Many UI students are studying from afar

With a murder investigation still being a big question mark for the people of Moscow and what seems like the rest of the country, University of Idaho students spent last week’s Thanksgiving break deciding whether to go back on campus or stay home.

This week, during the first two days school has been back in session, there has been a noticeable shortage of students, similar to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The university is still determining how many students are studying from afar, but it appears many are staying away from Moscow.

The University of Idaho has asked professors to be flexible with their students on how they choose to attend the classes, especially while the murders of the four UI students remains unsolved.

“It’s not an easy situation and our faculty have been very responsive to those students in this horrible situation,” said Torrey Lawrence, UI provost, in an interview Tuesday morning.

Students have taken the opportunity to choose the best option for themselves.

Joanna Hayes, a junior at UI, spoke about her decision to stay in Idaho Falls and the mental toll this investigation has taken on her.

“I didn’t know them personally, but when I got home, I was so drained,” Hayes said, who left Moscow days before Thanksgiving break. “I would keep wondering about what had happened on campus; it’s something you don’t think will happen so close to you.”

With her roommates both from Hawaii and mentioning that they would not be returning for the semester, she felt wary returning on her own.

“I feel like Moscow is such an open-door community,” Hayes said. “My friends and I constantly go in and out of each other’s apartments — I didn’t want to go back and then end up being there alone.”

However, not all students took that route.

Cody Roberts, a junior at UI, mentioned he came back for the rest of the semester regardless of the majority of classes being moved online.

“Having work during this time has helped me have a stable routine,” Roberts said. “Having a place to go and stay busy and not feel restless.”

With his residence being in the dorms, he mentions that the mood change at UI is noticeable, adding that he has encountered few people on his usual walks on campus, rather than “hundreds” going from class to class.

The number of students who have returned to campus hasn’t been determined yet, according to John Kosh, UI Auxiliary Services director of business development, marketing and communications.

“It’s too soon to say what the percentage is of students who have returned back to campus,” Kosh said. “If we put out numbers, we want to be accurate.”

Carrillo-Casas can be contacted at mcarrillo@dnews.com.