NKU has fully transitioned to an online university amid coronavirus concerns.
How COVID-19 affected NKU
COVID-19 has completely stopped the world.
Schools now operate online. Grocery stores are no longer open 24/7. Masks are strongly encouraged to be worn in public—even just for exercise.
Coronavirus has changed lives. Coronavirus will always be a significant moment in history. Coronavirus has changed NKU.
The Northerner wanted to document these unprecedented times by focusing on how COVID-19 has impacted NKU. Specifically, we wanted to know how students were coping with online classes. We wanted to know how professors are balancing their home lives with their work lives. We wanted to know how seniors felt about commencement being canceled for the spring. We wanted to give professors, students and faculty a platform to tell their story—how this pandemic impacted their lives.
Read on to see how essential workers feel about working during the pandemic. Read the perspectives of various NKU faculty and staff who quickly had to transition their classes, departments and organizations online. Read about how Provost Sue Ott Rowlands led NKU through COVID-19.
The Northerner hopes this package showcases NKU’s resiliency.
How Grace Gillum strengthened her mental health during quarantine
The idea of walking into a coffee shop, smelling fresh coffee and sitting down to drink it is the thought that motivates junior secondary education major Grace Gillum through quarantine. The COVID-19 pandemic has put Gillum in a situation where she can’t fully control what’s going on. Because of this, she said her mental health hasn’t been the best. However, Gillum has found ways to cope....
Patrolling campus during a pandemic: how officers are staying safe
Latex gloves. Lysol-scented office space. Lonely patrols. While COVID-19 has initiated a wave of work-from-home orders, some positions still require boots on the ground. For university police officers, maintaining the safety of NKU’s campus cannot be completed from the safety of their homes. According to University Chief of Police John Gaffin, only a third of his staff has moved to virtual wor...
Provost Sue Ott Rowlands: Leading a campus through COVID-19
“Does anyone else have something to bring up? Any questions?” NKU Provost Sue Ott Rowlands asks in an empty room. On her computer screen, twenty-five pairs of eyes blink back at her. She always ends the daily Zoom meeting like this, giving a final chance for any member of the COVID-19 Preparedness Team to offer any comment or suggestion. This time, no voices crackle from her speakers. As soon...
‘Slightly stronger’: How Cameron Peterson is coping with quarantine
The global pandemic didn’t hit senior geology major Cameron Peterson very hard at first. It wasn’t until his school trip to Colorado was canceled that he understood things were changing. Then, his senior commencement was canceled, and he realized how important graduation actually was to him. “I guess I'd always taken that for granted and it was like, 'yeah, I don't really care that much abou...
Combating isolation: Allison Weihe maintains friendships during quarantine
Junior psychology major Allison Weihe relies on interpersonal connections to help her cope with her mental health. Due to the pandemic, she’s been unable to do that. Weihe misses being able to see her friends on campus or hangout with them easily. Now that campus is closed, Weihe has been living at her home with her parents in Louisville. She loves seeing her family, especially her brothe...
“Giving 110 percent:” How the SHEP program transitioned online
Program Director Emily Hellman was curious about how the students in the SHEP program would receive the change to an online semester. Due to campus partially closing, the students have to transition to an online classroom and start Zooming with their professors and peer mentors. SHEP (Supported Higher Education Program) assists “students with intellectual disabilities” in their college educati...
Sporting season may be canceled but staying fit isn’t
Although no games are being played, it’s imperative that student athletes stay in shape for when they can compete.
VIDEO: 2020 Orientation, how COVID-19 changed it
Like many organizations and events on campus, Orientation Leaders and the way Orientation is being held was drastically changed in light of COVID-19. Three 2020 OLs share what's changed and how they feel because of those changes.
Greek life continues philanthropies, meetings and celebrations despite COVID-19
With the closing of campus due to COVID-19, groups and organizations have had to quickly find new ways to operate without physically meeting. One of NKU’s biggest communities is NKU Fraternity and Sorority life with around 700 participants.
Student internships impacted by coronavirus
When Allison Jones started interning at the Northern Kentucky Health Department, she worked 16 hours a week in a cubicle that she anticipated would be her mainstay for the entire semester. Now, like many non-essential workers in the United States, Jones works from home and her project has taken a backseat to the global pandemic sweeping the nation. Jones, a senior environmental science major,...
How professors with children are balancing their work, personal life
Courtney McManus The phone rings for a few seconds before being picked up by Courtney McManus, lecturer and advisor for the Visual Arts Program. In the background, there are the sounds of her three-year-old wrapping up his “lunch time temper tantrum,” according to McManus. After she asked him to finish eating his noodles and walked to her office, McManus said her initial reaction to NKU ...
Campus clubs look to the future amid pandemic
With the coronavirus pandemic closing NKU’s campus for the Spring 2020 semester, several campus organizations are in disarray, and organization leaders are wondering how to plan for the fall semester—if there even is one. Emily Coy, outgoing president of campus radio organization Norse Code Radio, has been scrambling to find new members as “almost their entire e-board is up for grabs.” ...
Seniors petition for separate fall commencement
Since senior elementary education majors Emilee Beecham and Alexia Ball started their petition in early March to give spring 2020 graduates their own commencement, they have reached nearly 2,200 signatures as of May 7. In accordance with social distancing compliance due to COVID-19, spring commencement of 2020 was canceled. NKU officials have invited spring graduates to walk during fall commen...
For many essential workers, risking our health is not a choice
Sunday was the busiest day of the week for grocery stores. I was on my way to my part-time job as a cashier where I live in Ohio. Leading up to this point, I remember that things were tense and confusion and uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting both customers and employees. The store I work at had just recently started to enforce limits on essential items like sanitizing ...
‘Scared and tired’: My story of working during a pandemic
It was my first day back to work after NKU moved to virtual courses and the quarantine was announced. A woman with neatly styled brown hair and a pearl bracelet comes through my check out line. I scan her groceries and, expectedly she asks, “How are you?” It felt strange hearing such a familiar phrase go from a passive conversation starter to a question of great concern. There have c...
A grocery deliverer’s first-hand experience with COVID-19
It’s interesting that the very jobs many consider to be worthless are the ones that are deemed essential during a pandemic. The countless times I’ve overheard people demean employees at Walmart, McDonald’s, anywhere where a college degree isn’t necessary to be employed didn’t prepare me for the glaringly obvious—these are the essential workers during a global emergency. These are the people...
GALLERY: NKY, NKU through a pandemic
How the SGA president, VP ran an online campaign
Lauren Goodwin and Mia Derks were recently elected SGA president and vice president. Their campaign, along with the rest of the world, had to transition online mid-March. Check out to see what they did and what ultimately led to their win.
A conversation with senior Alex Navarro-Guzman
Major: International Business and Human Resource Management What organizations have you been involved in at NKU? Resident Assistant for the Office of University Housing Student Worker for Latino Programs & Services President of Alpha Psi Lambda Vice President of Delta Sigma Pi, Professional Business Fraternity Student Ambassador for Haile/US Bank College of Business What ...
A conversation with senior Charlie Kays
Major: Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in drawing What have been the biggest challenges for you with transitioning to online? It’s definitely slowed down my workflow a bit. I’m a digital artist, so you would think that it wouldn’t, but transitioning from the concentrated studio space dedicated for my work to my own personal space has definitely been sort of a self-discipline exercise. ...
A conversation with senior Janiah Miller
Major: Integrative studies. I have three minors. Political science, social justice and university honors with two focus areas in women and gender studies and public service. What organizations have you been involved with during your time at NKU? I was in the Student Government Association for 2.5 years, and I served on the executive board for two years. I was the Black Student Union President...
A conversation with senior Dylan Woodruff
Major: Marketing What organizations have you been involved in during your time at NKU? Golden Key International Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma What have been the biggest challenges for you with transitioning to online? The biggest challenge is probably just having to tackle everything with no physical contact with professors. I still had to present a deliverable to Braxton’s ...
A conversation with senior Chris Riehl
Major: Public relations with a minor in health studies What organizations have you been involved in during your time at NKU? Currently I serve as the president of Presidential Ambassadors. I’m also a member of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and I’m also in Greek life. What have been the biggest challenges for you transitioning to online classes? I’m definitely an in-class p...
A conversation with senior Chinedu Asinugo
Major: Computer Information Technology and my focus is on cybersecurity. I have minors in information security and computer forensics. What organizations have you been involved in during your time at NKU? Freshman Service Leadership Committee as a leadership mentor President of African Student Union Member of International Student Union Men’s Soccer club Student Ambassador for ...
From the perspective of Allison Weihe
The influence that COVID-19 has had on the NKU community like many others has been incredibly significant, and our fraternity and sorority life community has been especially affected. The vast majority of our reach leaned on in-person programming and events designed to educate and support our community. The Panhellenic Recruitment Workshop that we typically have every Spring to prepare our active Pa...
From the perspective of A.J. Miller
Spring Break is typically a time of renewal. For students, it’s an opportunity to take a break from classes, maybe explore a new city or even pick up some extra shifts at work. For Faculty/Staff it’s a week to get caught up and hopefully maybe even get ahead. This year, Spring Break is associated with when our world turned upside down as the reality of the new normal of COVID-19 began to take hold....
From the perspective of Dr. John Alberti
“So what can you do with an English major?” Reflecting on the past six weeks of teaching and learning under quarantine, this perennial question—one that makes English majors and teachers alike roll our eyes and sigh—has taken on a new relevance. My usual answer is to, like a good English student, revise the question: “so you mean, what can you do with the ability to communicate effectively...
From the perspective of Dr. Kimberly Lazzeri
As musicians, we rely upon togetherness. We sing together, play together, listen together, breathe together, and even tune together so that we are completely in sync with one another. And what’s more, we rely upon togetherness with our audiences—the bond that is formed between human beings all searching for connection through the power of music. So what happens when we can’t be together? ...
From the perspective of Shomari Kee
The Coronavirus has had a significant impact on Campus Recreation at NKU. The greatest of which was the decision to close the Campus Recreation Center at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18. The initial plan was to close until today. However, the university closed all on-campus events through June 30 which renders the CRC and all Campus Rec facilities closed indefinitely. While the decision to close all...
From the perspective of Trevor Browning
The Henry Theatre—our campuses studio outlet for student directors, student actors, student producers, student writers, and student designers—has and always will be a non-profit student organization which is why it has been hit rather hard by the spread of COVID-19 and its effect on campus life as we know it, considering all of our income comes from the donations of our patrons. Due to t...
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