Growing up, I had a pretty set idea of what college parties would be like. All the wild nights I saw in TV shows and movies made me increasingly excited for this next chapter of my life. Watching kids packed into fraternity and sorority houses while they danced with their new best friends, not a care in the world. I knew I wanted to experience this when I finally got to college.
Now when I picture college parties — I should probably stop calling them “college parties” at this point — instead of people, COVID-19 particles are dancing around, and best friends are replaced by random students I have no strong attachment to. Despite my vaccination, this thought leaves me with little desire to risk infection by going to a big party like the ones I envisioned.
In Lane County there were 11 COVID-19-caused deaths and 394 cases of the virus from Sept. 5-7, according to The Register Guard. As of Sept. 7, there were seven available ICU beds and a 20% increase in hospitalized patients.
This information, coupled with the statewide outdoor mask mandate due to what Oregon Gov. Kate Brown called “a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic,” gives me, as well as other freshmen, little confidence in partying, social interaction and general UO involvement.
UO’s class of 2025 has become accustomed to staying in on a Friday night and missing out on the “normal” experiences others had before us. In fact, many incoming freshmen have only just begun experiencing what an independent night out with friends is like.
Pre-COVID-19, only some of us even had driver’s licenses. We were still largely under the control of our parents and spent most of our time studying for the SAT. Since then, we’ve only known a fraction of what the freedom high school senior year and beyond should have brought us.
Freshmen lost out on crucial, formative time to practice interpersonal skills — which is more important than many realize. Forming relationships with peers and mentors is what college is all about, and lays the foundation of connections for future projects and careers. Without much practice in high school, we could be left at a serious disadvantage. We also didn’t end high school in the traditional way — alongside our friends and ready to move on. Our lives were put on hold in an awkward place, one that left little room for closure.
This left us in much more of a dramatic in-between stage, where partying and participating in co-curricular activities with people we either don’t know or have known for a mere few days is not super appealing. And, because we’re all so used to staying inside, the motivation to meet people — and subsequently join activities with them — is much lower than it probably was before.
Earlier this year, Ohio State University published a study that examined a possible direct connection between a student’s involvement in college, with activities such as Greek life, student employment and organizations and community service, and career opportunities for that student.
“Highly-involved students were three times more likely to be considered for the job by employers [surveyed in the study] than the uninvolved,” the report said. “Highly-involved students were 18% more career ready than the other students.”
The research also found that moderately-involved students’ have increased chances to be seen as career-ready — though highly-involved students were considered the most career-ready.
Beyond career advantages, involvement is also shown to benefit students’ enjoyment of their college experience. According to the 2018-2019 Ohio State Graduation Survey, students who were involved in at least one co-curricular activity were 2.1 times more likely to be satisfied with their overall experience at school.
While I don’t often find myself agreeing with the Buckeyes, the research makes sense. Involvement in college is crucial to meeting people and exploring new and existing passions. However, this year comes with some valid concerns and unusual obstacles. While mask mandates are in place, and the large majority of UO students have been fully vaccinated, the pandemic is still far from over. The lingering social and habitual effects of COVID-19 aren’t going away anytime soon.
So, as the 2021-2022 school year begins, students must adapt to make the most out of in-person experiences. If you’re not comfortable going to the first few big parties of the year, that’s perfectly fine. But don’t let that stop you from involving yourself in the UO community. Try out some small, outdoor events, club meetings or, yes, parties, and trust that everyone else has had one hell of a year-and-a-half, too.