Photos: Students return to campus during pandemic

After spending several months in a worldwide pandemic, no one is a stranger to social distancing stickers indicating how far apart to stand. Nevertheless, seeing these Samford-branded stickers plastered around campus reminds students that just because we’re back on campus, doesn’t mean we’re back to normal.

President Andrew Westmoreland is a beloved icon among the Samford community. Students have worn t-shirts emblazoned with his face for years, so creating an Andrew Westmoreland themed line of COVID-19 precaution gear was a natural next step.

In an effort to divert foot traffic from the cafeteria, Samford has invited food trucks to Ben Brown Plaza as a lunch alternative. It isn’t uncommon to see a line of students waiting to spend their dining dollars at these food trucks.

Wear a mask. Don’t be stupid. Be kind. The three rules to live by.

This bust of Harwell Goodman Davis guards the entrance to the school library, and all returning students are familiar with the urban legend that rubbing this statue’s nose will bring good luck. But having hundreds of students touching the same spot on the same statute during a pandemic obviously poses a problem. The mask placed on this statute is an innovative solution, yet a sobering reminder for all students that see it.

Large white tents with plastic tables and plastic chairs are the new staples of student life. These overflow outdoor seating areas give students space to spread out, enjoy their meals and bask in the lovely summer sun.

These signs can be found near study rooms in the library, kitchens in the dorms and even large lecture halls. Samford has surveyed every room on campus and calculated a new maximum occupancy for each. These numbers are posted outside of every door, in every building.

In the new socially distant society, it often feels like we have been isolated from others. Never is this isolation more apparent than when there is a literal plexiglass barrier separating you from others. Samford has erected plexiglass barriers in offices, cafeteria lines and library desks to protect students and staff while conducting business.

Arrows indicating traffic flow have become common in many grocery stores, and Samford has applied that same principle to bookshelf aisles in the library in order to minimize interactions in close quarters.

There is a plethora of seating options and gathering areas across campus, and in many places, there isn’t enough room to space out all the furniture. Instead, stickers demarcate which seats students can and can’t sit in to maintain social distancing.

Photos: Students return to campus during pandemic

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