Meaningful Moments: On-Campus Students Make Most of Quarantine

When ORU Administration made the difficult decision to hold the remainder of the school’s spring 2020 semester virtually, the majority of students were already with their families for spring break.

But not all of them. Some remained on campus, a cohort of students who, for various reasons, needed to quarantine in the residence halls.

“I'm doing very well and I felt very prepared,” said Benjamin Kosanke, a junior Public Relations and Advertising major. “Everything lined up well and I am in the best and safest place, the ORU campus, I could possibly be in the middle of this crisis.”

As one can imagine, the ORU campus during quarantine takes on a very different hue than normal, especially since many buildings such as the GC/LRC, The Hammer Center, the AC, and Christ’s Chapel have been closed for safety reasons. But the quieter, more relaxed environment has been welcomed by many of the on-campus residents.

“I have more time to do the things I enjoy, like doing art, taking pictures, listening to music,” said Alejandro Castro, a senior Graphic Design major from Guatemala. “Social restriction is not a big deal for me because I am very introverted and a little antisocial.”

Kosanke agrees. “I've been becoming more and more introverted, which has allowed me to read and do a lot of self-directed learning. It’s been amazing.”

“This and last semester, I've neglected my mental health,” said junior Francine Orlean, a Psychology and Sociology major. “This forced isolation allows me to tend to my needs. I've needed alone time; quarantine helped me get that time.”

“And I wash my hands a whole lot now!” she added.

This doesn’t mean everyone’s been spending all their time indoors. When she isn’t in her virtual class, Senior Psychology student Sarah Spencer has taken advantage of the campus’s natural beauty.

“I have been trying to spend as much time outdoors as I can instead of being cooped up by myself in my room,” she said. “When the weather's nice, I'll go to the Prayer Garden, or I'll go on a run around campus.”

“I like to catch up and check on my family and friends by internet, phone calls, and taking time to do simple new things I haven’t done before,” said Salbador Salamanca-Herrera, a sophomore Nursing student from Mexico.

And, of course, this being ORU, many of the remaining students are purposefully using this time to improve their spiritual lives.

“An unexpected blessing [of quarantine] has definitely been the opportunity to seek the Lord through prayer and immersion in His word with no distraction or excuse,” said Polly Tjihenuna, a junior Sociology major from Namibia. “Through doing so, I am filled with so much peace in the midst of the panic and am able to intercede alongside many others against this pandemic with no pressing pressure of having to be anywhere else.”

Junior Nya Rundial, who is majoring in Social Work, has felt the same way. “The most meaningful thing that's happened to me since the pandemic began,” she said, “is being encouraged everyday through prayer and taking communion every day.”

“It is a reflective time and I am seeing the value of true rest in the midst of chaos,” said Tjihenuna. “Many have said this, but I agree that we have to take this opportunity of sudden halt to seek the Lord. Without a shadow of doubt, moments spent with God during this time have been the most meaningful.”