Fellow Students,
I hope that everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer. We are in very strange times due to COVID-19. Moving to remote instruction over Zoom and take-home exams this spring was certainly strange for me, and I am sure it was not easy for many of us. However, every class I was a member of went smoothly, every professor I spoke with said that their classes were going well, and every student I spoke to told me they were making the necessary adjustments. We all managed to finish one of the stranger semesters the College of Law has ever seen, and that was already a great step in the right direction. I want to thank everyone – professors, students, and staff – for their hard work making the best out of the situation.
Now is the time that many of us have been waiting for: a return to normalcy. But what does this new normal look like? I have had many conversations with members of our community regarding looking forward to getting back to as close to normal as we can as soon as we can, but this must be done safely for the good of ourselves, as well as everyone around us.
Accountability is key. Of course, I cannot imagine any of us want to get sick ourselves, but none of us is an island. Many of our colleagues on the hill have families. Those family members may be elderly. Some have immunocompromised loved ones. Some have family essential to the continued successful operation of their communities and states. Aside from ourselves, these are the people we need to keep healthy.
We are a tight knit community at the College of Law. It is one of the reasons I chose this law school to begin with. In addition to being close socially, we are literally close to each other physically. Because of this closeness and accountability, we must do everything we can to ensure that infection rates do not rise on the hill. We must do our best to ensure that the class of 2023 can have a great first year at the law school. We must do this so that we can continue to study law as effectively as possible. We must do this so that we can keep the clinics—which are vital to many of our indigent neighbors – operational. We must do this to protect our colleagues.
Please keep abreast of this website for law school information and WVU's Return to Campus website for WVU information. There will be regular updates. For now, we know that there are a few things we should already
be aware of:
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First, we will all be tested for COVID-19 before returning to class.
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Second, classroom density will be reduced.
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Third, we must complete a COVID-19 educational module before returning to campus (this is forthcoming).
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Fourth, we will be wearing masks on campus.
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Fifth, we will not return to campus following Thanksgiving break.
I know that some of these things may bother some of you. I will gladly admit I do not enjoy wearing a mask for extended periods of time. However, please do not think of this as a burden. Think of it as an easy opportunity to do something kind for your colleagues. Some of us may not like getting tested. Remember, it is not just for yourself, but the families of your classmates.
I wish that we were not dealing with this, and I would think we all feel the same way. However, this is the best way that we can return to normalcy for the time being. And, hopefully, by following these precautions, our post-COVID normal can approach closer and closer to the normal we had before.
I look forward to seeing all of you back at the College of Law in the Fall, even if it means we will all have our faces covered in masks.
Sincerely,
Austin Longnecker
Student Bar Association President
