Dublin Core
Title
Undergraduate Life During the Covid-19 Pandemic - Group 2 Interview
Description
In this, the second of two 2021 interviews with Oregon State University students about the Covid-19 pandemic, five honors undergraduates - Anda Gherghe, Aubrey Olsen, Harry Winsper, Mikaela Swaim, and Teresa Valdez - are interviewed about their experiences at school and at home during the Covid-19 era.
The interview begins with Gherghe interviewing Olsen about her experiences as a first year student at OSU, touching on how the initial reaction to the pandemic disrupted her senior year of high school, and what the social scene has been like on campus. She also discusses the things she hopes to do in the next school year if Covid becomes less of a concern. Next, Olsen interviews Winsper about his experiences during the pandemic, starting with the initial reaction on the OSU campus. He recalls being in the Valley Library when it was announced that finals at University of Oregon would be online, and his feelings about OSU classes going online at the time. He also recounts how changing rules about international travel affected his spring break and summer plans, and talks about the benefits of the pandemic, such as being able to spend more time with his parents. He concludes by sharing the things he’s learned from living through the Covid-19 pandemic.
From there, Winsper interviews Swaim, starting with her recollections of the start of the pandemic. Swaim discusses the effect it had on her job at the Boys and Girls club, her junior year of college, and her wedding over the summer. Next, Swaim interviews Valdez about her experiences. She describes how she and her classmates reacted to the news that they would have an extended spring break, how online classes affected her motivation to do schoolwork, and how her job as an Honors College ambassador was impacted. She discusses the milestones she missed, such as commencement, a research conference that she was going to attend, and the experience of celebrating her 21st birthday. She concludes by sharing her hopes for the next year.
For the last student-to-student interview, Valdez interviews Gherghe about the effects of Covid on her Oregon State experience. She reflects on her initial adjustment to college in fall of 2019 before the start of the pandemic, and how Covid changed her plans to be an academic living assistant (ALA) and to travel during spring break. She recounts the process of moving out of the dorms during spring break and transitioning to online classes. She concludes by sharing what she has learned from her pandemic experiences.
In the final section of this group interview, as facilitated by Tiah Edmunson-Morton, the students share their memories of summer 2020, their reactions to Covid lockdowns, the Oregon wildfires of September 2020, political divisions over mask mandates, and racial justice protests. Valdez, Olsen, and Winsper talk about how the political divisions around masks and Covid concerns affected their jobs. The students also discuss the 2020 presidential election and the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland over the killing of George Floyd.
The interview begins with Gherghe interviewing Olsen about her experiences as a first year student at OSU, touching on how the initial reaction to the pandemic disrupted her senior year of high school, and what the social scene has been like on campus. She also discusses the things she hopes to do in the next school year if Covid becomes less of a concern. Next, Olsen interviews Winsper about his experiences during the pandemic, starting with the initial reaction on the OSU campus. He recalls being in the Valley Library when it was announced that finals at University of Oregon would be online, and his feelings about OSU classes going online at the time. He also recounts how changing rules about international travel affected his spring break and summer plans, and talks about the benefits of the pandemic, such as being able to spend more time with his parents. He concludes by sharing the things he’s learned from living through the Covid-19 pandemic.
From there, Winsper interviews Swaim, starting with her recollections of the start of the pandemic. Swaim discusses the effect it had on her job at the Boys and Girls club, her junior year of college, and her wedding over the summer. Next, Swaim interviews Valdez about her experiences. She describes how she and her classmates reacted to the news that they would have an extended spring break, how online classes affected her motivation to do schoolwork, and how her job as an Honors College ambassador was impacted. She discusses the milestones she missed, such as commencement, a research conference that she was going to attend, and the experience of celebrating her 21st birthday. She concludes by sharing her hopes for the next year.
For the last student-to-student interview, Valdez interviews Gherghe about the effects of Covid on her Oregon State experience. She reflects on her initial adjustment to college in fall of 2019 before the start of the pandemic, and how Covid changed her plans to be an academic living assistant (ALA) and to travel during spring break. She recounts the process of moving out of the dorms during spring break and transitioning to online classes. She concludes by sharing what she has learned from her pandemic experiences.
In the final section of this group interview, as facilitated by Tiah Edmunson-Morton, the students share their memories of summer 2020, their reactions to Covid lockdowns, the Oregon wildfires of September 2020, political divisions over mask mandates, and racial justice protests. Valdez, Olsen, and Winsper talk about how the political divisions around masks and Covid concerns affected their jobs. The students also discuss the 2020 presidential election and the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland over the killing of George Floyd.
Creator
Anda Gherghe, Aubrey Olsen, Mikaela Swaim, Teresa Valdez and Harry Winsper
Source
Voices of Oregon State University Oral History Collection (OH 09)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
March 10, 2021
Contributor
Tiah Edmunson-Morton
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh09-covid-group2-20210310
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Tiah Edmunson-Morton
Interviewee
Anda Gherghe, Aubrey Olsen, Mikaela Swaim, Teresa Valdez and Harry Winsper
Location
Group interview conducted over Zoom
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
1:37:44
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video