Items

• 
  2020-11-20

  Circulation Changes

  COVID-19 brought on many changes to the St. Mary's University campus, including the second floor of the Louis J. Blume Library. These changes included the plexiglass pictured and hand sanitizer for the student workers to use when performing duties. Masks are required at all times in the library and the plexiglass is used as an extra safety precaution for both staff and patrons. Temperatures are taken before being allowed into the library and there is also plexiglass located at that entrance.
• 
  2020-10-06

  How acting changes during the age of COVID

  This document is a list of requirements and guidelines for the attendance of a an acting workshop I was a part of in October of this year, as a part of a larger project the Drama Department at my university, St. Mary's was and is attempting to create a new and safer theatre experience for the coming semesters. The workshop we attended was, of course, created with the intent for attendees to participate in-person. Despite this, however, as the requirements here show, the fact that that was impossible, or at least very ill-advised, not only wasn't enough to prevent it from happening, it may have helped it in a good number of ways. For a first example, the individuals in charge of the workshop, affiliated with The Tectonic Theatre, were situated in New York, as opposed to my university being located in San Antonio Texas. The fact that the workshop was held virtually actually made it much more realistically approachable as otherwise the distance would have complicated matters considerably, which was taken care of in that way. In the same vein, as the requirements hint at with the items that are required, is that each person who participated was able to use their surroundings, almost exclusively their own homes, which they were of course very familiar with, to great affect for the exercises that were given to them. In fact, despite the initial misgivings that many of us-myself included-initially had, the workshop was able to take place not only just as well as it would have had it been in person, but in my personal opinion, it might have gone even better. All in all, the workshop was a pretty impressive look at overcoming complications from this pandemic and working around them to make the virtual experience lose nothing from an in-person experience.
• 
  2020-11-02

  Running from the Virus Like...

  This item gives a sneak peek into a workout by St. Mary's University Baseball team. Their workout outdoors allows everyone to be spread out and maintaining social distancing requirements.
• 
  2020-11-16

  Modification to Library

  One of the busiest areas on campus is the Blume Library, particularly the Cotrell Learning Commons which is where the campus Starbucks is located. Changes were made to library operations in March and that included how the public would enter and exit the building. In order to limit the number of patrons inside the building, a walk-up window was added to accommodate those wanting to enter just to get Starbucks.
• 
  2020

  Meme - Transition to Online Learning

  HIST30060 This is a meme saved several months ago (approximately some time during late Semester One) about the transition to online University. What social media platform it came from, and who the original author is remains a mystery. I have chosen to upload this meme because I believe it serves as an example (albeit a satirical one) of how the transition to online Uni has effected students. As a person who struggles with learning difficulties even during the best of times, this meme was a relatable representation of how I felt about University this year, and how challenging the transition to online classes was.
• 
  2020-11

  Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 one Water Fountain at a Time

  This photograph was taken of a water fountain in the athletics and recreation building at St. Mary's University. The water fountains are all blocked off with signage in the building besides the fountains that allow for the placement of a water bottle beneath it to be filled, unable to directly drink from it.
• 
  2020-03-09

  Student Dorm Closures: Impact on Students

  COVID-19 caused St. Mary's University to shut down rapidly on campus after spring break. Most students didn't return after spring break, and had to make later plans to return to get their personal items (including clothes, textbooks, and other items that they may have urgently needed). Some students, who didn't have a place to return to, worked with St. Mary's residence life to make arrangements to remain in the dorms. Students who stayed faced a unique set of challenges and uncertainty with what lay ahead. Combined degree student (undergraduate and graduate) Glory Turnbull, a resident in on campus housing, reflects in this oral history on what these rapid closures of campus meant to them.