If new students on the University at Buffalo campus have questions, need directions or even need a mask, Sigmund Agbisit is there to help.

What You Need To Know

  • UB students are back in class
  • There is about 60 percent on-campus residents compared to last year
  • The school is passing out and posting materials about social distancing and face coverings
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"I wanted to be on campus. I wanted to help new students move in. This is the orientation office so what better place than that," Orientation Team Leader Agbisit said.

It's a job he says was made for him. Monday you could find Agbisit in front of the Student Union, dancing and chatting with anybody who wanted to stop by his table.

This year things are a little bit different at UB. First of all, there's a lot less students on campus.

"We're definitely missing the students," Agbisit said. "We're feeling it a little bit but we're still out here to do our job. Whatever students come on campus who are not on campus, we'll help them any way that we can."

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, UB said it has about 60 percent of the on-campus residents it had last year and the orientation events that would usually be going on right now are limited.

"They are having their experience which is not going to be the same as what I had," Provost A. Scott Weber said. "It's probably not going to be the same as your experience but I think it's going to be a good one."

Some of the questions Agbisit will answer are about safety and health protocols. There is signage and reading material about face coverings and social distancing all over campus.

It's not a totally new world. Students will still be able to meet each other in their dorms and nearly half the classes will have some in person contact.

Agbisit is friendly as ever, he's just chatting through the mask.