A makeshift gym in a neighbor’s garage, an expanding collection of house plants, and a new outlook on a sudden change. Students have adapted to the worldwide pandemic that has created a semester at Brown University like no other.
COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS have created a world of online learning, Zoom meetings, and significantly reduced interpersonal interaction. While these unprecedented times have caused great difficulty, students in the Brown
School of Public Health have found unique coping strategies and inspiring sources of positivity.
In the spring, COVID-19 restrictions caused an abrupt change at universities across the country. Since then, U.S. colleges have had to adapt to online learning and socially distanced campuses. In this new format, Brown University students have abided by the University’s Healthy Brown policies. Students in the School of Public Health, in particular, understand the impact of the pandemic and its effect on population health. Because they are invested in the topic, public health students see the pandemic through a critical lens. However, maintaining safety practices during a pandemic, while working toward an advanced degree, comes with costs. We reached out to current public health students to ask how COVID-19 restrictions have impacted their lives, and to learn their methods for coping.
Zoom Fatigue
Several current students described decreases in productivity and trouble focusing while watching a screen for hours on end; a concept increasingly referred to as ‘Zoom fatigue.’ This disconnected feeling is compounded by fewer interactions with peers, TAs, and professors, which often negatively influences comprehension of course materials. Many students voiced feelings of loneliness and a lack of camaraderie in the absence of social connections. Despite seeing others on video calls, the technological separation can cause awkward silences, voice delays resulting in interruption, and a lack of body language. We’ve grown familiar with the embarrassment of forgetting to mute oneself or the wild hand gesture pointed a one’s ears that is associated with a glitching microphone. While many students agree that this time of disconnect has created a general lack of self-accountability and feelings of isolation, the Brown School of Public Health community is meeting these challenges with resilience.
Finding Balance
Last spring when Ma. Irene Quilantang, an SCM student in Global Public Health, suddenly had to shift to online learning, it was a struggle. The shift forced the blending of her personal and work life. When she lost the ability to study and work in an environment separate from personal life, Irene sought to combat this by reorganizing her apartment to create ‘work-only’ and ‘no-work’ spaces and times. Quilantang also goes for long (socially distant) walks to recharge and explains that it “has also allowed me to explore Providence more and discover interesting parts of the city.” Irene also searches for free mini libraries in Providence while on her walks. This clever idea is one of the many ways in which Brown School of Public Health students have adapted during a time of quarantine and online learning.