine.GR: Yes, I've had the 1st so far, and I'm waiting to get my 2nd dose.PR: Would you recommend people to get the COVID vaccine? Especially college students.GR: Yes, I think it's, we don't really know the long term effects it's coded yet and I think it would be good just to get vaccinated to. It's just still so new and there's so much we don't know about coven. So I think it'd be a good idea.PR: Yeah, and just the last couple of questions and of course,if you don't feel like answering any of them,you don't have to we kind of touched on ECU's response but if there's anything else you wanted to add about, how ECU handled COVID,you could.GR: So. I think ECU did a good job emailing us when there's cluster outbreaks. I think that was very helpful to know. Just like, what people are at with COVID and how many people I like that we were updated a lot. I appreciate what ECU did for doing that.PR: And then just. If you had anything to say about North Carolina's response to COVID or the country's response to COVID, if you had anything on that that interests you or you thought positively of, or was it negative against anything?GR: I think it was awesome how quickly we, as a country. We're able to get a vaccine together. I was really excited to get my vaccine or something. I feel like everyone was waiting for it, for about 9 months to a year, and I was impressed with how fast sd were able to get a vaccine.PR: Yeah, well, I want to thank you for hopping on and kind of telling us about how Covid was in your life. Is there anything else that you would want to add? Well, Grace Regan, thank you again. And I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.GR: Thank you. you too.