© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

College Students Return To Campus Excited And Cautious

UMKC
/
UMKC
A year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic, college students are returning to campus.

Students are adjusting to a campus life that includes COVID-19 policies.

At places like the University of Missouri, students are thrilled to be back.

"It was hard to focus being back home," explains Katelynn McIlwain, a student at the university in Columbia. "I am glad to be back and on campus, walking around, going to class, and meeting my professors in person. It's great to kind of have a sense of normalcy."

But, the ongoing spread of the Delta variant still presents a legitimate concern for university students and faculty.

Three students attending universities in Missouri explain what its like to be back at school in the middle of a pandemic.

Stay Connected
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.