The photos are exhilarating: Throngs of students chatting and gesturing as they make their way up and down Commonwealth Avenue. Students rapt in filled lecture halls\u2014safely, of course, with empty seats between them. Professors at lecterns, their arms raised to make a point. <\/p>\n
Witness the start of the school year at Boston University on September 2, 2021. It is a far cry from the near-empty classrooms and streets after the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020. The Learn from<\/em> Anywhere hybrid teaching format kept the BU community safe while providing students with a top-notch BU education. <\/p>\n But now that a fully residential campus is back, students are rejoicing. <\/p>\n For the time being, safety measures\u2014masks, weekly COVID-19 tests, and daily attestations\u2014remain a part of life. They can\u2019t, however dampen the thrill of Terriers meeting face to face (rather than in Zoom squares): sharing meals with friends in University dining halls, gathering with like-minded peers in clubs and organizations, experiencing in-person instruction, cheering alongside other fans at BU Athletics events, and much more.<\/p>\n You can hear the excitement in the words of the students themselves. Just a sampling: <\/p>\n Esther Besson (CAS\u201924)<\/strong>: \u201cI entered my first year at Boston online because of the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to be cautious. I am so grateful that I get to be here after a long year of being remote. Now I feel like an actual BU student. I have made a lot of great friends in my classes and my dorm. I get to attend games, conferences, parties, and organizations, including Students of Caribbean Ancestry, where I am a representative. I\u2019m so looking forward to joining BU Student Government and to working on committees on campus that focus on the mental health of BU students and raising the representation of minority\/marginalized students here. I can now meet and talk with my instructors and develop meaningful connections with them and my peers. I truly feel I am becoming a better student.\u201d David Winner (CAS\u201923)<\/strong>: \u201cHow great to be able to attend my classes in person\u2014they\u2019ve been phenomenal!\u2014with BU\u2019s great humanities faculty. This is so important to me as a philosophy and Russian languages and literature major. I am excited, too, to again participate in the top-of-the-line research opportunities on campus.\u201d <\/p>\n Aimee Mein (COM\u201922)<\/strong>: \u201cI am thankful for being back on campus and being able to see friends, faculty, and coworkers in person again. As a student leader, I find it a lot easier to collaborate with my peers in person. Collaboration, creativity, and communication come much more easily in a shared space. My fellowship through Marsh Chapel also has become more meaningful now that we can meet every Monday, eat dinner together, and have small talk.\u201d <\/p>\n Lauren Byerly (CAS\u201923)<\/strong>: \u201cI am thrilled that Study Abroad has returned! Next semester I will be participating in the London Internship Program, which combines a professional internship with classes examining Great Britain\u2019s history, culture, and society from a variety of perspectives. I\u2019ve never been to the UK for that long! I\u2019m really excited to discover new horizons and have experiences that I can\u2019t get in the United States.\u201d <\/p>\n Patrick Shea (COM\u201923)<\/strong>: \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to be back on campus, spending time with friends. I\u2019m especially happy to be able to attend the clubs that mean so much to me in person, including the BU Marketing Club, where I\u2019m the vice president of the AdClub. They bring alive what I\u2019m learning in the classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n Your giving matters<\/strong><\/p>\n Donor support helps make all of this possible. Your generous gifts have been critical in the University\u2019s return to a fully residential campus. Among the five priorities of the BU 2030 Strategic Plan is \u201cCommunity, Big Yet Small\u201d: we are committed to offering both the resources of a large, urban university and copious opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to find their own small communities within it. <\/p>\n Current-use funds, which can be given in any amount, can be deployed at a moment\u2019s notice to provide financial aid and emergency assistance to students, and to support causes ranging from clubs to experiential learning opportunities, from athletics to scholarships to live performances.<\/p>\n Every gift, of every size, counts. You can have an impact at BU\u2014and you can choose exactly where to do it.<\/p>\n
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\nSydney Meyer (CFA\u201922)<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m a senior studying theatre arts performance. I am so grateful that we finally get to do live theatre again after COVID-19, thanks to all the great efforts by the University and the generous support of donors.\u201d <\/p>\n