By Kendall Patterson
Staff Writer
Freed-Hardeman University students began to move into their dorms last week. In order to keep the amount of people on campus to a minimum, the move in dates were spread out from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9.As people arrived, FHU Move-in volunteers checked their temperatures to help keep the campus safe.
Despite the situation of the pandemic, Freed-Hardeman University president, David Shannon, says the university will do it always have in providing an education for the students and helping them use their knowledge to serve God.
“We still want to make it feel like home for them. We are trying our best to keep Freed-Hardeman looking and feeling like Freed-Hardeman, while we also will honor the guidelines to protect the pride. There will be things about our social distancing that will be different inside academic buildings. At large Freed-Hardeman functions, we’ll be wearing masks until the environment changes, but in the midst of things, we don’t want these things to define us. That’s not what this whole semester is about,” Shannon said. “This semester is still to honor our mission, that we’ve been about for a long time, and that’s to help students develop their God-given talent for his glory, by empowering them with an education that integrates the Christian faith, scholarship and service.
One of the freshmen entering FHU in the times of the Coronavirus is Anniston McCall. Anniston came to Freed, to study art from Winter Garden, Florida. Her and her mom Holly McCall, who is a Freed-Hardeman alum, says Anniston will have a better start on her college journey on campus.
“We’re excited she gets to be on campus even with having to wear masks and taking different precautions. We know it’s going to be a better experience to be here on campus to know people and meeting lots of friends,” Holly said.
The university still had its tradition of the tolling of the bell with the Master of the Bell being retiring FHU associate vice president of academics, Vicki Johnson.
There were two ceremonies to adjust with social distancing guidelines.
Johnson challenged the students to find their passion and follow it along with tackling difficult subjects and teachers to receive even more knowledge.
