A virtual senior send-off

The recent turn of events with the COVID-19 virus that has taken the world and the students here at Bloomsburg by storm has led to classes being moved online for the rest of the semester. For many students this is sad and frustrating, but especially for those of us who are seniors.

I transferred to Bloomsburg in August 2018 after completing my associate degree at Luzerne County Community College. After two years of online classes, I was ready to experience college campus for the first time as a commuter. Since then, I’ve made many connections and taken advantage of the great opportunities Bloomsburg had to offer.

I’ve attended two Husky Leadership Summits, the Career Intensive Boot Camp, and numerous presentations on campus. I’ve presented at the College of Liberal Arts Symposium, won the Howard Schreier Award for Top Scholarship in Communication Studies, and have been inducted in the Lambda Phi Eta Honors Society. I’ve written for our student publications, The Voice and BUnow and now BU's Office of Marketing and Communications. And I’ve had a good amount of Chic-fil-A.

Bloomsburg University is another victim of coronavirus. This early closing feels like premature finish to my college career. As a commuter, I left campus shortly after the beginning of spring break and didn’t have a chance to bid farewell to anyone. Scrolling through social media feed is also disheartening, as many seniors bid farewell and university accounts congratulate seniors.

It is still to be determined if there will be a graduation ceremony. At this moment a large gathering of people in one area is what a virus would thrive on. It’s an all-around tragic turn of events but given recent reports of current cases of coronavirus victims in PA, could have been more tragic. Perhaps many of this year’s seniors will return as alumni sooner rather than later, due to the virus robbing us of our last few months on campus. I know for myself I would like to return for at least a brief visit. Thankfully, I’m also a local commuter, and it will be easier for me. Hopefully there will be some more silver linings to these bleak, unprecedented times.

— Gabriel Miller, senior communication studies major