Reflections on a pandemic

Just how has the MU community fared since the onset of the pandemic? How might it change us in the future?

Emotions abound and milestones reached – those were the predominant sentiments felt by MU staff and students alike at the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

After 18 months of remote learning, Teams meetings, Zoom quizzes and socially distanced ‘everything’, students and staff returned to campus in September full of energy, and almost dazed to meet face-to-face.

Even with the largest lectures (over 250 students) remaining online, the campus was bustling again. Thanks to tireless efforts by the Campus Services crew, the university was decked out in multi-coloured stretch tents to provide outdoor informal social and study spaces. All of the requisite public health measures were in place. The Student Support Hub was in full effect to help incoming first years, new-to-campus second years and everyone else find their way. Academic staff, as usual, went above and beyond to help their students settle in, while IT Services made sure computers and equipment that had been dormant were up and running.

This video has been disabled until you accept marketing cookies.Manage your preferences here or directly accept targeting cookies

Still, even as everyone celebrated the return to a near-normal Maynooth experience on campus, it’s worth reflecting on how the past couple of years have changed each of us - and our beloved institution - possibly forever.

Just how did the Maynooth University community fare over the pandemic? What might the lasting legacies of Covid-19 be? And what did we all learn from this experience?

The Bridge thought you might like to hear from some MU staff and students yourself.

Educators always say that education is a social activity. The last 18-months have shown the importance of the social dimension to learning and to working. It’s shown us what we can do online and also why we need not do everything online

Professor Aidan Mulkeen, Vice-President Academic, Registrar and Deputy President

What stood out for me has been the sense of community and community resilience. It was particularly heartening to see how the Clubs and Societies kept in contact with their members and kept activities going

Michael Rafter, Director of Estates and Capital Development

I think students have learned to work together more effectively. Now that Clubs & Socs and the Students’ Union have figured out a way to hold online events, so many more students had the opportunity to socialise

Kelly Rennick, Executive Assistant, Office of the VP for Equality and Diversity and Maynooth Students’ Union President 2020-21

One thing that’s going to stay with me is that for one of my modules, a student made a short video about life under lockdown for herself and her family, really approaching it from a sociological perspective. I have to say it was the most engaging, enlightening, interesting piece of assessment that I’ve ever had from a student. I think that’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life

Professor Mary Corcoran, Department of Sociology

I remember being with my second-year students on 12 March 2020 discussing an ethnographic research class when the news broke about the University closure

Professor David Prendergast, Department of Anthropology, ALL Institute

The pandemic certainly shone a light on inequalities, and the needs that some of our students have. For example, we offered our counseling supports remotely throughout this period, but not every student has a quiet place to be able to take a call and engage in a counseling or therapeutic service

Marianne Dunne, Director of Student Services