By Cheyenne L. Miller
March 26, 2021

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Genesee Community College made the decision to switch almost all their in-person classes to remote. This switch alone has made quite an impact on all GCC students; however, that is not the only big decision GCC has made for their students this academic year.

To protect GCC’s students who reside in the College Village, just down the hill from campus, new rules have been put in place. One change that was made includes the design of some dorm rooms. To better prevent the spread of germs, there are no longer any shared bedrooms. Every student is given his or her own private bedroom. Students are also asked and expected to wear a face mask in public. Although those changes may seem to have very little impact on the students, the biggest change has to do with their behavior and the limits to some activities. Students are prohibited from welcoming any guests into their own building or dorm room.

Second year student at GCC, Brooke Woodard is a returning resident at College Village. She said that the changes made at College Village in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected her as a student living on campus. Woodard is understanding. “It does suck a little that we can’t have people from other buildings in our dorms,” she said, “but it is a good idea, in case one of your roommates ends up having COVID and gives it to someone from a different building because then it can put a lot of people at risk.”

Although Woodard supports the precautions set in place for the students’ safety, she also acknowledges that these policies may have had a negative effect on her academics and even her social life. “Last year I had pretty good grades and enjoyed being able to meet new people in class and do fun activities, but this year I’ve been struggling due to everything being online because I feel like it’s harder for me to get full help since they can’t fully see what I’m doing,” Woodard said. “Plus it’s made me feel a bit challenging trying to interact with people face-to-face.”

Social activities also affect students “What I miss the most are the events we used to do in the Student Union, like the Boo Ball and when we got to do tie dye,” said Woodard. She even has some possible solutions to include students in fun activities that also adhere to all COVID-19 safety procedures. “Some activities that might be fun over zoom would maybe be yoga, a baking contest, dorm scavenger hunt, or a painting class,” she said.

GCC has been putting forth the effort in making College Village a safe place during these difficult times, and GCC is trying to create social activities for all students. Every Sunday, Miguel Baique from the Office of Student Engagement & Inclusion emails all students, staff, and faculty the “G-dub Chronicles” that highlights events for students. For instance, during the last couple of weeks, students were able to participate in a bingo night, a movie night, exercise events, paint night, and a Jeopardy night. Information for all these events and future events are on the Student Engagement & Inclusion webpage (https://www.genesee.edu/home/campus-life/student-engagement-and-inclusion/newsletter/) or in each student’s Gmail inbox every week!