Hilbert College students, staff and faculty have been living through the many different changes the campus has had to make since COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, surfaced.

From wearing masks all throughout the school day to hybrid classes, and a heavy load of online schoolwork, this is not the typical day students are used to at Hilbert College.

Sanitization has been one of the biggest changes in the life of Hilbert College students and staff, with precautions being taken to keep people safe during this pandemic. Specifically, Hilbert College is sanitizing every desk and chair before and after classes. Hand sanitizer stations are located all around campus, and it is required for students to take part in the precautions and sanitization at hand.

Maintenance at Hilbert has gone out of their way to put sanitization pads on all door handles. This is for self-sanitization to keep all students and staff safe during such a time of panic.

Vincent Cascio, a junior Forensic Science major, said he felt safe at school.

“No, all the precautions that are being taken are the best that could be done,” Cascio said. “In my opinion, it may be a little overboard.”

Junior Katilina Cordova, a criminal justice major, said she too feels like the school has done a good job in preventing outbreaks on campus this semester.

“There’s not much more to be done besides wearing a mask, social distancing, sanitizing, etcetera,” Cordova said. “I think the precautions are the best they can be at the moment.”

With vaccines unlikely to be widely available until spring at the earliest, it is likely that most of these protocols will remain in place for the spring semester, when the college plans to welcome students back with in-person instruction again.

Erin Warford, an assistant professor of history at Hilbert College, said she thinks the measures are working.

“I think the way things have been going speaks for itself,” she said, pointing to the low number of cases for the fall semester.

“It hasn’t gotten bad enough to take drastic measures, so the precautions are pretty adequate,” she added.