QuaranTeam’s selfless service Residential Life Department’s QuaranTeam takes on task of caring for BYUH students in quarantine on campus BY SERENA DUGAR IOANE
The QuaranTeam has helped more than 30 students so far. Photo by Ho Yin Li.
When students are invited back to campus, they face being quarantined in Hale 10 for two weeks. QuaranTeam, a group of students who work at BYU–Hawaii residential life, began caring for their needs, including delivering meals from the cafeteria three times a day to grateful quarantined students. The creation of the QuaranTeam Cristopher Sembrano, a recent BYUH graduate and intern at BYUH Residential Life, shared when the school encouraged students to go back home, most international students could not go home due to border closures. These students instead traveled to the mainland seeking comfort from family members and friends. 32
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“Inviting all students back to campus won’t be the best solution to make the campus safe from COVID-19,” Sembrano explained. “However, the university is doing it gradually, and the focus, for now, is international students who are on the mainland. Because their status is J1 and F visas, they need to be here on campus.” The university officials believe they will be safer here at the university since this is their home in the United States, Sembrano said. “That was the decision made so far, and the state [of Hawaii] requires people to be quarantined. That is when the QuaranTeam was created.” Because of the state requirement for people who enter the island to quarantine for 14 days, the residential life team made Hale 10 the quarantine area for students coming back
on campus. Incoming students are quarantined for two weeks to ensure they are being cared for if they have the virus or not, said Sembrano. Sembrano explained this process’s goal is to make sure BYUH will be a safe place for all residents. “It was scary thinking we will be with students who will be in quarantine, but one thing that motivates me to do this is the desire to serve with willingness, patience and love, which I believe our team is built on.” Hannah Biesinger, a QuaranTeam lead and Hale Residential Life manager, said the qualities that stand out to them, and they try to show students, are compassion, sympathy, empathy, mindfulness and an organization’s desire for everyone to feel loved and cared for. “The RAs are so willing to help provide their needs and are very patient [in helping]
