Scenes from campus

Text by Jim Lynch, Photography by Joseph Xu

Syed Dalyan, LSA Freshman, wears a glove while helping his friend move out of the Bursley Hall Dormitory on March 17, 2020.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but here we are.

The work week that started March 16 turned into a turbulent ride for the University of Michigan community on North Campus.

Classes had previously been moved online and commencement cancelled. But each day last week seemed to bring changes that further eroded whatever sense of normalcy remained.

Students gathered their belongings, leaving campus living spaces for hastily-arranged journeys home and elsewhere. Professors carried boxes of materials from their offices to their cars, preparing to teach from home offices, kitchens or living rooms.

With classes moving online and many staff and faculty working remotely, the IOE Building stands silent the afternoon of March 17, 2020.

On Monday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer halted eat-in dining at restaurants and bars. The following day, indoor gatherings of more than 50 people were banned.

“I can’t believe this is it,” said Jett Li, a freshman engineering student, who cleared out his dorm room in Burlsey Hall early evening of Tuesday, March 17. He and two other students from their hometown of Troy, Mich., had organized their move out of separate dorm rooms together. For Li and his friends, it was a premature end to a year full of formative memories and relationships.

Wednesday, University of Michigan continued their own steps – announcing all non-critical laboratory research would shut down by Friday.

“Details will vary by unit, but our overall goal is to continue operations that are critical to our mission, while protecting health and safety, diminishing the spread of the virus and, to every degree possible, minimizing disruptions to employees’ lives,” wrote U-M President Mark Schlissel.

a newspaper on a table — A copy of the Michigan Daily reporting the number of COVID-19 cases as of March 17, 2020.

an empty common space on campus — The Duderstadt Center and other libraries on campus quietly shut their doors temporarily in the wake of COVID-19.

The Duderstadt Center and other libraries on campus quietly shut their doors temporarily in the wake of COVID-19.

For many, it was a step that brought one more layer of uncertainty. But for Ashley Cornett, a Research Lab Tech, Schlissel’s earlier announcements about providing up to 80 hours of paid time off for university employees helped lessen the concern.

“I love research, but being a mother is my primary job,” she said Thursday while helping store research samples at the North Campus Research Complex. “So I’m glad to see (Schlissel) announced the 80 hours of time for this situation.”

By Friday afternoon and evening, North Campus was largely deserted. Few people remained in their offices and, for many that did, they worked with doors closed. Labs were largely empty of personnel and often-prized parking spaces were ripe for the taking.

Resources:

College of Engineering resources for students, staff, and faculty

Information about campus operations and events

an access panel to a building denying entry — The Duderstadt Center and other libraries on campus quietly shut their doors temporarily in the wake of COVID-19.

rain on an office window — On the eve of a announcement by President Mark Schlissel for a reduction in nonessential research operations, students, staff, and faculty wrap up projects in the NCRC on March 20, 2020.

Ashley Cornett, a Research Lab Tech, helps her lab mates freeze their samples on the eve of an announcement by President Mark Schlissel for a reduction in nonessential research operations. Students, staff, and faculty were wrapping up projects in the NCRC on March 20, 2020.

A gate blocking access to a hallway — On the eve of an announcement by President Mark Schlissel for a reduction in nonessential research operations, students, staff, and faculty wrap up projects in the NCRC on March 20, 2020.