Matthew Monroe

Coping With COVID-19

I try to maintain positivity in all areas of my life, but I spent a lot of time last week wishing I was negative. Between the inauguration of our new President, Fallapalooza, and my first week as a member of the Dartmouth Mock Trial Society, it was a somewhat inopportune time to be quarantined with COVID. But I still managed to keep up with the pace of school and have some fun (safely)! Here's what my week of quarantined engagement looked like.

First off, the actual quarantine itself. Although the isolation of quarantine can be mentally draining at times, Dartmouth College Health Services did a great job providing me with the support and resources I needed while also checking in on me every day of my quarantine through my student portal. The physical process of quarantining meant only leaving my room when necessary. However, I could still pick up my usual meals using Dartmouth Dining's Green2Go takeout program and refresh in some of the beautiful outdoor spaces while double-masked. All of my teachers were very accommodating, and I could still attend my classes through Zoom discussions and lecture recordings.

Ok, with the boring stuff out of the way, let's get into the campus events! On Friday, we welcomed the newest member of the Wheelock Succession (Dartmouth's line of college presidents), President Sian Beilock! The day's festivities began with a community lunch open to students, faculty and staff, and even Hanover community members unaffiliated with the college. Although I couldn't attend the lunch, many of my friends went and gave glowing reviews of the fresh, local food that the college provided. Next up was the inauguration ceremony; fortunately, this was live-streamed on YouTube, so I could tune in and watch the whole thing from the comfort of my dorm. It was very inspiring to hear about the college's past, present, and future presidents and from various speakers comprising students, alums, government officials, and visiting faculty of other universities. I'm very excited to see how the college grows and changes over our new President's term, and as a first-year student, it is exciting to know that our school's leader is just as new to the Dartmouth experience as I am! 

Finally, I rounded out the week's events with Fallapalooza, an annual concert hosted by our amazing programming board that featured a fantastic performance by Claire Rosinkrantz of "Backyard Boy" fame! Although I couldn't attend the concert physically, the stars aligned, and the performance took place on the lawn immediately across from my dorm! This meant I was able to watch the whole thing out of my window and had no problem hearing the music from inside my room. If dancing inside your room to a concert happening 300 feet away sounds lame, it's because it is! However, I still had a great time, and it felt nice to have some carefree fun after a week of isolation.

Now that I'm back in the flow of normal life on campus, I realize just how thankful I am for all of the amazing experiences offered by this school, and I'm so much more grateful for all of the little things that make a day outside of quarantine so special.