The start of the spring semester felt chaotic and slow for UCA students. 

Residents of UCA moved back into their dorms Jan. 10. 

For some unlucky students, this meant moving personal items, new Christmas gifts, and a month’s worth of laundry up four flights of stairs.

Despite the hectic nature of move-in day, all seemed well.

Students braved the freezing winds on the first day to make it to their classes. 

But on the second night back in the dorms, a tornado was spotted moving through central Arkansas.

A national weather alert and UCA’s safety program, Safe@UCA, advised students to not panic and to take cover quickly.

Shortly after, Conway’s ominous tornado sirens sounded through the thunder, cold winds, and rain, causing anxiety for many residents and their pets.

Students in residence halls took cover under staircases and avoided windows if possible. 

According to KATV, trees had “fallen on buildings across south and central Arkansas.”

Luckily, UCA’s campus was unharmed, and thanks to UCA’s safety alert system, students knew what to do to stay safe. 

The process of moving back to campus, purchasing school supplies, acquiring textbooks, and preparing for classes is already stressful, but exciting. 

Throw cold rain, freezing wind, thunderstorms, and a tornado into the mix and you have an incredibly stressful start to the new year for UCA students and faculty. 

After just two days of mostly introductory class periods, a long weekend approached with the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s remembrance day the following Monday. 

However, instead of providing relaxation to students, the week brought more severe and inclement weather, further affecting classes. 

UCA canceled synchronous classes from Tuesday, Jan. 16 until Thursday to keep students and faculty off the roads. 

While the interstate and main roads were clear by Wednesday, commuters in rural areas may still have struggled to make it to campus safely.

Most students returned to in-person classes Friday, Jan. 19th, but some were still absent depending on how safe it was to return to campus.

Canceled classes might typically be a welcomed break, but in this instance, they increased the challenges of starting a new semester.

While some students who are familiar with UCA and online classes welcomed the excuse to stay in, others struggled to keep up and feel connected to their classmates and professors. 

Many classes had virtual learning, which most times is a disservice to students as it is hard to stay engaged in lectures through a screen.

Zoom meetings, pre-recorded videos, and online homework were the primary methods for learning the first full week of the spring semester, causing many students to feel behind in their classes.

The lack of in-person classes affects instruction and can make it difficult for students to understand certain assignments. 

For those students who enjoyed the snow break, many stayed warm and cozy indoors watching movies, playing video games, reading and cuddling up with a blanket.

Some even went out and enjoyed the beautiful soft snow, building snowmen, making snow angels, and later, warming up with a hot chocolate.

Regardless of how students felt about the immediate break after a month-long winter break, students and faculty have had a slow start to this spring semester.