This year at Allen is an all-around different feel on campus and around the school in general. The vast majority of freshman or incoming students do not know what to expect coming into school at Allen or college at all, but returning students have thoughts and weigh in on the difference in the environment.
As students know, COVID-19 has affected everyone, and even incoming freshman did not get to finish their senior year. The college too is making adjustments almost daily to adhere to COVID guidelines.

Sophomore Kurt Golubski said, “It has been very similar to last year for me. I kind of just keep to myself and do my own thing.” When asked how the changes at Allen has affected him, Golubski responded, “It has not really affected me personally as far as campus life because I have online classes. The only thing that has been hard is that baseball has to be less team oriented and we had to quarantine for almost a month. I will say that there has been a lot less activities on and around campus though which many seem to enjoy.”

Another returning sophomore, Jacob Davenport, said, “I really like how the school has implemented flex scheduling. No one I don’t think likes going to class every day, and it’s nice to have that extra time.”

Not everything was positive though. “I don’t like some of the new rules like social distancing after we’ve all been tested, but I understand the reasoning,” said Davenport. “I also wish the sports teams had access to the activities center whenever they wanted, but I also know this is part of the world we live in now.”

All in all, the consensus is that the school is not the same, but it has not all been bad changes. The atmosphere may be different, but the changes have been in the best interest of everyone. The school has done a great job making life on campus as normal as possible, while doing a good job maintaining a fun lifestyle for the students.