Airing on the side of precaution, the Board of Education has ordered the shutdown of all schools—from elementary schools to university campuses—as the coronavirus spread has tackled a higher population nationally.
The closing down of schools has, of course, created a mixed reaction among students. High School students have celebrated across social media because there’s no school. But, for college students, this reality of campus closure has been different.
“As a graduating senior, my initial thoughts were that I was being forced to end this chapter of my life early,” said Stephanie Brito, a Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) alumna and senior at Stanford University.
“Beyond that, I’m worried that a university, a place with so many people constantly in close contact, is the worst place to be during an outbreak.”
Shutting down schools has been what has been asked of all institutions, specially because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending to not gather in groups bigger than 50–which is something that could be impossible in campus life.
The closure of these schools is now cutting the school year short for students, but beside that, it is mainly affecting students that are low-income, don’t have a place to go (such as homeless students and international pupils), and depend on these institutions to meet basic needs—food, housing, access to mental health resources, etc. The closure of campuses is simply creating disproportionate economic burdens on many.
This is something that was being specifically expressed of the top tier colleges.
“Although these are necessary and warranted steps in order to ensure the student body is safe from illness, it’s also very reckless and inconsiderate on the University’s part,” said Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) alumna and freshman at Yale University, Valeria Bula.
“Schools like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, etc, have billions of dollars in endowment and the fact that they are doing the bare minimum for first generation low-income students is quite appalling,” she continued.
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“They don’t seem to consider how a lot of students don’t have homes they are comfortable going to, depend on on-campus jobs to cover their expenses, don’t have Internet access at home, and a plethora of other issues.”
Mixed emotions emerged from students and teachers alike as colleges scramble to transition learning to virtual classrooms and, with this plan of action, mass community uncertainty persists.
“A lot of Amherst students rely on the health plan and campus counselors or therapists,” said MLEC alumna and Amherst College sophomore Daylin Delgado.
“Unfortunately, giving sessions online requires special licensing that many don’t have, which means there’s a lot of students losing profesional mental health help that they may not be able to get back home.”
For college students, just like High School students, the cancellation of school does not mean that classes are over. Learning is now shifting towards online communication, which, like Delgado highlighted, further affects college students in regards to the accessibility of the resources they could once enjoy on campus. Besides that, this sudden shift also means that the education of students who do not have internet access is going to be hurt.
“Some students don’t have Internet access, some, like myself, have to find jobs now to make up for the income loss and so we may not have schedules that align with online courses, and there’s also the problem of different time zones,” said Bula.
“Learning definitely won’t be nearly as engaging nor beneficial through these means, coupled with the distress a lot of students are facing.”
As of now, college campuses will remain closed. The majority have already cancelled their Spring term and moved entirely into online learning.
The question of when these institutions will re-open is one that nobody knows with certainty—just like with schools. The CDC recommends the cancellation of all events with 50 people or more for the next 8 weeks, so for now, the coronavirus will continue interrupting the American university life experience.
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While it sucks for everyone, my heart goes out to other FGLI seniors who probably won’t get to walk across the stage this spring in cap and gown, celebrating all of our success and remembering the incredible hardships it took to get here
— hostile woman (@HostileWoman) March 14, 2020
