SAINT PETER, MN— After the growing presence of COVID-19 in the country, the good students and faculty of Gustavus were forced to leave campus by the end of the week. This came due to the increasing health concerns surrounding the gatherings of people over 10. However, the speed by which this is happening has left a lot of students with some very serious questions. How am I going to get my belongings back? What if I left my textbooks in my dorm/apartment? Will I still have to pay for housing and meals? What platform will online classes even be held on? And, most importantly, What if I forgot my vibrator and framed photo of Shrek in my closet?

Gustavus Administration has been attempting to keep students and faculty in the loop through a series of emails that explain the necessary facts and contact information for students to ask unanswered questions. A big question that is on a lot of students’ minds at this time that has been sparsely covered, is what will happen to tuition payments, given that many students/their guardians are facing unemployment. Gustavus has, however, given the students some recent financial news, in that, they want students to help decide where $60,000,000 dollars should go for their renovation of Lund.

Could there be better timing? Most students have been lying awake at night not thinking about their health and the hopelessness of their finances as more and more businesses are drop-kicking them to the curb for them not wanting to work while ill during a pandemic. No, they are thinking about how $60,000,000 will be going towards Lund.

“Honestly, I was thrilled to get the email.” Gustie Riley Martin says. “I was dreading opening up my inbox. I thought that I would see that the financial aid department or the President had emailed me about how I’m going to pay thousands of dollars of money I don’t have. Which is so unnecessary. But then I saw it was about how they should spend all that money! And if I answered their survey, I could get a $20 Amazon gift card that I can’t spend because Amazon grounded most deliveries.”

So, in these trying times, when you’re concerned about how to pay for school and living expenses, keep you and your families safe, and if your Nintendo Switch will have enough memory for the new Animal Crossing game. Remember, Gustavus needs your help in deciding how many new treadmills they should buy with their extra $60,000,000.