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A quiet excitement could be felt on campus the day before classes started as students returned to kick off a new academic year in a strange new world with masks and social distancing – but where new friends can still be made and studies will soon begin.

Instead of the usual Red Hawk Day dance-offs and team games, many students experienced the day online, beginning with an on mental and physical well-being, followed by virtual networking events, , a live-streaming trivia game show, and – all designed to connect students to the University and to each other.

“I feel very lucky to actually be here just because I know a lot of schools around us are shutting down and students like us are not able to get the full college experience,” said freshman Acting major Julia Ciesielski, who moved to New Jersey from Massachusetts to attend ��Ʒ���˸�������. “So even getting just the slightest bit of a college experience, I’m very happy to be here and meet new people.”

At an in-person event, socially-distanced students gathered at Yogi Berra Stadium for “��Ʒ���˸�������: One CommUNITY,” which included student performances and messages highlighting contemporary social issues.

Students heard from student government leaders, faculty, campus police officers and President Susan A. Cole about making a difference and using their education to forge a better and more just society.

Even with most Red Hawk Day events happening virtually, many first-year students explored campus, learning their way around while wearing face coverings, observing social distancing and expressing their appreciation for the University providing them with a hybrid experience for the fall that includes some face-to-face, as well as online course options.

Like many students, Jayden Demiani-Pinto, a freshman and Medical Humanities major, said he has only one class on campus. “Just my Biology lab is in-person. I’ve been given the option for everything else with in-person or online, and I’ve chosen online.” Nonetheless, the South Jersey native said he feels comfortable on campus and living in the Machuga Heights residence hall. “Everyone’s been wearing their masks.”

Nicole De Leon, a freshman and a Psychology major who will commute from her home in Paramus this semester, said she enjoys being on campus. “It’s beautiful to walk around.” She said she is a “visual learner” who finds in-person classes easier but explained that most of her professors were starting with remote learning and then planned to migrate to more in-person classes. “They don’t want us to jump right into on-campus.”

Film major Eddie Cuba is also commuting. He shared that he is comfortable with in-person classes for one simple reason: “I worked at Dunkin’ all summer” and that he will experience four of six classes in person this semester. His major concern: “I’m trying to figure out whether or not I should purchase a parking pass.”

Among this year’s freshmen are the Povolo quintuplets of Totowa, New Jersey.

“We are all very excited for this semester to start,” said Victoria Povolo, who along with her siblings, Masha, Ashley, Michael and Marcus, is a Presidential Scholar. All five say that their professors have reached out to them remotely. “We’re happy to be getting the chance to meet our professors and classmates, even if it is virtual.”

Story by Staff Writers Mary Barr Mann and Marilyn Joyce Lehren

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