Support System
Born as twin premature miracle babies, Slippery Rock University students Dean and Ilisa Chasser have made it through life as a team.
The pair of 19-year-olds have lived their entire lives together, the most time ever spent apart being just two weeks.
As with so many other norms, however, the coronavirus pandemic will force them to adapt to a new definition of what is normal.
Dean moved into his dormitory at SRU during the early arrival period Monday. Full student move-in days will be Aug. 14 to 16, and classes will start Aug. 17.
Ilisa, who helped her brother move in, will return home to Lancaster County to continue her studies online.
“It's going to be really, really hard on me because we support each other,” Ilisa said. “But if he's going to succeed better here, I want him to be happy.”
As they prepared to enter their sophomore years at SRU, Dean and Ilisa were faced with a difficult decision.“People may say one of us or both of us made the wrong decision,” Dean said. “But the fact we're able to make the decision is a win.”At Slippery Rock, that choice is whether to return to campus in the middle of the pandemic or stay at home and complete the semester completely remote.At another local institution, Grove City College, students don't have that option. For better or worse, both SRU and GCC began accepting students back on campus this week.This decision — whether to stay or go — is what would finally force the Chasser twins apart for an extended period of time.Them both enrolling together at Slippery Rock in the first place was a welcome occurrence.Ilisa said she decided on The Rock first, without knowing where Dean would choose.When Dean also decided on SRU, the pair was happy they could continue to be together.“I know I couldn't do every day without Dean and I know he feels the same about me,” Ilisa said. “The fact that we both decided to come to school together was a crazy decision in the first place.”As freshmen last year, they were grateful to have a reminder of home to help ease the transition to college living.
This year, however, they won't have each other to lean on.An economics and finance major, Dean decided that while all his classes were going to be offered online, his best chance to succeed academically this semester would to be move into his dorm at SRU and be surrounded by his friends and peers.“I have a great support system of friends,” Dean said. “I just thought I would have a better learning environment at SRU.”Dean said his decision came down to one simple question: “How am I going to succeed?”With two of his three roommates, his girlfriend and his roommate's girlfriend all moving back to SRU this fall, Dean ultimately decided his best chance at success was to move in alongside them.With a better learning environment, moving back to college also comes with the risk of increased exposure to the coronavirus.Dean considered that in his decision-making process as well.While COVID cases in Lancaster County were rising, Dean said the case count in Butler County was remaining steady.Even as cases in Butler were on the rise in recent weeks, Dean said he still ultimately felt he would be safe at school.Facing the same decision, Ilisa made the choice to complete the semester at home, meaning she and her brother would have to separate for four months.An early childhood education and dance double major, Ilisa said her decision also came down to where she thought the best learning environment would be for her.Ilisa said she had originally planned to move back to SRU as well because some of her dance classes were going to be taught in a hybrid manner.When plans changed and her dance classes were moved completely online, Ilisa determined that home would be a better place for dancing than the somewhat cramped Rock Apartments.
When Slippery Rock's early arrival period finally began Monday, Ilisa went to help her brother, and reckon with the reality that they were about to be split up.The duo is also trying to find the positives in an otherwise negative situation.Ilisa said they could very well be apart later on in life and this time now could be a way to prepare for that.“We don't know what's going on in the future,” she said. They expect that this situation will be hard on their parents as well.The twins said it was hard for their parents to accept that the two of them would be split, but they understood each of their reasons and encouraged them to make their own choices.While Ilisa will be at home with their parents and younger brothers, Dean will be four hours away, trying to get the most out of his classes.While the distance is unlike anything the pair have had to deal with before, it isn't so great that it will keep them totally apart.“I'm going to make lots of trips up here,” Ilisa said. “I don't care how far it is.”
