Point Park freshmen move in for unusual college experience during pandemic

Kristy Thomson drove more than 16 hours from Winfield, Kansas, to help her son move Tuesday into a Point Park University dormitory. For a little peace of mind, she stocked him up with face masks and hand sanitizer.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “I can’t believe we’re going through all of this stuff.”

Point Park University students are moving onto campus this week, using a modified system that is meant to minimize contact.

Freshmen move-in took place over three days, from Sunday to Tuesday.

Returning students will move in from Thursday to Saturday.

While staff and volunteers normally take an active role in carrying students’ belongings into buildings, that wasn’t the case this year, said Keith Paylo, vice president of Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Students were provided large bins to help wheel their things into buildings, and were allowed two guests to assist them with the process. Bins were sanitized between uses.

“A little bit different from normal,” Paylo said. “We’re taking all the precautions that we possibly can in order to keep everybody safe and healthy.”

The return to Point Park’s campus comes after a turbulent week in higher education, when many institutions around the country reversed or delayed their plans for in-person learning. Locally, the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University each pushed the start of in-person classes to September.

But the mood in the parking lot behind Point Park’s Student Center was generally optimistic. Administrators said they’re confident in the university’s Hyflex plan — a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual instruction. Students have the option to remain fully online for the semester.

“We feel good about it,” said Paul Hennigan, Point Park’s president. “ Students are very happy to be here. Parents are very happy for their students to be here, and they’re very appreciative of all the work that’s gone into trying to make this as safe as possible.”

Hennigan said administrators will monitor case numbers at neighboring universities and within the community, as well as on campus, when making decisions for Point Park. Still, he said, the fate of the semester will depend on how well students follow restrictions. It’s a message he said the university is repeatedly “drilling” into students.

“I think we’re at the point now where it’s going to be up to student behavior,” Hennigan said. “I think a lot of times when students go to college, they think it’s complete freedom and you can do whatever you want, which is not really true normally — it’s certainly not true now. We’re just trying to emphasize the social responsibility.”

Paylo said instructions and restrictions related to covid-19 will be worked into the regularly scheduled freshman orientation, which will take place Wednesday. Until then, students have been given information about mask-wearing, social distancing and other guidelines.

Rhyan Anderson, 18, was moving into her dorm Tuesday after traveling from Warren, Ohio. She said she was comfortable with how the university handled move-in day and the return to campus, in general — though it’s “definitely different” from what she’d planned for her first college experience.

Anderson said one of her classes has already been moved to 100% remote learning. She’ll start the academic year next week from her dorm room.

Another freshman student, Anisha Delarber, said she was feeling positive about the school year. She said she is starting the year on campus and will stay completely remote after the Thanksgiving holiday break.

“I feel like it’s going to be more of an adventure and a learning experience for everybody,” Delarber said.

Some apprehension is impossible to avoid, Paylo said.

“Be flexible, without a doubt. Things are going to, possibly, change very quickly,” he said. “Flexibility is a key. Patience is a key. They are embarking on something that we’ve never had to do before.”