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Day in the Life: May 1, 2020
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On May 1, 2020, The Minnesota Daily's multimedia team spent the day covering the University of Minnesota's campus community. As documentarians with a mission to help create the first draft of history, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 presented both a unique challenge and obligation to approach our duty like never before. Our staff took extensive precautions to make sure that this documentation was in the best interest of everyone involved. It is the Minnesota Daily's mission to hold high professional and ethical standards so that we can provide comprehensive coverage that serves the public interest. We aimed to connect with the people and places that make our campus unique and capture what it embodies during a pivotal moment in history.
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Day in the Life: May 1, 2020
​
On May 1, 2020, The Minnesota Daily's multimedia team spent the day covering the University of Minnesota's campus community. As documentarians with a mission to help create the first draft of history, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 presented both a unique challenge and obligation to approach our duty like never before. Our staff took extensive precautions to make sure that this documentation was in the best interest of everyone involved. It is the Minnesota Daily's mission to hold high professional and ethical standards so that we can provide comprehensive coverage that serves the public interest. We aimed to connect with the people and places that make our campus unique and capture what it embodies during a pivotal moment in history.
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5:47 a.m.
"I'm grateful honestly," said Emily Koenig who poses for a portrait outside of her home before leaving for work at ACR Homes. "I would be going crazy," she said. "The people I work with and take care of are like a second little family." (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
6:05 a.m. A runner crosses the Washington Avenue Bridge. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)
6:15 a.m.
Shai Schwartz, left, a Dialysis Technician, and Calie Shemwell, right, a Dialysis Nurse, pose for a portrait before heading into work. "I know some are a bit worried about low supplies with masks and other items," said Schwartz, "But we still make due with what we have and do our best to deliver our best patient care." (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
7:54 a.m. Brian Swenson gets in a truck after delivering chemicals to a University lab in Nils Hasselmo Hall. "This truck is usually full," Swenson said as activity has dropped significantly due to a lack of students on campus. However, "The U has gone above and beyond to provide safety to its workers," he said. (Nur B. Adam / Minnesota Daily)
9:26 a.m. Two workers are seen in the empty stands of TCF Bank Stadium. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily)
9:54 a.m. A weathered American flag flies above the Armory. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily)
10:38 a.m. A dining area inside the Carlson School of Management sits empty. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily)
11:15 a.m. Freshman Nellie Benton returns to Pioneer Hall to move her remaining belongings out of her dorm room, which was vacated at the end of March. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
11:58 a.m. Feichi Yang, a freshman and international student from China, sits alone on the campus connector. Yang encountered logistical challenges and canceled flights while trying to return home and now remains one of Bailey Hall's few residents. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
12:06 p.m. Pedestrians run, bike, and walk across the Stone Arch Bridge. (Kamaan Richards / Minnesota Daily)
12:33 p.m. Caren Oberg, a third year Ph.D student in the college of design, volunteers to help make face masks. "It feels good to be a part of a solution," says Oberg, "and there are many solutions." (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
1:17 p.m. Senior Emily Jacobson tends to cows in the Cattle Barn on the St. Paul campus. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
2:19 p.m. Noah Charles rides his mountain bike down the steps in front of Smith Hall. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)
2:38 p.m. Steph Grieb, left, throws a "social distancing graduation party" for her student animal senior care staff outside of the Biological Sciences Center on the St. Paul campus. (Andy Kosier / Minnesota Daily)
3:15 p.m. Members of the FarmHouse fraternity play a game of bags. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)
3:36 p.m. Junior Tony Mathie roller skis through a tunnel on the bluff street bikeway. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
4:14 p.m.
Regan Pittman poses for a portrait with her dog, Earl, at the volleyball court in athlete's village, now devoid of nets. Pittman, who still has one more year of eligibility with the volleyball team, is unsure of whether or not she will need to continue training. Earl, however, helps Pittman to "smile and laugh everyday without even having to think about it." (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
4:27 p.m. National Guard Sergeant Yves Spies catches a football outside of the Armed Services recruiting center where he works in Dinkytown. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
4:40 p.m. A student walks past Coffey Hall. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)
5:04 p.m. A family of geese swims in the Mississippi River. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
5:19 p.m. Sophomores Jayde Alberda, rear, and Nora Coughlan, front, relax in hammocks near the East River Flats on the banks of the Mississippi river. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
5:46 p.m. Pash Clamons reacts to catching a fish from the banks of the Mississippi river. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
6:10 p.m.
Mary Clare O'Shea, who returned to campus to work after spending time at home once classes transitioned online, poses for a portrait on her front steps. Currently living with only one other person, "The big thing for me has been realizing how important human connection is," she said. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
6:21 p.m. Lilly Keefe-Powers reads a book on a Dinkytown rooftop. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
7:02 p.m. Zack Wooten does a kick flip in front of Northrup Memorial Auditorium. Wooten and his friends took advantage of an empty campus to film a skate video. (Parker Johnson / Minnesota Daily)
7:15 p.m.
From left, Liz Wippler, Ben Javidan, Holland Griffin and Josiah Goodman pose for a portrait outside their home. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)
7:38 p.m. Seniors Kristine Jecha, left, and Rachel Thomashow, right, care for houseplants and organize mail in their house in Como. Jecha and Thomashow have spent more time learning about plants and testing their knowledge in local parks since classes moved online. (Andy Kosier / Minnesota Daily)
7:51 p.m.
From left, Juniors MaKenna Tramp, Elizabeth Mann, Jared Estes and Hannh Olund pose for a portrait on the steps of their home. "We've matured a lot emotionally having to spend so much time together," said Tramp. "We've been killing it." (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)
7:54 p.m. Students stand in line outside of Raising Cane's in Stadium Village. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)
8:20 p.m. Senior Miriam Blomberg roller blades across Fourth Street SE in Dinkytown. (Andy Kosier / Minnesota Daily)
8:26 p.m.
From left, Alec Lorimer, Joe Zuleger, Josh Bailey, Maggie Penning, Mark Lucivansky, Sam Hanson, Maddie Powell and Rohith Komera pose for a portrait on their roof. Penning and Powell began spending most of their time here at once stay-at-home orders went in to effect. "I felt really isolated in my apartment," said Powell. "I love being here, there's just more people to talk to." (Jack Rodgers / Minesota Daily)
8:30 p.m. “I miss the face to face interaction in class but my grades have taken a boost with more time to study,” says Junior Matt Hempe. (Jasmin Kemp / Minnesota Daily)
9:17 p.m. Sophomore Jake Moe spends time practicing Guitar Hero on expert mode in his apartment at the University Commons. Moe’s roommates moved out once classes transitioned online, so he lives alone. Moe can spend hours playing and has become “the second best person he knows.” (Andy Kosier / Minnesota Daily)
10:29 p.m. Students gather around a fire behind their home in Dinkytown. (Jack Rodgers / Minnesota Daily)