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The first major impact to ����Թ� State’s Spring 2020 Semester was actually felt overseas as COVID began spreading in Europe eventually leading the university to recall all students from its Florence Campus in late February.

On March 10, ����Թ� State President Todd Diacon informed the campus community that all classes would shift to remote instruction with the hope of returning to classroom learning by mid-April. ����Թ� Campus students were encouraged to return to their homes and ����Թ� State moved quickly into uncharted waters to keep classes and degree programs on schedule while integrating online learning, masks and social distancing. 

As the pandemic escalated, decisions were made to continue remote learning through the end of the semester while all in-person campus events were canceled.

That included the 50th commemoration of the events of May 4, 1970. A week of anticipated programs and speakers that were two years in the making for an anticipated commemoration to be felt worldwide had to be shelved. 

Instead, a few select members of the ����Թ� State community shared quiet moments at the campus site where four students were killed and nine others wounded by National Guardsmen who opened fire following an anti-war demonstration. 

On May 4, 2020, a virtual commemoration was held so the world had the opportunity to remember the lives forever changed by those events.

Watch the virtual commemoration below:

Summer sessions included a continuation of remote learning with plans to welcome students back to campus for the Fall 2020 Semester with a message to students that residence halls would be reopened with students likely to enroll in a combination of face-to-face and remotely taught courses.

A ‘new normal’ for students attending instruction on campus meant classrooms with social distancing between seats and a mask requirement in most campus settings.

Fall break was canceled and the decision was made to plan for remote learning following Thanksgiving.

Homecoming activities were split between virtual events and some of the traditional outdoor events continued. Some athletics events continued with special precautions and limited attendance, including cardboard cutouts of fans at Dix Stadium during football games.

Spring 2021 Semester brought news that vaccines would soon be available, and by mid-March, the ����Թ� State Field House became a county-wide vaccination site for those seeking their first round of immunizations.

Eventually, the university ice arena was used to provide vaccinations to students, staff, faculty and others.

Meanwhile, special accommodations continued on campus for students who tested positive for COVID but who were unable to recover at home. Meals were provided along with medical checkups as the campus continued to weather the changes from a pandemic entering its second year.

For Fall 2021 Semester, most classes returned to in-person with some social distancing and an expectation of masks. Like most universities, ����Թ� State had become accustomed to being flexible and exercising patience.

Looking ahead to a somewhat return to normal, President Diacon shared his optimism with the campus community, writing in an email: 

“What will approaching normal, but not yet a full return to pre-pandemic practices, look like at ����Թ� State? We expect our residence halls will operate at near capacity, but we will not return to the pre-pandemic practice of assigning three students to a room. In-person cocurricular activities will reappear, and we look forward to holding intercollegiate athletic events with at least some attendance permitted. More of our employees will be working on campus, but we know that physical distancing requirements will mean that some university work will continue to be performed remotely.”

For many, five years feels like just yesterday, but one thing is certain, ����Թ� State is forever changed and those who were part of the campus community at that time will always remember how Flashes Took Care of Flashes.