Pepperdine students living in the Malibu and Calabasas area have made it their mission to find ways to escape the pressures of online school during unprecedented times.
Despite the online semester, many students moved to the area because they already signed their leases, or because they wanted to at least be near friends. There are many drawbacks to online school, which has encouraged students to find ways to take a break from technology and enjoy the beautiful area they live in.
“I think socializing is important because as people we are social human beings and mentally we need that social interaction stimulation,” junior economics major Annah Rah said. “To not have it would cause a deficit in our lives and we’d be missing something really important.”
Students shared similar outlooks on socializing and how to disconnect after zoom classes, though most noted they are taking health precautions. Student Affairs, Student Activities and Campus Recreation administrators have focused on educating students on the importance of following Los Angeles county’s, as well as Pepperdine’s, social distancing protocols to protect their health and the health of those in the community. Administrators worry that students failing to abide by set protocols influences how the community perceives the university.
How students are negotiating the tensions between safety and socializing
Socializing is an important part of the college experience that online school doesn’t provide. Students said they understood the severity of the virus and tried to find a balance between safety and socializing.
“I think it is mentally unhealthy for students to be cooped up staring at their screens all day without the social aspect of college,” senior psychology major Shelby Reif said.
Los Angeles county set a guideline for people to not gather in groups of more than 10 people. Students applied these protocols to their everyday lives and maintained consistent social circles in order to stay healthy.
While Eric Reed, senior media production major, built a circle of only five to eight people, Katelyn Romeike, junior business administration major, said hers is 20 to 30.
Tighter pods reduce the chance of contracting the coronavirus, Sarah Gantz wrote in a Sept. 18 Philadelphia Inquirer article.
With the county slowly reopening, students now have more places to go.
“If you go to a restaurant with friends, you’re able to do groups of like six,” Zoё Gordon, first-year theatre and screen arts major, said.
Exploring the LA area has been a favorite activity for first-year students.
“I like to go to the beach, I like to go shopping, or hangout with friends like my roommates,” Gordon said. “We try to find fun things for us to do whether it’s going into LA and seeing things we haven’t seen like seeing the Hollywood sign.”
Students navigating a balance between socializing and physical health
Students said they needed to be smart when deciding to socialize by being aware of who they surround themselves with and who those individuals are around.
Most students have found ways to socialize in public while being cautious of the county guidelines. However, not everyone is following the rules in private settings. Some students were opposed to facing possible repercussions for socializing in groups consisting of more than 10 people.
“I would be pretty upset,” Romeike said. “The majority of people I know, at least at Pepperdine, are not staying socially distant and are not necessarily compiling with all of the mandated rules.”
Others accepted the possibility of facing consequences.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be put in a place where I’d have to face repercussions,” Reif said. “But, if I ever was because I broke wearing a mask or broke social distancing stuff, that’s obviously a consequence that I’d have to take.”
Some students said they would risk getting in trouble to stay safe.
“If there were 20 people in my apartment, I would probably want someone to come and kick those people out,” Rah said.
Students staying healthy mentally
Usually, students anticipate the next time they can hold their phone to access social media, watch TV and movies or listen to music. However, transitioning from in-person to an online format has relieved students of that everlasting itch to use their technology.
After staring at a monitor for hours throughout a day, at least five days a week, students find themselves needing a break from the modern, technology-consumed world.
Too much technology can have a negative effect on the mental health of young adults, Jon Johnson said in a Feb. 25 Medical News Today article.
“I think it is more important to focus on our mental health right now, especially with the age we are all at,” Romeike said.
Students who moved to the area recognized the importance of socializing with a close group of friends.
“We have people over every now and then I’d say for like once a week at most,” Rah said. “They come over for game nights, always less than 10 people and it’s pretty much always the same people, every time.”
Some students brought pets to Malibu to add energy to their days.
“I have my dog in town with us, so it’s like a little stress reliever and a companion, someone to hangout with,” Hadjarpour said.
Students find relief and relaxation anytime they get out of the house, even if that means going to work. Online school shifted students’ opinions of work from being something they have to do, to something they want to do.
Kaitlyn Davis completed the reporting for this story in Jour 241 in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web version of the story.
