“We’re kind of in a weird liminal zone at the moment.”

Paul Johnson, 20, is a junior at UW-Milwaukee who is majoring in film. He transferred to UWM from UW-Whitewater at Rock County in the fall of 2021. Johnson is enjoying the campus and people at UWM after coming from a smaller college.

Joshua Groninger: How was the campus life at UW Rock County?

Paul Johnson: Well for one thing it was a branch, so it was a lot smaller of a campus. At the beginning of the pandemic, I remember almost nothing ever happening. You just went there and after classes were over you just went back home. It was kind of boring I’m not going to lie.

Q: How does the UWM campus feel compared to UWW at Rock County?

A: For one thing it’s just bigger, and it just feels more like a campus rather than just a couple of buildings which I do like. There are a lot more things going on, like whenever you walk through there’s always a table set up with someone who will try to talk to you. I quite like it because it’s more fun when there are people who seem to actually want to be in the place. Whenever I went to Rock County it was kind of like everybody was more just going through the motions and that’s not a great attitude to have around you constantly; it didn’t help me mentally. I would say that it’s more alive and just felt more like a college campus even during the pandemic stuff when there was way less stuff. Nothing is perfect, but I like it a lot more.

Q: How have your interactions been on campus?

A: Well, it depends on the people. We did just get out of a pandemic, so I think everyone’s a little cautious. I definitely have seen some people who are quite willing to talk, like if you’re in line for coffee or if you walk past some kind of event table, then they’re definitely willing to talk. However, a lot of the average students are usually pretty busy, and you can kind of tell some people are still very cautious about the pandemic, which is totally understandable. I have met a lot of people, and I’ve made a lot of friends. I’ve come into more actual encounters with people at this campus rather than Rock County, which is nice. I definitely think in a year or two, once we’ve calmed down more, it’ll probably be a lot more exciting. I still think it’s pretty nice, and I would say that everybody is pretty cooperative and commutative.

Q: How have your interactions been in the classroom?

A: I have a lot of people in my classes who I only see online, and I don’t really get the chance to talk to them directly. It’s definitely different than high school, like I don’t know everybody that much. I think we’re slowly getting better, and I’m getting to know more people now, which is good. However, it’s taking a little bit, and I would say that there is some separation in the classes more than I personally would like.

Q: Have you seen a change in attitude since the masks have been lifted?

A: I think in some ways it’s definitely a big change, and I can see why. There are some people who jumped right at it. There are also some people who, well, obviously don’t do it. I mean I still wear a mask in most situations. I think it’s less important now, but I still like to just to be a little bit safer. I think we have a little while to go still before we fully move back into the normal world. It’s definitely not the original world, and we’re kind of in a weird liminal zone at the moment.