Kiyomi Kishaba
Opinion Editor
Due to COVID-19, the holiday season is looking a little different this year. PLU is offering a partial housing refund for students who move out of their dorm before Thanksgiving. Based on interviews with students, it appears that two factors influence decisions to take the refund: year in school and on-campus commitment.
Haley Bolen, a first year student and soccer athlete, decided to take the housing refund because her job is in her hometown. Riley Shaver, also a first year student and member of the PLU soccer team, had the same opinion.
“With school being all online and soccer practices being over, I was planning on going home anyways,” Shaver said. “The housing refund just made it even easier and more desirable. This way I get money back, go to school at home and work at home!”
First year student Kaylie Brown made the decision to take the housing refund because she wanted to spend time at home with her friends and family. As a first year student, it’s challenging to create community in a virtual campus environment. Brown said she would have stayed on-campus if it was, “more interactive with others,” but since regulations make it difficult to foster new friendships she is headed home for the rest of the semester.
On the other hand, third year swimmer Charlie Cutter plans to stay living in Pflueger until the December break. Although the swim practices are not mandatory, he wants to stay on-campus to train with his team. Cutter is also taking precautions in regards to COVID-19, choosing to have an outdoor meal near PLU with his parents and brother to celebrate Thanksgiving instead of traveling and staying at home for the weekend.
Another third year swimmer, Hannah VanHeynigen, is choosing to continue living in South Hall instead of taking the housing refund. She feels connected to the community she has created on-campus and finds it easier to concentrate on school work while living at PLU.
“I have created my life here at school and like where I’m at,” VanHeynigen said. “I see the benefit of getting the refund, but for me it makes sense to stay.”
For upperclassmen like Cutter and VanHeynigen, staying on-campus means staying closer to their community and workplace. But for many underclassmen, their community and workplace is still at home, so it makes sense that they have less qualms about leaving PLU for a month and a half. When they return, hopefully they will be able to create a community, somewhat face-to-face, on-campus as the upperclassmen have had the chance to do.
