Three students share their experiences with in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic

While UC Davis plans to resume in-person classes in the fall, a few courses have been offering in-person instruction since Fall Quarter 2020. Although these classes do not look similar to those in previous years, according to three UC Davis students who are taking in-person classes this spring, they have been exciting and refreshing nonetheless. 

Naina Misra, a fourth-year cognitive science major, said that being on campus for class is a welcome break from the rest of her Zoom classes.

“It was a really nice change of pace,” Misra said. “Also the class is outside, […] so just being able to be outside was really nice. It’s a good break from sitting on Zoom all day. I feel like that can be really exhausting.”

Misra is taking Field Methods in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology (WFC 100), which usually includes 30 hours of field work and 30 hours of lab work, a requirement that the pandemic has made more challenging. This quarter, WFC 100 has transitioned from entirely online to hybrid so that some of this important field work can happen. Misra explained that there are two online lectures each week, and the class is split into two groups for lab sections. These two groups alternate being in person, so throughout the quarter each student will have the opportunity to complete five labs in person.

Although she was excited to get back on campus, Misra said that she didn’t expect to be as nervous as she was.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to be somewhere for a certain amount of time,’” Misra said. “That’s a window of time that I’m not going to be able to do anything else. The thing with online classes is that my schedule has been so flexible. But then when I actually got to the class, it felt very normal.”

Like Misra, Emma Ramirez, a third-year genetics and genomics major, had been completing virtual labs for the past year. This quarter, however, her molecular and cellular biology laboratory, Principles of Genetics, has been hybrid. Ramirez said that being in the physical lab is crucial to learning this material.

“Especially being in an upper-division genetics class, [professors] really realize that we can’t teach these techniques over Zoom because all lab work is incredibly hands-on,” Ramirez said. “Lab is probably one of my favorite things. I love being able to be in the lab, work with samples and also be able to collaborate with my peers.”

Ramirez attends the lab in person every other week, and her class is divided into four groups so she only shares the lab with five other students at a time. In addition to more hands-on learning, Ramirez said that having a lab in person has also helped her focus.

“[At home, I’m] distracted by housemates and our four dogs, and there’s so many external things constantly going on,” Ramirez said. “That makes it even that much harder to stay focused, but when you’re actually in the lab, there aren’t any distractions. You’re just solely focused on the task at hand.”

Ramirez added that it has also been motivating to be back on campus.

“I’ve had two of three quarters of physics being online, and those [labs] are three hours,” Ramirez said. “It is one of the most tedious things to sit through. That week of being on campus has made me excited. I’m motivated again, especially for that class.” 

Ankita Angarwal, a fourth-year managerial economics major, said that her two-hour dance class also felt extremely long on Zoom before it was moved to in person.

“I don’t know if it was just the fact that it was online and we would have to be in our room and it was on Zoom, [but] those two hours go by so slowly,” Angarwal said. “I would be counting down every 10 minutes, but now, the time goes by so much faster because I think [in] dance and art, most of the fun comes with interacting with others.”

Angarwal said that the in-person class feels less tedious, and she is able to get a lot more out of it.

“I think it’s super nice because a lot of my classes are held outside, so there’s not even that big of a risk, but I still get the benefits of interacting with other students,” Angarwal said. “I’m actually creating more meaningful connections.”
Written by: Katie DeBenedetti — features@theaggie.org

A cappella and chorus groups at UC Davis share their experiences singing together this year

As a school year of Zoom meetings and online hangouts comes to a close, clubs and organizations in Davis are left to reflect on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to other organizations, music ensembles have adjusted to a new reality without in-person meetings.

Makenna Stever, a third-year applied mathematics major and the president of The Spokes, joined the all-female a cappella group her freshman year and has loved it ever since. Auditioning on a whim, Stever stated she didn’t expect to find such a meaningful extracurricular and community. 

“It was the niche that I didn’t expect to find in Davis,” Stever said. “It’s been my absolute favorite extracurricular my entire college career.”

Under normal circumstances the group rehearsed for five hours every week and performed at gigs and a cappella group showcases. Since the pandemic began, the group has lost the experience of singing together. Instead, The Spokes meet on Zoom to learn music pieces as a group and practice separate parts in different breakout rooms. The music pieces are created by group members individually recording themselves singing their part which is then sent to the group’s music producer who combines the recordings into a finalized version. 

Moreover, the group has made content with these pieces through music videos posted on YouTube. Stever shared the process of perfecting the group’s sound for these audio pieces when they cannot meet in person. 

“It’s definitely been hard to figure out stuff like trying to make sure that everyone has the same tone and that we’re all blending together,” Stever said. “What we’ve been doing with that is our music director will hold little office hours during rehearsals sometimes, where if we’re learning a piece and we’re submitting audio recordings, you can come to her and show her your recording, and she’ll give you tips on it, she’ll try to make sure that you’re matching her sound.”

Additionally, Stever shared that this year’s singers were mainly composed of new members because the majority of the group graduated last year. 

“Most of the members in our group have never sung in an a cappella group before, are brand new and all they know is [COVID-19] rehearsals and individuals recording and learning music distanced,” Stever said.

Despite her continued love for The Spokes even throughout the pandemic, Stever said she misses singing in person with the group and looks forward to the time when it will be safe to do so again. 

“It was something before [COVID-19] that I looked forward to every day,” Stever said. “And I definitely still feel like I’m a part of something now. I love this group and I will always love being in The Spokes. I just do miss that in-person component and being able to stand next to someone and hear the music live because that’s something that we haven’t had at all this year.”

John Agpalo, a second-year mathematics major and the treasurer of The Liquid Hotplates, is finishing his second year in the coed a cappella group at UC Davis. Coming from a performing arts high school and with a choral background, Agpalo knew he wanted to join a singing group in college and found The Liquid Hotplates to be a perfect fit. 

Before the pandemic, the group would meet every week to practice songs and go over choreography, preparing to participate in competitions like the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) along with performing at events and gigs. 

Today, the group rehearses online, and according to Agpalo, has gone from focusing on choreography to video editing while preparing for online competitions. 

Agpalo explained the new process of creating music that took place this year. 

“We each record our part of the song, which we send to our sound engineer to piece together and make us sound beautiful,” Agpalo said via email. “We tried singing together on Zoom or Discord, but because of latency, lag or just bad internet, it’s hard for everyone to synchronize and sing at the same time.”

While the group participated in a yearly retreat and small gatherings in the past years, Agpalo shared that it is difficult to meet with his fellow members under the circumstances of the pandemic.

“For the future, we hope that it becomes safe enough for everyone to meet again on campus for our rehearsals face-to-face; I think we […] all just want to see each other again and get back into the old groove of singing and dancing together,” Agpalo said. 

Professor Caleb Lewis, a lecturer in music and the director of choirs at UC Davis, leads three choral ensembles open to students and community members. Before the pandemic, each choir met twice a week for two hours to sing and rehearse for concerts together. When the pandemic initially began, Lewis focused on classes about music history and theory while also doing guided listenings and warm up sessions on Zoom. 

Since fall, however, Lewis has created a routine for virtual projects. 

“We put all the choirs into one group, and we met twice a week on Zoom for a little vocal warm up and a Q&A session [and to] practice some new training stuff,” Lewis said. “Then we do the recording projects where I’d make practice recordings for everybody with a click track, […] they spend a lot of time on their own learning the music, they send it in and then we compile it together.”

In addition to the online meetings and recordings, Lewis has set up slots for one-on-one meetings with singers in which they can seek help on their parts. Since Spring Quarter, however, the groups have been able to meet in small socially distanced groups outdoors, separating back into three ensembles. 

Lewis shared that the social element of the choral groups has grown in isolation, and students have formed friendships while chatting over Zoom. 

“I’ve been really pleased by the enthusiasm and the longevity of a lot of our singers: They just keep showing up,” Lewis said. “Because even though they can’t hear each other singing, they like to see one another, and it feels like we’re together in isolation.”

Lewis shared that while the experience this year is different than normal, the group continues to provide a sense of togetherness that keeps people singing even online. 

“One of the things about music, and singing especially, is that it brings people together who otherwise would not be together at all,” Lewis said. “And that’s what’s really great about it, and I think that people miss that. They just know that it’s a place where [they’re] welcome, and that they can come together. I hope that that’s what keeps bringing people back.”

Written by: Nora Farahdel — features@theaggie.org

Two Student Health and Counseling Services counselors weigh in on quarantine’s effect on students’ perception of their bodies

Disclaimer: This article discusses eating disorders, a topic that may be sensitive to some readers. For more information and resources about eating disorders visit https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/health-topic/eating-disorders. 

With more time spent at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns, social media consumption has greatly increased. This spike in social media usage and lack of fulfilling in-person activities can cause students to spend more time comparing their appearance to others’. Two counselors at Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) who specialize in eating disorders—Meghan Jones, a counseling services postdoctoral resident, and Katie Silbiger, a health psychology doctoral intern—discussed how quarantine has impacted students’ body image and how they can overcome negative thoughts about their bodies.

Jones pointed out that students are regularly staring at their own face and classmates’ faces during Zoom meetings. This puts a lot of focus on appearance and makes it easy for them to compare their own looks to others’. In addition, Silbiger noted that the pandemic has limited access to some things that bring balance and richness to many students’ lives, such as friends, family, activities that have been canceled and places that have been closed.

“When your world gets very small, it’s easy to forget that you have many different identities and that you are more than a student and definitely more than just a body,” Silbiger said.

This focus on appearance can be further heightened by social media. As students are more restricted from seeing peers in person, many have resorted to social media as a replacement for social activities and as a way to keep up with friends. 

“It seems like students have been using social media more to stay connected and are comparing themselves a lot to others, especially ‘influencers,’ since quarantine,” Jones said. “It can be easy to think that what we see on social media is the expectation and is how our own body ‘should’ look.”

Early in the pandemic, there were a lot of messages circulating social media about engaging in “self-improvement” while being at home. While this could encourage students to take up new hobbies and make the most of their time in lockdown, it could also increase the pressure to fit a certain image, according to Silbiger.

“When ‘self-improvement’ turns into a mandate that you need to look a certain way or stick to a rigid set of rules to be okay with yourself, that can create a problem,” Silbiger said.

Jones stated that while having more focus on the body is not necessarily a bad thing, research suggests that a person’s mood impacts their perception. For example, if someone is in a more negative mood because of everything that has happened this past year, they could be more likely to perceive their body negatively. Furthermore, when a student becomes highly fixated on their body, it can affect their eating habits and daily routine.

“Having so much focus on the body also takes up a lot of brain space and can lead to difficulties focusing on other things like academics, hobbies and even social life,” Jones said.

While students may struggle with their body image because of these factors, there are ways that they can overcome these negative thoughts. For example, instead of engaging in negative self-talk, Jones recommends talking to oneself using the same positive language as one would use with a friend.

“For example, I would never look at a friend and say ‘You’re so ugly,’ so why is it okay for me to look in the mirror and say that to myself?” Jones said. “To a friend, I would probably say, ‘I love that shirt, you’re glowing,’ or maybe, ‘You’re having a great hair day.’ So practicing talking to ourselves in that positive way can be really life-changing.”

According to Jones, this strategy can be used for body image, academics, sports or any area of life in which there can be negative self-talk. Students can also focus on non-body-related goals or interests instead. This can help them practice body neutrality, the idea of adopting a neutral perspective toward one’s body.

“It can be hard to fully love your physical body 100% of the time, so it can be pretty freeing to remove that expectation of yourself,” Silbiger said.

Students can also curate their social media feed to avoid content that makes them view themselves in a negative light.

“If seeing posts from a certain person always makes you feel like garbage, go ahead and unfollow or hide them,” Silbiger said. “Maybe you’re following someone for inspiration, but when you look at their posts, you actually feel inadequate, rather than inspired—unfollow. You can replace those things by following content creators with content that actually makes you feel good instead.”

 In addition, Jones recommends diversifying one’s social media feed with things unrelated to people or bodies, which can help deemphasize looks.

“There is so much amazing photography of landscapes, animals, art and other stuff on social media,” Jones said. “There are also a lot of cool informative videos about social justice, cooking and new hobbies that can be fun to see more of.”

Resources on campus can help students facilitate a healthy relationship with their body, Jones said. SHCS has two groups for students with eating concerns, Heal and Nourish. Heal covers skills and strategies for managing difficulties with eating and body image, and Nourish is an open discussion group where students with past or current eating disorders can share their experiences and struggles. Both groups accept new members at the beginning of each quarter and are free for any enrolled students.

Anyone interested in joining one of these groups can call counseling services and ask to be placed on the waiting list for the following quarter. SHCS hosts an information session to help students identify which group may be the best fit.

“I would suggest that students try to give themsel[ves] some self-compassion and understanding that poor body image doesn’t develop overnight,” Jones said. “There are many reasons why this is a struggle, and it will likely take some time to change those negative thoughts and find body acceptance.”

There are also individual therapists who specialize in eating disorders and brief therapy (5-6 sessions), which are also free to all enrolled students. To discuss body image concerns, students can make an appointment with an eating disorder specialist or any therapist.

“It’s also okay to make an appointment if you aren’t sure you have ‘enough’ of a concern to talk about,” Silbiger said. “First sessions are called ‘initial consultations’ because the therapist is there to listen to what’s going on and help you decide what kind of support would be best for you. Whatever it is that you’re dealing with, we are here to listen.”

To make an appointment with SHCS or for after hours crisis consultation call 530-752-2349

The following links can be used to learn more about eating disorders and find counseling or recovery services:

SHCS Eating Disorder Services

Eating Recovery Center of California

Sutter Center for Psychiatry 24-Hour Crisis Line: 916-386-3620

Additional Resources:

Healthy UC Davis

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

National Eating Disorder Association 
Written by: Liana Mae Atizado — features@theaggie.org