One Year Later

UNC Asheville Remembers One Year Living with COVID-19

By UNC Asheville

March 8^th, 2021

On March 11, 2020, Chancellor Cable sent an email to campus announcing that due to concerns over the novel coronavirus, Spring Break would be extended a week, and once it ended classes would resume online. A week later, faculty and staff who were able to were encouraged to start working from home. At the time, we thought we might return to campus as normal in a few weeks.

That didn't happen.

One year later, we find ourselves marking a strange anniversary. We've faced struggles we never anticipated, dealt with illness and isolation, mourned the loss of family and friends, and the loss of our colleague, Officer James Hamilton.

But we've also learned how to meet challenges with creativity, resilience, and even joy. We've discovered we can create community even when we can't be together, and that we can teach and learn and grow even when we can't be in a classroom. We've confirmed what we already knew—that we are a thoughtful, caring community dedicated to helping one another and keeping each other safe. Whether it was an online class or a socially-distanced in-person event, we've worked together to keep going. We've made it work.

And so, on this strange one year anniversary we honor our resilience, remember those we've lost, and continue to look forward to the year ahead, whatever lies ahead.

Together, we learned to weather the storm.

Going Online

Classes, meetings, even the Faculty and Staff Zumba session made a quick pivot from in-person to online so the work of the University could continue, even while we were on Stay Home Stay Safe precautions.

Bringing the Bulldogs Back

The now-familiar directional signs, social distancing set ups and sneeze-guards were installed by the tireless Campus Operations crew over the summer of 2020 in preparation for in-person classes and campus activities resuming in the fall.

At last we were able to welcome students back to campus, with staggered early move-in days bringing students safely to their residence hall homes.

Things looked different for Rockypalooza and Weeks of Welcome, but we welcomed students with fun, games, and balloons all the same.

After canceled games, seasons and championships, Bulldog Athletics resumed with COVID protections in place so coaches, staff and student athletes could all safely practice and play.

In the midst of the trials of the pandemic, our students leaders brought the campus community together to march in support of Black lives.

Student Health Ambassadors

Campus benefited enormously from the help of teams of Student Health Ambassadors in both the fall of 2020 and spring 2021. Throughout the fall semester, 45 Student Health Ambassadors contributed to the campus experience, encouraged community expectations during COVID, and found ways to connect with fellow students, from text messages during quarantine and pen pal programs with regional universities to steps they could take toward health and wellness and virtual visits around the world. That work continues this spring.

In the fall student and faculty performers lifted spirits with outdoor Live at Lunch concerts on the Quad.

The Dance, Music and Theatre Departments found creative ways to safely bring the performing arts to campus.

One of UNC Asheville's favorite traditions, Turning of the Maples, was celebrated with individually-wrapped cookies and socially-distanced music on the Quad, and with the first-ever Turning of the Maples 5K, a virtual fun-run.

UNC Asheville's Homecoming tradition went virtual, as well. Spirit Week moved onto social media, cheering for the Bulldogs took place in front of our own TVs or computer screens tuned to ESPN+, and we toasted our National Alumni Awards recipients via Zoom.

COVID-safe student activities happened on campus as well, including a virtual scavenger hunt, canned food drive, a sticker design contest, and the perennial favorite, Bulldog Big Wheel Race.

Our most treasured tradition, of course, is Commencement. We've celebrated two Commencement ceremonies virtually now, with videos, socially-distanced diploma hand-offs with Chancellor Cable and Provost Campbell, and virtual events to mark the graduation of our students.

Spring 2020 Commencement Video

Fall 2020 Commencement Video

Spring 2021 brought warmer weather, longer days, a hope, as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began. UNC Asheville teamed up with MAHEC to bring a vaccination clinic to campus, transforming the Reuter Center and expanding the campus’ commitment of care and compassion beyond the classrooms.

And of course, throughout everything, classes kept going—whether that meant meeting online, masking up and sitting at six-feet-apart desks, or even having class outside. All year long, we kept learning.