What Does Liberty Look Like Amid COVID-19?

Sep 22, 2020 • Rachel F.

To say that life on campus is a little bit different from normal would be an understatement. From dining to residence life to academics, campus life looks different in a lot of ways. Regardless of the changes, Liberty University continually strives for a sense of normalcy for students while still being dedicated to maintaining a safe environment.

So what does Liberty look like amid COVID-19? Well, first and foremost, you are to wear your face covering in all campus buildings and outside when social distancing cannot be maintained. The mask policy is strictly enforced, so you never want to forget your mask before leaving for class so that you aren’t late. At every corner you turn, there is a hand sanitizer station, and elevators are limited to four people at a time.

Dining

For dining, depending on where you choose to eat, lines typically extend outdoors because of social distancing, and with limited seating available, you’ll likely take your food to go. Surfaces are cleaned thoroughly throughout the day, and self-serve options are monitored by an attendant. To make things easier, Liberty dining has partnered with Grubhub so students can order ahead and skip the line to get their food in a timely manner, while also reducing the number of students congregating in one area.

Residence Life

Living on campus means stricter guidelines put in place within residence halls, such as face masks in all official group gatherings, and students are encouraged to wear them when in close proximity to others on their hall. Visitors are not allowed inside any of the residence halls, including students from others residence halls, off-campus students, and guests. High-traffic areas are sanitized frequently, while common areas have decreased seating.

Academics

When it comes to academics, classes are different, but the education remains excellent. At the beginning of each day when you start class, you fill out a form regarding whether or not you are showing symptoms of COVID-19. For some courses, you may find yourself face-to-face in the classroom or on your computer using Microsoft Teams – some courses have a mix of both.

Spiritual Life 

Convocation is now watched from your computer rather than a seat in the Vines Center, but the speakers still remain just as thought-provoking and inspiring. In accordance with guidelines for religious gatherings, Campus Community is still held in person at Williams Stadium with a 6-foot distance between each seat.

Here at Liberty, we have been blessed with the opportunity to be back on campus. It is evident leadership and staff are doing everything they can to keep us as safe as possible so we can continue to stay on campus. It’s important that we all work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 campus. To help, students are asked to stay home if they are sick, disinfect common areas they use, wash their hands, and wear a face covering when social distancing isn’t possible.