UND Today

University of North Dakota’s Official News Source

Student leaders talk about UND’s new reality

UND’s student body leaders work alongside administrators to manage remote transition

Gracie Lian and Matthew Ternus, student body president and vice president, respectively, have expressed their gratitude towards UND’s leaders for their decision-making and consideration for the student voice during an unprecedented situation. UND archival image.

For Student Body President Gracie Lian, Vice President Matthew Ternus and their entire constituency of enrolled UND students, life is different now.

Following Spring Break, Lian was bouncing between living arrangements because she traveled during the time off, and didn’t want to put her roommate at risk. Around the same time, Ternus came home to an empty fraternity house at Beta Theta Pi.

From their respective quarters in Grand Forks, the pair met with UND Today last week, virtually, to discuss how things have gone since the University moved all instruction to remote delivery.

Nearly a month into a new reality, both are adjusting to the new way of doing things: Zoom classes, socialization from afar and holding out hope for the return of campus life as they know it.

Also, both feel that in the balancing act of making sure students are heard while also keeping the entire institution running, the University of North Dakota has responded to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic in impressive fashion.

Easing the transition

“I’m really grateful for the work that the University has been putting in to address student concerns, and to make sure that information is getting out as soon as possible,” Lian said.

In a situation that’s changing quickly, and not entirely predictably, she said, there have been points where questions haven’t had immediate answers. But in those cases, administrators have been able to make the best decisions with the information that’s available.

Lian’s administration, in coordination with the Provost’s Office, was able to recently pass a resolution giving undergraduate students the ability to consult with their advisors and change course grades to satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading, as opposed to standard letter grading. The resolution stated students have until May 8 to do so, and can keep traditional grading for any courses they choose.

“It’s 100 percent the student’s choice, and there are some programs that have restrictions based on requirements for professional licensure, but students don’t have to go ‘all or nothing’ in their choice,” said Lian, noting that the language of the resolution was based on a student survey that reflected intensely felt views on the issue. Within three hours of the survey going online, 1,400 students had responded.

“I’ve never seen so many responses in a day,” Lian remarked.

Positioned as President of the Student Senate, Ternus said the kinks are still being worked out regarding livestreams of Senate Zoom meetings, but they’re still pursuing pre-Spring Break objectives.

He provided examples of working through Facilities and Student Heath on an expanded menstrual product program that was recently passed, which will provide free-to-access product dispensers in nine high-traffic campus buildings, as well as meetings with Dining Services and Student Health about the possibility of “wellness-to-go” machines being installed on campus. The vending machines would dispense over-the-counter products such as ibuprofen and generic allergy medications.

“We’re continuing those conversations so that when students come back to campus, there will be new services waiting for them,” Ternus said.

Plans for the highly anticipated Spring Fever concert had to be altered, where thousands of dollars were allocated for the student event to be held at the Alerus Center. The leadership team has worked to avoid cancelling the festivities, instead coordinating with the Alerus Center to reschedule for the fall.

“We’re making sure that the plans that were put in place beforehand are either getting rescheduled or the money allocated for those plans are going back to student government for future use,” Lian said.

Lian and Ternus were elected in April 2019. Now Ternus is running for the presidency with a new perspective in light of a disrupting pandemic. UND archival image.

A different kind of election

Another immediate issue has been student government elections. Now is the time of year where dozens of candidates arrange booths and engagements across campus to connect with fellow students and earn votes for elections occurring in the middle of April.

Ternus had to remove his VP hat in exchange for that of a candidate, as he is on the presidential ballot with junior Kaelan Reedy as his running mate.

“Campaigning has been different in adjusting to everything being online,” Ternus said. “You see people running for senate seats who are placing announcements on Facebook class pages. We’re still seeing a lot of traction for candidates; we’re seeing a lot of likes on posts and a lot of page follows.”

Changes to the election cycle included a pushback for due dates of election packets – the collection of paperwork formalizing a run for office. There was also a requirement for candidates to collect certain amounts of signatures, based on the positions for which they were running, but that has been waived.

Elections were moved back a week and will now occur on Wednesday, April 22.

“We’re not going to see people setting up on campus with dogs running around and Deek’s Pizza being handed out,” said Ternus of the changed election day landscape. “Instead we’re going to be seeing thousands of social media posts on April 22. That’s just the reality we’re in, and people have been adjusting to what that type of campaigning looks like.”

Hopeful to return

As Lian continues to stay on top of classes and keep up with student concerns and requests, she’s also trying to make the most of an isolating situation. The pandemic response has made her more cognizant of the resiliency found in UND students as they find different ways to be together in a time of social distancing.

“We’ve had a friend group meetup over Zoom where we all brought PowerPoints on different topics, just for fun, to share with each other,” Lian laughed. “We’re finding ways to stay connected. It’s definitely tough, but I also think that we have a great student population that’s working hard to stay upbeat, from what I’ve seen.”

Ternus’ fraternity house is no longer empty after two others moved back following Spring Break. Even though their 14 days of self-imposed quarantine are up, the house is still uncharacteristically quiet now that it has to double as a classroom. Ternus said the large meeting room is now the study hall, but everyone maintains distance. Family meals are now mentioned in air quotes, but they’re still a source of warmth during a difficult time.

“I had a phone call with a friend the other day who has never liked the snow at UND,” Ternus said. “She told me she misses it, and misses a lot of things about being on campus. I think a lot of people are experiencing that right now.

“People are looking forward to getting back on campus. I think at that first tailgate, that first Welcome Weekend – whatever it is – people are going to be really excited to be back.”