The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 6 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on March 12, 2021.
Emma Overton ’21
Editor-in-Chief and News Editor
Directional signage on the entry doors of Moore Hall (Paityn Tabor/The Stentor) 
Capacity limitations on dorm elevators (Paityn Tabor/The Stentor)
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lake Forest College has reduced the capacity in each of its residence halls, creating a unique experience for students living on campus this semester. According to the Lake Forest College Plan for Spring 2021 Semester in Response to Coronavirus, referred to as the “Plan,” the College “reduc[ed] density in our residence halls by carefully limiting room occupancy to allow for more private rooms.” Students living on-campus had the “opportunity to either request a roommate (no more than two people per room, no matter the size), or request a private/semi-private room,” as stated in the Plan.
Speaking with Stentor staff, Director of Residence Life and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Karl Turnlund noted that as of March 3, there are “646 students who are living on campus” a number that is significantly lower than pre-pandemic semesters. According to the College’s website, there are 1,566 total undergraduates at the College, and Turnlund explained that “commonly, we would see residential numbers that look more like 1,100 rather than in the 600s.” Of the 646 students living in residence halls, Turnlund shared that 244 are first-year students, while 221 are student-athletes.
Sharing that the residence halls are “subject to all the same requirements outlined in the Plan and the Forester Commitment,” Turnlund emphasized the specific modifications to residence halls, including the posting of “additional directional signage to help people move more freely and in less congested ways throughout the halls,” and the placement of “sanitizing stations throughout all halls for easy access to those resources, especially hand sanitizer!” He also stated that “the College has suspended its guest policy temporarily; while residential students can host other residents and commuting students in our current phase (Phase 2), guests external to the campus, including remote learners, are not allowed until further notice.”
Ultimately, Turnlund shared that “the biggest modification was reducing our occupancy count. I recognize that the halls feel differently right now because they’re not nearly as filled as they would normally be.”
Sharing her experience living in a residence hall, first-year and student-athlete Becca Ray ’24 noted that she is “living in Blackstone [Hall] in a single [dorm],” and chose to live on campus “because I wanted to get as much of a realistic college experience as possible, and I wanted to be here for track.” Fellow first-year and student-athlete Gracie Greenly ’24, who is also living in Blackstone Hall “in a double [room] by [herself],” stated that she enjoys living on campus because “I…run track and get to spend every afternoon with my teammates.” Greenly noted that she came to campus because she “wanted to be away from home and spend the semester at school. I was really disappointed about last [semester] so I was really excited to choose to be on campus this semester.” Additionally, Ray noted that of her four classes this semester, “one…is in-person and the other [three] are remote. I have one chem[istry class] where we meet in person [four] times throughout the semester,” while Greenly stated that “most of my classes are online but I do have choir, which is in person and has been a blast.”
Similarly, first-year and student-athlete Abbie Caskey ’24, who is living in a double room of Moore Hall with no roommate, shared that she chose “to live on campus because of being on the softball team.” All of Caskey’s classes are on Zoom, a fact that she admitted “can bum me out at times,” but she encouraged students to fill out the “mental health survey being passed around” by Student Government.
Regarding precautions surrounding the pandemic, Ray shared that she “feel[s] safe from COVID in my dorm,” while Greenly also noted that she “feel[s] completely safe and comfortable with the dorm,” and that she wears her “mask everywhere except my own room . . . [to] keep everyone else safe.” Additionally, Caskey stated that she “feel[s] safe from COVID in my room, but that’s because I’m constantly cleaning it, being smart about who is allowed in my room, and making sure I’m following Phase 2 restrictions.”
