By: Jonathan Teal
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Last week, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved a resolution directing all campuses in the UA System to return to in-person activities. Students have been waiting for this moment since the beginning of the year said U of A Freshman Grant Smithson. He said, “I haven’t been at this school while it is normal.”
In August, the University returned to some in-person classes, but many of the classes remained online. Also, there were very few in-person events.
The reason behind approving a resolution now is to give the chancellors something concrete to tell their faculty, students and staff. Also, it is important for prospective students to know that campus will return to normal next year.
However, not all students are excited about classes returning to normal. For senior Hayden Michael, he wishes the University could have returned to normal this year, his last year. “It is tough knowing I won’t have anymore normal years here,” Michael said. “I won’t be able to see a packed Bud Walton Arena as a student again.”
The opposite can be said for freshmen like Smithson. “My brother is a senior, and I have yet to experience what he has,” Smithson said. “I can’t wait until I am able to see a full football stadium.”
Even though the plan is to return to normal, the U of A is still preparing for the possibility of some health guidelines. The promise that the resolution gives is there will be fewer restrictions. Also, the few restrictions will allow for in-person instruction.