Luke Eitner

Luke Eitner

04-26-2022

Aurora, New York

SPEAKERS: Joe Cuddy and Luke Eitner

CUDDY: I'm Joe Cuddy with the COVID oral history project at Wells College. Today's date is April 26th, 2022. I'm in Aurora, New York with Luke Eitner. This is an unrehearsed, recorded interview. Thank you for joining us today. I'd like to begin by getting to more about your background. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself? Your full name, date of birth, and where you were born?

EITNER: My name is Luke Eitner, I was born June 19th, 2001, and I'm fromm Slatington, Pennsylvania.

CUDDY: Did you live there growing up?

EITNER: I did, I was growing up, I grew up there, Slatington, all my life.

CUDDY: What was it like there?

EITNER: Country, rural setting, quite like this. I lived close to a farm, outskirts of a small town.

CUDDY: Do you think that was pretty similar to Aurora?

EITNER: Yeah, yeah. Small town vibe. I think our town had like 3,000, Aurora does not have 3,000 but my high school was very much the same.

CUDDY: How many did you graduate with?

EITNER: 150, so about the same.

CUDDY: Could you tell us who you consider to be your family?

EITNER: My family, I grew up living with my mom and my cousins are closer than brothers I would say. I don't have any siblings so I would say that those two cousins that I have are pretty much my brothers.

CUDDY: Did they live in the same town as you or right around there?

EITNER: Next town over. So not the same high school but the next town, the next high school.

CUDDY: So were those cousins the people you were closest to growing up?

EITNER: Yeah, definitely, yup.

CUDDY: How would you describe yourself as a child?

EITNER: I was an adventurous, outgoing kid. I wanted to do outside stuff, I never sat inside. Let's see... I was always, I think I was kinda shy, just kinda kept to myself sometimes with other social interactions but other than that I was just outgoing.

CUDDY: Do you think you could share a special memory about yourself as a child?

EITNER: I don't know. Family trips were always fun with Disney. Went to Cooperstown, that was kinda cool. I know it was always a fun time for hunting season when that rolls around in November, because my whole family has a cabin up in New York, we're in New York but, over near closer to Binghamton and just hunting trips all the time. So I look forward to the fall season.

CUDDY: Deer mostly?

EITNER: Deer. Yup, deer, turkey, and then snow mobiling after that.

CUDDY: Let's jump ahead in time to when you started thinking about college, when did you first start going through the college experience of applying, thinking about it?

EITNER: Okay, so I knew coming out of high school my only thing I wanted to do was play baseball, after that I had no idea what I wanted to do. So I ended up going to a couple of showcases and then colleges started reaching out to me, thankfully, and Wells was one of them. The summer of my junior year, the summer 00:03:00follwing my junior year, I got an email from Wells. The previous coach, Coach Val, he reached out and said we'd like to have you for a visit so I came up and by that point I was already sick of the college hunt so I said yeah I like it here, it looks like home, a lot of outdoorsy stuff where I can be myself, and hopefully find a place on the team so that's what I did. I commited August after my junior year and thats it. I had no college hunt my senior year and I was set and ready to go.

CUDDY: So baseball and feeling like home were the real draws of Wells?

EITNER: Yeah.

CUDDY: Did you have any expectations for what college was going to be like?

EITNER: School wise I thought, I don't know, I was an okay student in school so I thought if I just kept on it and turned my assignments in and did the stuff that I knew how to do I think I'll be okay schooling wise but for baseball I was looking for more competitiveness and other than that. But college life I knew it was going to be a small town, small college, just like high school so I was looking to make some friends and good quality friends that I'll hopefully have for a long time.

CUDDY: What did you plan to study when you started college?

EITNER: Environmental science. Yup, environmental science, that's what I still am today.

CUDDY: And you're a junior who is graduating early, correct?

EITNER: Yep.

CUDDY: And why did you decide on environmental sciences?

EITNER: Just, like I said, I grew up being outside and stuff like that. I came here for baseball primarily but if I had to choose something it would be something that I would like to do. I like to be outside and enjoy being outside and environmental science sounded like it'd make me happy.

CUDDY: Do you have plans for after college?

EITNER: I'm in the midst of that right now. I'm looking to go to graduate school or jump right into the work force, I don't know yet. I have a job offer lined up so no pressure but...

CUDDY: Congradulations.

EITNER: Thank you.

CUDDY: Let's turn to the pandemic now, when did you first hear about COVID?

EITNER: COVID... I heard about it in, I was hanging out with friends in Fairlane and, this was my freshman year, two years ago now, right? Yeah. I was hanging out there and we were just, I think it was like January, February, I heard about this virus that started up in China. I guess, right?

CUDDY: Yup.

EITNER: Like, oh, new virus. Thats new. That was it, for a couple weeks that all we knew and then I guess it started reaching over here and numbers started climbing and that was it.

CUDDY: What did you think about it when it was first starting up?

EITNER: Didn't know much, just, it was weird, right? Until it started coming over here, that's when I started paying attention to it, really.

CUDDY: It was definitely weird hearing about it overseas and wondering when it was going to come over here.

EITNER: Right.

CUDDY: What were people around you saying? Pretty much the same stuff?

EITNER: Yeah, just wonder what this could turn into. Theories here and therebut pretty much, yeah, it was just weird.

CUDDY: When did you know it was becoming something more serious?

EITNER: So we ended up going on our trip to Florida for baseball and they, the trainer at the time, sent along one mask, which looking back on it is pretty funny. He said that if one guy gets sick, here's a mask for you. When I realized it was getting bad was during the time that we were down there, the third or fourth day, games were getting shut down and other schools weren't coming down. Then the sixth day, March Madness got cancelled before it even started. I was like woah, this is weird. I remember Rudy Gobert, the NBA guy...

CUDDY: Coughing on the mic.

EITNER: Contracting it, yup. So I was like this is kinda weird, he sat out for a long time and like I said, March Madness got shutdown. March Madness gets shutdown and something is going on.

CUDDY: So did you need to use the mask, the one mask?

EITNER: I don't think that anyone ended up putting it on.

CUDDY: That's good. What was the feel around the team and with yourself when everything was shutting down while you were in Florida?

EITNER: Yeah, it was all sad. I mean, it got taken away from us really quick. We ended up playing one less game than we were scheduled to down there. The seniors, everybody felt for the seniors, it was their last year and we didn't know what was going to happen. If we came back in two weeks or if we were staying home for the semester. We were all really mind boggled, we didn't really know what was going to happen.

CUDDY: So not knowing what was going to happen, that must have been pretty scary, going into spring break and having that extended and not really knowing when you were going to come back.

EITNER: Yeah, we left for an initial two weeks and then that was it. Within those two weeks they said we're all online for the rest of the semester. It was just kinda like woah. It was good to be home, see the family after I hadn't seen them since the start of the semester, which was late January, but other than that it was crazy.

CUDDY: What did you think about online classes?

EITNER: It was okay. I took some different classes that semester anyway, which ended up being okay to take online. I didn't really have too many labs being an environmental science major, there's a lot of labs involved but I didn't really have any that last semester which really would have effected it. I took a lot of gen eds, which were three credits and that could have been transitioned online. The online classes were okay for me but I know other people had a lot of issues with them because teachers couldn't figure out labs to go online when its go outside and collect pill bugs, like you can't have classes go out and do that.

CUDDY: So transitioning towards lockdown, when things shut down you went back home to Pennsylvania?

EITNER: I did. I went, I'm pretty sure I went back home. We had a couple days to get, well no not a couple days, we had a day or two when we came back from Florida to get our stuff and move out. We ended up driving right home and I ended up driving home and I had to leave some stuff here becuase I couldn't fit everything into the car so I ended up coming back probably May to get all my stuff because my room was still packed full of stuff. Yeah, wound up going home and taking classes online.

CUDDY: Did you spend it jsut at home with your mom?

EITNER: Yeah, pretty much.

CUDDY: How'd your daily life change during lockdown?

EITNER: I was taking classes online, it was Zoom, I believe, and we had our meetings throughout the day. Sometimes they were asynchronous, just do your work, but it was regular class days just sitting at home. It was like I was back in high school because I immediately got home and could do whatever I want really. When it got into the thick of it, like May and June, people were all at home they weren't doing anything. I was hanging with my cousins but other than that, not much. On weekends I'd go up to my cabin, hang out there and get away from COVID. Get away from people like I like to anyway.

CUDDY: Were there any specific challenges that came up that...?

EITNER: Back home being the small town that it is some of the small businesses ended up shutting down or closing down for a little bit. So I was forced to either shop online or go to the big stores and get groceries that way. Giant, Walmart, stuff like that. Yeah, I couldn't go down to local grocery stores, you know what I'm saying. Go to that place to get the bread, eggs, and milk.

CUDDY: Were there any unexpected benefits that emerged?

EITNER: Yup. Yeah, there actually was. Because I am fortunate to graduate early, I took a couple of classes over the summer to make that happen. I got reimbursed through the COVID relief through my local community college so I took four classes that were completely free. That was about the only thing that I can think of really. And time with family.

CUDDY: Back when things became a little more normalized, but was still going on, what was the pandemic like on campus?

EITNER: So this past year?

CUDDY: Yeah.

EITNER: It was okay. From my fall of freshman year I had a small clique of people that I hung out with anyway and that's pretty much what Wells is. This 00:12:00past year, wear your mask. We had testing, which was annoying. As people became sick, you see them go out and over to Dodge. They were sending them over to Dodge. It was just weird, like oh was I close to them? If they tested positive, was I close to them? During the past couple days have I been in contact? It was just a weird time to be here because it's a small campus and everybodies here. Then I thought about it, we don't have a lot of incoming people regardless because it's so tiny so how bad could this possibly be here? I felt like we were already isolated to the point where we were our own city. Where as if we didn't have to take as many precautions as we did but not my call.

CUDDY: Could you compare Wells prior to the pandemic to after, er, during the pandemic?

EITNER: Like I said, I was really only here a semester. That fall before and I'm leaving before it ends.

CUDDY: That's true.

EITNER: Because the masks are going to end it. So I was here for a semester my freshman year and then I don't know. It was good times, I still found ways to have good times with my friends. I mean social distancing was a little odd but not too much different. I mean I lived it for two years now so kinda used to it at this point.

CUDDY: I feel like the social distancing and being so isolated from a lot of what, I don't know, I feel like people call the rest of the world, and being on such a small campus prepared us for that.

EITNER: Yeah.

CUDDY: So Wells has a lot of traditions, do you have any ideas how they were impacted over the course of the pandemic?

EITNER: Yeah, well, odd-even being the big one. Did they, what'd they do? They did different things, didn't they? I think?

CUDDY: I think they transitioned to kickball from basketball to give more space.

EITNER: Yeah. Other than that, I never ended up attending much of the traditions but I remember hearing about the basketball game my freshman year, I think. And then, yeah, I remember hearing about the kickball game this last year. Masks being the big one, I don't know if anything was shut down because of it. Yeah, I can't really attest to much about that.

CUDDY: Did you notice any differences between the perception of the pandemic here at Wells versus back home?

EITNER: Yeah, I'd say that the town back home being a country, rural town, it 00:15:00was, they didn't accept it as other people around here would have. It's just different cultures, different peoples, and what they believe. I came from an area they didn't really see it as a big deal, small town as I said. Same thing here but different types of people.

CUDDY: Do you think coming from a town where it wasn't really a big deal versus coming here where people thought a little more about it was something that impacted you?

EITNER: I've always thought of myself as a guy who could see both ways. I wanna take a step back like if I'm in an argument with somebody, I'm like wait, woah, let's see what they're saying and why. I wanna see what the other side has to say so that I can make an informed decision. Yeah, I thought I could do that here. Being home, well when I was at home, I could see what was going on, what people were saying. Then coming here that next fall, it was different, it was definitely different to see and hear what was going on.

CUDDY: As scientists learned more about the virus and government officials began to impose mandates, what did you think when the first mask mandate came down?

EITNER: I thought it was a little weird. I didn't think we were, what was it, probably that first summer we had masks. I was at home, and again, I was in a small town, so I'm not seeing that many people so I don't really think. I was opposed to it. I didn't like it at all but who am I to say. I'm not living in the big cities where there are millions of people but then mandates to put, when the governer mandates you to do that in a small city, I didn't really like it.

CUDDY: And how about your thoughts when there was a vaccine that was announced and then became mandated?

EITNER: Yeah, I was not a fan again but like I said, to live your live and go about the things that you wanted to do it seemed like that was what you had to do and I got the vaccine for coming back to college because I felt it was a hinderance on other people because I had to get tested for like three times a week for baseball this last year. Yeah, I didn't, the main part at the time was I didn't want to bother other people with it and I know my grandparents had the vaccine so I wasn't too worried about it there but for myself I think I could have beat it and I never ended up getting it, knock on wood. If they wanna impose a mandate they can, it's their choice. If they wanna get it, if a person was wanting to get it then they could have gotten it. I don't think a mandate was necessary.

CUDDY: We touched a little bit on stimulus checks earlier, what did you think about that decision?

EITNER: Helped me out. As a college student it really helped me out, saved some money. There was obviously people that were effected, like small business owners, so the stimulus checks and other people saying they had to miss time for COVID since they had to leave their job or something. It certainly helped them out, I'm sure. But as a college student it helped me out, yeah.

CUDDY: That's good to hear. So looking at some of the political changes that happened during that time, several protests took place, many had to do with COVID but there were other things such as Black Lives Matter and other social movements. Did you or others around you participate in any of these?

EITNER: No, I can't recall many people I that I knew back home participating. No.

CUDDY: Do you think that the pandemic factored into that at all?

EITNER: It could have, yeah. It very well could have. People back home, there were people back home, regardless of the town size that did, well they were afraid. They were afraid by the virus. They confined to their homes for a little bit. They could have, yeah.

CUDDY: I'm from outside of a decent size city so we were having people talk about things and you would see it in the news and a couple minutes down the road but being from a small town were there any other ways these discussions and movements were brought up?

EITNER: No, I can't really recall. Not many demonstrations happened in our city. Local towns did, little bigger towns. There was a town south of us called Allentown, decent sized city, I do a lot of shopping there for the mall and stuff. Couple demonstrations, I remember seeing it on the news that they were on there for that but other than that no, small towns around us, they didn't have much.

CUDDY: Now I'd like to ask your personal experience with COVID, if that's alright. These questions will focus on illness and possibly bring up grief and other challenging topics. Remember that we can skip any questions that make you uncomfortable.

EITNER: Okay.

CUDDY: Did the illness impact you or your family in any way?

EITNER: Yup. Like I said before, I hadn't gotten it but a lot of people I knew around here got I, my mom ended up getting it, my grandparents thankfully never ended up getting it, but my cousins who worked, my uncle, I think my aunt ended up getting it. It affected a lot of people. My mom got pretty sick. She neglected to tell me when it was happening but she said she had it and I'm away up here so she didn't want to worry me. I found out months later.

CUDDY: Oh wow.

EITNER: Well how bad it was. I knew she had it but she unfortunately isn't going to act like that on the phone.

CUDDY: Of course. Well I'm glad that she was okay.

EITNER: Yeah. Thank you.

CUDDY: Do you think that this personal experience with COVID had any impacts on your outlook of the pandemic?

EITNER: No, not quite. I mean I've seen people who have gotten it and I've seen people who have recovered through it. It was a virus and it can be beaten.

CUDDY: Looking back do you have any big takeaways from those experiences?

EITNER: Nothing that I can recall.

CUDDY: So now as things transition back to normal, vaccines are more available, cases are decreasing, life is starting to get closer to how things were before. How do you think that transition is going?

EITNER: Slower than I would have expected. Here on campus I really wanted masks to go away, especially by spring break when they originally announced it but it didn't happen so yeah. I think we're getting there and I'm glad to see it. I can't wait for an actually normal Earth. I'm just excited to get back to normal.

CUDDY: And how will you make decisions about masks and things like that once the mandates are lifted and it's up to you?

EITNER: I won't be wearing masks. I haven't for a while now so I won't be wearing any. I know my family hasn't and people around me aren't. I think everybody is just sick of them and they see what they do and they see what the vaccines are doing and they're helping obviously. I think they think there's no need for them anymore.

CUDDY: It's been a long few years of having them. So what lessons or knowledge have you gained over the past three years that you think you can take with you into the future once we get past COVID?

EITNER: Is this a COVID question?

CUDDY: Yeah, so things that happened during COVID are there any lessons you can take with you from your time during COVID as we start to get past it?

EITNER: Okay. Be more mindful of what other people are going through and just listen to what they have to say. I think looking back on it I like to make sure I can see both sides to a story before I make a decision so I like to make sure that happens. Just make sure, don't jump to conclusions about people and situations.

CUDDY: That's a good lesson to learn. So as we close the interview, are there any topics that expected or hoped that we would cover today that we haven't addressed?

EITNER: Not that I can think of right now. You hit it all.

CUDDY: Are there any topics that you would like to revisit?

EITNER: I think you're good bud.

CUDDY: Well thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

EITNER: No problem, thank you.