Students sitting in Student Center South on the first day of classes.| Haya Panjwani/The Cougar
Students, professors and staff alike are on the verge of a school year like no other.
With varied class formats, a new environment for some and differing views on issues like masking and vaccines, the UH community is coming back to campus after over a year.
While incoming freshmen will be coming to the University with a fresh start on campus, last year some sophomores began their college career remotely.
Sahir Moosani, a supply chain management and finance sophomore, is excited to be on campus.
“This is the first year that I will be coming in person,” Moosani said. “I’m excited to start college life but at the same time, I’m scared because I haven’t done it in person before at UH.”
Although he’s worried about COVID-19 and the rising concerns around the delta variant, he’s also concerned about adjusting to in-person learning.
“I’m worried about adjusting to college life after the first year was all online,” Moosani said. “I didn’t have to worry about going to campus or commuting from Sugar Land so I guess I’m worried about that the most.”
Mia Shippey, a media production junior shares similar sentiments.
“Obviously this past year or so I don’t believe I have got the college experience, but I’m currently hoping to make up for lost time,” Shippey said. “I think doing my major classes and being with my peers is what’s most important.”
The school’s approach on COVID-19 policies has changed a few times during the summer, but Shippey thinks their current policy works.
“I think the school has a good approach toward COVID-19,” Shippey said. “All of my professors have been super aware of the situation. I can tell they always have the students’ best interests in mind.”
Nevertheless, some students are worried about the variant affecting the rest of the school year.
“It’s still a risk to go in person,” Moosani said. “I wish they made it all online this year but at the same time, being on campus is going to be a different experiment. If it gets worse, they should move it all online as soon as possible.”
Pharmacy student Pooja Gupta is hopeful for what the semester will bring, despite the looming threat of COVID-19.
“I feel excited to go back and have a mixture of in-person and online classes,” Gupta said. “I’m excited about us slowly going back to normal, but still taking necessary precautionary measures.”
Gupta was worried about how the new delta variant that’s sweeping through Texas will affect students’ education. The COVID-19 delta variant, a more contagious variant, is ripping through Texas with over 10,000 infected daily.
In response to the current public health conditions in the area, the University granted professors the discretion to hold classes in the format they see fit.
“I think UH is doing an incredible job at taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by allowing students accessibility to testing centers on campus while maintaining guidelines enforced by the CDC,” Gupta said. “I believe I’m getting a good college experience even though we’re in a pandemic.”
