‘Brave Souls Who Stayed’: Some students remain on campus

YANKTON, S.D. (AP) - Kassondra Gooley and a few friends have, for a few weeks now, exchanged messages in a group chat they call “Brave Souls Who Stayed.”

While others have left, they’ve remained.

In the wake of Mount Marty College deciding to deliver courses remotely for the remainder of the semester (at its campuses in Yankton, Watertown and Sioux Falls) in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Gooley and a small number of other students chose to stay on campus in Yankton.

“More and more of us are taking off, but the three of us get together every night for prayer and to talk,” said Gooley, a sophomore English and Secondary Education major from Hartford.

It wasn’t exactly the semester she and her friends envisioned, but Gooley said they’ve adjusted as best they can to the circumstances.

“It’s weird,” she told the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. “It’s helpful to be on campus, because I really wouldn’t have a place to study at home.”

Mount Marty has approximately 35 students still living on campus, according to Katie Harrell, Vice President for Student Success.

A few students have been unable to return home due to health reasons in their families, internships and travel restrictions, Harrell added.

For those who remain, however, they’re faced with what Bryant Dvorak calls a “surreal” experience.

“When you’re walking around campus, you see maybe one or two people,” said Dvorak, a junior from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Courses, like the six Dvorak is enrolled in this semester, are all delivered online, which has presented an adjustment period for everyone involved, according to Harrell.

“This is a new transition and learning process for many, so the continued connection to resources is important,” she said.

Among the resources that remain available to students include dining services, IT help desk, counseling, and academic and career support through the Center for Academic Excellence, Harrell added.

With so few students remaining on campus, life in the dorms is also drastically different this semester, according to Gooley.

“It feels empty,” she said.

“You almost miss the annoying neighbors you used to have,” Gooley added, with a chuckle. “It makes it feel like a little community.”

That community is now down to a small group of students, which has presented an odd feeling, according to Dvorak.

“It’s really, really quiet,” he said. “It’s kind of peaceful, but also really weird.”

One of the biggest concerns Mount Marty heard out of the coronavirus decisions was that students were missing the in-person contact with friends and faculty, according to president Marc Long.

“I completely understand that sentiment because it is at the heart of our Benedictine idea of community,” Long said in the March 20 announcement to deliver courses remotely.

“Everyone at Mount Marty looks forward to the time we can be together again.”

While large group activities have been suspended, MMC’s director of student activities, Lisa Willcockson, has created special activities or touch points to keep up engagement and a “sense of community on campus,” according to Harrell.

Gooley and Dvorak both specifically credited Willcockson - the “mom on campus,” Gooley said - for her assistance and support for the students remaining on campus.

“A lot of students feel alone right now, but she made sure everyone had food for breakfast,” Gooley said.

That kind of gesture has meant a lot to the students, Gooley added.

“She has gone above and beyond,” Gooley said.

One of the questions facing the students who remain on campus is, essentially, how long will they?

Gooley said she is playing it by ear.

“My family was also sick, so I decided it was best for me to stay,” she said. “Right now the plan is to stay for the entire time, but it could get really lonely.”

In Dvorak’s case, his plan from the start of the COVID-19 situation was to stay on campus and continue his studies.

“I have a routine here that’s been working for me,” he said.

It’s certainly not an ideal situation for students like Dvorak, but they’ve managed to adjust to the circumstances, he added.

“Even though it’s not normal, life still goes on,” Dvorak said.