By Erica Gustafson, Staff Writer
Last Friday, Oct. 30, St. Bonaventure University announced that there were five new positive COVID-19 tests registered among students on campus. These results brought the university’s total number of positive cases to 22 in the fall semester. The university has moved the students with positive results into quarantine to protect themselves and others around them from contracting the virus.
Just like other colleges and universities across the nation, the Bonaventure community has been preparing as best they can for the possibility of an outbreak. Bonaventure’s chief communications officer, Tom Missel, stated in a story for WIVB, “Everyone at every college in America sits around crossing their fingers hoping they don’t have an outbreak and we’ve been very fortunate so far, so we have this mini outbreak that we’re dealing with at the moment, but we knew it was inevitable.”
Even with this “mini outbreak,” and trying to keep up with all of the protocols and safety precautions, St. Bonaventure University’s professors and students are diligently working through their courses. In-person, hybrid and online courses make up the schedules of graduates and undergraduates attending this fall.
Last Friday was also the 50th day of classes at Bonaventure. Students only have 15 more days of in-person classes before Thanksgiving and then students transition to online classes and finals for the end of the semester. This is not as much time left as many would see it, but it can be hard for college students to concentrate during this time.
Students have been pushing themselves straight through this semester with a constant stream of lectures, exams, presentations, projects and other course related work that takes up a large amount of time and energy. The workload makes it difficult at times to concentrate on work that needs to be done each week.
It may be hard at times to push yourself to complete work for your courses, but that could also be a result of personal stress and a lack of personal “me time” that affects how you motivate yourself.
Oxford Royale Academy published an article in June of 2017 that talks about specific things that can help a student stay focused in class. Though this was a few years ago, I think that some of these tips are still very relevant for today’s education.
The first way to stay focused is to stay hydrated and rested. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever that people across the nation are focusing on their health by thinking about their work. This is the same way with students in U.S. colleges and universities. If college students dismiss the importance of their physical and mental health, they will be nowhere near able to focus in an educational environment.
Another completely relevant way is to immerse yourself in the class discussion and think of questions. This is not the easiest thing to do with a subject that you are not interested in, but it is a technique that can help you retain information or spark a possible interest. In questioning information discussed in class, students are more likely to remember what was talked about and retain new information they heard.
The semester is going to move along whether students are ready or not. It would be easier for all students and educators if we all continue to stay focused and work through the new challenges brought up daily.
gustafea18@bonaventure.edu
