Camaraderie Despite Covid: Companionship Offsets Challenges of Returning to Campus

Returning to law school in-person has been full of fun and trepidation. Overall, many students are excited to be back in person to learn and to see friends. But like the hairs that stand up on the back of our neck when suspenseful music builds at the climax of a psychological thriller, so are students as we walk around campus: rigid, heads-up, eyes-wide, telling ourselves things are pretty much back to normal, yet all the while holding our breaths, wondering if we’ll make it through the holidays without reverting back to dreaded Zoom classes. 

 USD law students have mixed reactions to the resumption of in-person classes this fall for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Overwhelmingly, students say they are happy to be back. The first few weeks have been buzzing with loud conversations, laughter, and spontaneous greetings shouted across courtyards and parking lots. Yet simultaneously, the beginning of the semester has stirred up anxiety, frustration, and sensory overload. 

One student preemptively met with a therapist before the semester began to cope with anxiety just imagining touching door handles, stair rails, and desks she would effectively be sharing with hundreds of strangers. Another classmate stocked up on Clorox wipes to daily wipe down each desk she sits in – not just because she’s concerned about Covid, but because she’s worried about the common cold and flu, too. 

And while many students are thankful for the safety precautions the school is taking, including the requirements to be vaccinated and to wear masks indoors at all times, the inability to drink water in class is the most difficult to comply with. Many classes are two hours long with only a 5 or 10-minute break in the middle. The school requires that masks not be removed for any reason. This leaves many students extremely parched by the end of class. And if a student has multiple classes stacked on top of each other throughout the day (which is the case for many 2Ls and 3Ls who are working or externing), a day on campus leads to full-on dehydration. Some students simply do not follow the rule and brazenly pull down their masks to take a big swig of water in the middle of class. Others discreetly slip straws under their masks when the professor’s not looking. 

Other frustrations students encounter relate to running student organizations. All student groups took a big hit in membership and activities over the last school year. Student leaders are eager to host events and grow their numbers, and many students are motivated more than ever to be involved in student organizations and give back to the school community. Yet new protocols that dictate when and how guests come to campus and what types of food can be served complicate the process of planning and executing events on campus. This has been especially challenging for groups like Moot Court, which is planning to host its first post-Covid in-person tournament at the end of September. 

Yet despite these challenges, students and school administrators are working together to create systems and protocols that work for everyone. Many meetings have been conducted over Zoom to accommodate students’ class and work schedules, as well as their personal comfort level – a nice change from the pre-Covid era. Administrators and counselors are also more than willing to meet in person if students prefer it. While everyone seems to be figuring things out as we go, it has been a pleasantly cooperative process.  

The biggest difference I have experienced coming to campus this fall is the genuine kindness and friendliness between classmates and faculty. After being isolated and alone for over a year, it is apparent that everyone is so grateful to be meeting and learning together again. Pandemic or not, law school can inherently be stressful and extremely competitive. And while the stress and competition will never go away entirely, the way we are going about it this year is unlike any year prior. There is more of a teamwork mentality of respectfully working together and supporting one another in our challenging law school journeys. This solidarity, in many regards, might just make this the safest and healthiest school year ever.