As we're quickly approaching June, it has been very promising to read about all of the suburbs who plan to start opening up retail stores and outdoor seating for restaurants throughout Illinois. While these steps are giving us a glimpse of our new, hopeful, 'normal' future, I find them to be especially concerning. If you live in Chicago, you may have heard that Lori Lightfoot is not planning to open the city on May 29–as many other suburbs have decided to. While Lightfoot is hopeful that Chicagoans can slowly begin to reopen businesses during the month of June, I'm still left with one major question - will schools plan to reopen in the fall?
Along with most people, I would love nothing more than to sit outside at a restaurant or bar with a drink in hand and enjoy the beautiful summer heat. However, I am not necessarily optimistic that it will happen. I have begun to think more about the safety concerns that will follow these actions over my cravings of a normal life. More specifically, I have been thinking ahead to my senior year at DePaul University and am wondering if I will be walking the halls of 14 East Jackson in just a few short months.
I would love nothing more than to return to an old sense of normalcy and engage with in-person learning in the classroom. Despite this, the thought of sitting in a room or elevator crowded with people has me feeling very conflicted–even though I assume we will be required to wear masks and social distance if we do return to classes on campus.
I never thought I would say that I miss waking up for a 10 a.m. class in the loop, yet, here I am. Still, I can't say that I am particularly eager to jump back into this routine due to health and safety concerns. In my opinion, I believe it would be smarter if schools did another semester of online learning, despite how much I've come to dislike it.
With healthcare professionals saying that we should anticipate another spike of COVID-19 when the weather begins to change again, I worry for my safety and the safety of others - especially if we are going to be at risk of coming into contact with large numbers of students on a daily basis. I would very much love to have a normal school routine again, but I do not want it to be at the cost of my health, the health of my family members and friends, and the health of other students. I will continue to wonder what DePaul has in store for us in the upcoming school year. I can only hope they continue to make the right decisions and follow a protocol of whatever will best benefit the health of its students and faculty.
