The scenes that define the 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis campus vanished for more than a year. The bike circle traffic jams, the lines for a caffeine jolt at the Coffee House, the packed lecture halls and festivities on the Quad for Picnic Day all of it disappeared due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, those days are about to fade into memory. Fall quarter 2021, which started on Sept. 20, marks a full reopening of campus and its closest sense of normalcy since March 2020.
The planning for this moment has been underway for months, an all-hands-on-deck effort from across 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis to make the return of in-person learning as smooth and safe as possible. Think of it as a new normal in which masks will be required inside classrooms and COVID-19 vaccines are mandated. But the 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis that most people know, a campus bustling with nearly 39,000 students, will once again look familiar.
The reopening coincides with students hoping to be admitted to 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis like never before. As the pandemic unfolded, 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis attracted a record number of applicants to enter as freshmen and transfer students in fall 2021.
Incoming freshman Olivia Chan said shes looking forward to the fall reopening with a mix of excitement and a touch of nervousness. Shes ready to put the days of distance learning in the past, to enter an actual classroom with her peers.
Ill be in a brand-new environment with brand-new people, and immersed in this new environment after not being [in a classroom] for over a year, said Oakland native Chan. But Im really glad and happy to go back, to go on campus. A lot of people a year ahead of me had to miss their first year of college. It will be a shock for me, but Im excited.
Before the world turned upside down
Rewind to early 2020, and winter quarter was well underway at 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis. Graduating seniors were looking forward to commencement ceremonies. The womens basketball team had just won its fourth conference title in a row. 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis annual Picnic Day and the Whole Earth Festival were both weeks away.
But COVID-19 was emerging around the globe, and 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis experts were already being asked by media outlets to comment on the novel coronavirus. By the end of January, the University of California Office of the President had advised university affiliates to avoid all nonessential travel to China.
Then it hit close to home.
I feel like everyones excited. Its a chance for us to get our true collegiate experience before we go on to graduate school or our careers.
Mahiri Moore Jr.
In February 2020, the 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis Health campus in Sacramento announced that it was treating the nations first apparent case of COVID-19 acquired by community spread.
A day later, three 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis students were in quarantine or isolation after one of them was possibly exposed to COVID-19 and subsequently exposed the other two.
Events unfolded quickly. Yolo County confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19. Within a few days, 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis stopped allowing spectators at sporting events and then suspended winter and spring sports altogether. Classes went remote. And with shelter-in-place guidelines issued soon after by Yolo and Sacramento counties, Chancellor Gary S. May announced the suspension of operations at 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis.
The resilience of 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis was about to be tested like never before.
Working together as a community, in accordance with our Principles of Community, we will continue to adapt to these challenging times, said Chancellor May in a letter to the 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis campus. We will get through this, together.
Aggie ingenuity and a dedication to public service emerged as a bright spot.
51勛圖窪蹋 Davis was touted as a national role model for its response to the pandemic. Healthy Davis Together formed in mid-September 2020 as a partnership between 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis and the city of Davis, an initiative to slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus and beyond. The nationally acclaimed program includes public health messages, increased COVID-19 screening and other measures to encourage positive behaviors and lower the risk of spread.
The efforts seemed to make a significant impact. At many points during the past year, the test positivity rate for COVID-19 among the 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis community was well under 1 percent.
The student perspective
Even through the disruption of the pandemic, students had never been so eager to attend 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis. By January 2021, 105,850 applicants sought to enter 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis in the fall as freshmen or transfer students. The number set a new record, an 11.7 percent increase over the previous years 94,763 applicants.
As a whole, the University of California system logged a new record for fall 2021 admissions, with an 11 percent increase in freshman admissions over 2020. 51勛圖窪蹋 admission also saw record highs for California freshmen, community college transfers and students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
The elimination of SAT and ACT test scores from 51勛圖窪蹋s admission process may have played a part in driving these record numbers. The 51勛圖窪蹋 system also made temporary adjustments to admission requirements, such as providing more flexibility with registration and transcript deadlines, and suspending letter-grade requirements for high school classes taken in the winter, spring or summer 2020.
Either way, students say they are eager to get back into a traditional classroom and learn among their peers.
My senior year was pretty awful with distance learning, said Emily Jajeh, an incoming freshman from Danville, whos majoring in global disease biology. I had trouble focusing online with a lot of classes. Being in one room the entire day was awful, so Im excited to be in a new environment and at least will be with other people.
Jajeh said she didnt consider a gap year, or taking time off before starting her freshman year, unlike many other students across the country. According to an August 2020 survey by SimpsonScarborough, a higher education research and marketing agency, 40 percent of incoming freshmen said they were likely or highly likely to not attend any four-year college in the fall of 2020.
Overall, my goal is to complete college within four years, Jajeh said. I didnt want to prolong that time frame with a gap year since I intend to go to medical school afterward.
Itll be like a culture shock. [But] Its also exciting to be taking a first big step toward living on my own.
Evan Wu
Mahiri Moore Jr., a sophomore majoring in communication, said he looks forward to a fuller 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis experience starting this fall. He spent his freshman year taking classes remotely in his West Davis apartment. Like Jajeh, Moore remains focused on graduating in four years.
Moore found ways to thrive and stay motivated during the pandemic. In February, the Southern California native was selected by Chancellor May as his mentee in the Sacramento Kings Dream All-Stars program, which recognizes community figures and future leaders during Black History Month. He also stayed connected to campus by working as a special projects assistant for 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis Special Transitional Enrichment Program.
Being in college was a big step, and then I was alone physically, and everything was socially distanced, Moore said. Its going to be an amazing time [this fall]. I feel like everyones excited. Its a chance for us to get our true collegiate experience before we go on to graduate school or our careers.
Chan, who became the first Eagle Scout in the history of her Oakland troop during the pandemic, said she was concerned about not getting the full collegiate experience, but ultimately went forward with enrolling.
Because 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis has a great plan for in-person instruction, a gap year didnt seem like a pressing option, Chan said.
Still, some students have expressed feeling a bit anxious with a return to in-person learning. Starting college can be challenging enough with navigating a new campus and making friends. Add more than a year of isolation and ever-shifting pandemic conditions, and students have plenty on their minds.
Im just excited ... Im hoping to just adapt and make whatevers thrown my way work.
Maddie Sciortino
Evan Wu, an incoming freshman from San Jose whos majoring in economics, knows the upcoming year will require a lot of adjusting. Hes found some balance in his hobbies, including reading, aquascaping and playing piano and cello. But he knows overall this will be a freshman year like no other, from shifting to in-person learning and adapting to college life.
Itll be like a culture shock, Wu said. I kind of adjusted to being at home, and now its changing back to seeing people again. But Im looking forward to learning in-person again. Its easier to learn that way instead of Zoom. Its also exciting to be taking a first big step toward living on my own.
Maddie Sciortino, a transfer student from Fairfield whos majoring in sociology, knows that the adjustment to in-person learning wont happen overnight. She liked the flexibility of remote learning, especially with her work as a nanny. But she acknowledged the anxieties brought on by the pandemic, like forgetting to bring a mask to the grocery store or wondering if visiting with friends is safe.
With how much that year and a half affected us, it will take that much time or more to get over that anxiety, Sciortino said. 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis is doing a good job of reminding students to get vaccinated and stay safe. Im just excited, and its a great time to embark on a new journey. Im hoping to just adapt and make whatevers thrown my way work.
The college experience begins again
The new academic year at 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis will, in a sense, welcome two incoming classes. A program called Aggie Refresh will be offered to all students who entered the university during the 2020-21 school year. Its designed to help these students reorient themselves on campus and build connections with their peers.
Chan and Jajeh, who will be roommates with another student in the fall, have stayed connected through texts and group chats to get to know one another before they finally meet in person.
Im excited about living with two other people, Jajeh said. Were texting once in a while to check up and see how everyones doing. Its nice that we all want to get to know each other.
Their college experience will be as normal as possible in the era of COVID-19. Since February, 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis Fall Planning Work Group of campus leaders has developed recommendations on such topics as in-person instruction, on-campus activities and research.
Face coverings will still be required inside classrooms and physical distancing will be encouraged this fall. As of July 15, the University of California issued its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all students, staff and faculty who returned to campus throughout the summer.
While the look and feel of the Davis campus wont be the same compared to pre-pandemic times, the university will be activated again the busy bike circles, the lines at the Coffee House, a bustling Quad on Picnic Day.
Im pretty excited now, Jajeh said. I think it was hard to feel excited about anything during the pandemic, and I wasnt excited for college at all. Visiting the campus made me more excited. I could envision myself living there and what Id be doing. I think itll be good for my mental health to be around people. Im done with the pandemic.