May 19, 2020
The global COVID-19 pandemic transformed what would have been just another spring quarter to the historic Spring Quarantine Quarter of 2020. With great effort and speed, the university's in-person operation was modified to a community of remote learners, teachers and workers, with almost every university function, duty and responsibility adapted to be performed virtually in order to mind social distancing guidelines.
But not every staff member can join a Zoom meeting, jump on a conference call or sit in front of a laptop to do their job. While most are working, teaching or learning from home, the university's on-campus workers, our DePaul heroes, continue to head into the office to manage current campus operations and prepare for when we can return to Lincoln Park and the Loop.
From a safe distance, Newsline caught up with some of our on-campus staff members on April 21, before the Illinois mask order went into effect, to see how the COVID-19 crisis has changed life on the university grounds and to learn “in their own words" what it's been like for them during this unprecedented time in DePaul's history.
"It's been hard for me to adapt to not seeing our students on campus," Veronica Avila, custodian.
Read more 
(Photo made April 21, 2020, by Jeff Carrion, University Photographer, Marketing and Communications)
We are very busy disinfecting and keeping everything clean for anyone who comes in and out of our buildings.
It's been hard for me to adapt to not seeing our students on campus. For the past 20 years, I've seen students every day. I feel lonely at times working in such a quiet space without students, faculty or staff.
I realize that things will not be the same. I look forward to seeing students back on campus and hearing their laughter.