Back-to-school looks a whole lot different this year. Finger Lakes Community College welcomed students back Monday for the first day of fall semester classes.


What You Need To Know

  • Finger Lakes Community College welcomed students back Monday for the first day of fall semester classes

  • Only 22 percent of FLCC's more than 3,300 students are taking part in some form of in-person learning

  • Campus life now features masks, social distancing and wellness checks for students, faculty and staff

Richie Lewis is a freshman conservation major who's been looking forward to this day for a while now.

“Definitely,” said Lewis, who’s also a baseball player at FLCC. “As soon as I got halfway through my senior year, I really started looking forward to coming to college."

But the college experience is different now because of the pandemic.

"I don't think any of us in our imagination would have ever imagined this world," said Dr. Rob Nye, FLCC president.

A world with masks, social distancing, and wellness checks for students, faculty, and staff.

"It's a little difficult, but this is the world we are in," said Mia Bresadola, a sophomore sports medicine major. She's also an RA, planning events where students traditionally make friends.

"We did karaoke the other night and it was super fun," she said. "There are things we can and cannot do. So far it's been great, and a lot of people are showing up to them."

The key now more than ever is doing it safely, to avoid situations like the COVID-19 outbreak which just shut down another New York college, SUNY Oneonta.

"You have to be concerned," said Nye, "because the number one priority is the safety of our students and our faculty and staff."

"I worried a little bit," Lewis said of the first day on campus. "But at the same time, you have to control what you can control."

Just 22 percent of FLCC's more than 3,300 students are taking part in some form of in-person learning. The rest are doing it virtually. For students who are on-campus, it's not ideal, but it beats the alternative.

"It's definitely better than nothing," said Lewis. "I’d rather be here learning with people I can meet, new friends. I met tons of new people. It’s really awesome."