How is my University Handling COVID-19?
The good, the bad, the ugly — As a current student, I will give a personal review of how UNC Chapel Hill is handling the global pandemic
I am currently a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and I am living with my parents in Charlotte, NC right now. Before I begin, I want to share my goals and motivators for writing this piece.
- Provide insight to the experiences of a college student amidst a pandemic
- Potentially communicate to leadership or administration from any university how academics are faring during this time
- Simply share my story; though many are experiencing what I am right now, every story has a unique perspective
My goal is not to “call out” UNC Chapel Hill. I love my university and they have done so much for my education advancement. However, I think it is important to assess what is happening right now.
I suppose the story begins March 11th, 2020. This is when the university first communicated that we would have an extended spring break. My friends and I were in Miami, constantly worrying about coronavirus and our status at school. As we were driving around a Miami millionaire neighborhood, we got the email about spring break that sent us into panic. The idea of an extended break was both intriguing and nerve wrecking. Should we be excited that there’s no school? Should we be worried? Is the world about to descend into chaos? The latter would prove to be very true.
At first, it appeared that UNC was leading the pack. We were not coming back to school, we moved out of our dorms, and transitioned to remote learning. UNC also offered pass/fail courses which many utilized. Though the move to online classes took time and was honestly quite strenuous, I recognized that this was a new experience for everyone. So, I believed that I would just do my best in school while the university took care of the big picture issues. It was only the summer before this semester, Fall 2020, when I became apprehensive.
For Fall 2020, UNC decided to have in person classes, remote classes (including synchronous and asynchronous), and hybrid classes. These modes of instruction were not flexible and if you were in an in person class, you could not take that course remotely. I think this was the first mistake. This plan did not allow those who needed to be home with family and social distancing the chance to do so. For example, I had only one in person class and it was required for my major. I could not change this class. For this single course, I moved into an on campus dorm, as that is what my financial aid would cover. This was not ideal and it was a hassle, but I know other students were not afforded the luxury of changing their living situation.
Two weeks later, all courses were online. So, I moved out of the dorm, making my third move to or from campus this year. Making the time to move so suddenly was difficult, but I made it work. I was disappointed that UNC either had not foreseen this or chose to ignore this inevitable outcome.
Personally, and I know they would never admit it, I believe UNC was only thinking of themselves and the institution’s finances. They made some classes in person so full tuition and fees could be paid and students would require housing. Those are the primary money-makers of probably any institution. As a senior, I know UNC has done some rather distasteful things, such as with the Silent Sam situation, so this does not surprise me.
Another specific aspect of remote learning that is problematic is of course technology. While I am fortunate enough to have a laptop and stable internet, others do not. This makes it difficult to do assignments, get on zoom, meet with groups for group projects, and essentially function in the online realm. Additionally, there are also problems with technology assistance.
Quick story time:
On campus, I would take my laptop to the undergraduate library technology service desk if I was having issues, which I often do because my UNC laptop seems to be constantly broken. The service desk would give me a replacement computer then my mine would be fixed in a few hours or days. This applied to anyone with a UNC computer, which I’d like to believe is most students. However, being remote makes this difficult. When my very faulty, problematic laptop would not charge, I spent $45 to mail it in. However, they would not mail me back a loaner computer, so I had to go back and forth between borrowing an older Chromebook, which did not have all of the capabilities that one needs for Zoom University, and borrowing another’s MacBook, which I was not used to. Neither were UNC computers so they did not have the technology or programs I needed to properly use them. Then, it took UNC about two weeks to repair; they ordered a new part which I paid $25 for. Then, at first they did not mail it back to me. They told me to pick it up, showing bad communication and attendance to the customer on their end. Eventually they mailed it though, and guess what? It still has problems. It will only go one hour off the charger. But it works, so it will suffice.
The story of the faulty laptop will always be my go-to for how I have been faring during the pandemic. I have had so many issues while lacking proper support from the university, and these issues also impact my academic performance.
I also have to mention many professor’s lack of empathy and invalidation of our situations. The expectations are still abnormally high and it actually feels like there is more academic work to complete. This is creating significant overall stress. Topped with personal problems and the stress of applying to a gap year program, this semester has certainly not been a breeze. Or a “smooth transition” as the university likes to say.
Normally I am proud to be a UNC student. However, the way they handled COVID-19, which was the next big thing after Silent Sam and addressing racial injustice, made me feel ashamed. People were talking about us on the news and on social media as a model of what not to do during a global pandemic. Now, when I say I go to UNC I typically get a response somewhere along the lines of, ‘oh… how’s that going? I heard about what’s going on over there.”
However, I am pushing through and trying to be academically and professionally successful while practicing good mental health. I hope that for next semester, we are able to remain in remote learning, with the option to live on campus for those who need it, and more resources will be available to us.
