American University (AU) announced on Oct. 26, the spring semester plan in an email from President Sylvia Burwell. Filled with vagueness, many students expressed concern and frustration as the announcement does not provide any more clarity for what the spring semester is going to look like. Many students share the common opinion that “with it as vague as it is, there will be a repeat of what it was this past semester.”
“Students need answers. Which groups specifically are invited onto campus? Which specific courses allow for on-campus labs? These are things that should have been decided before the plan went out,” says Ally Fox.
The only thing that was clearly laid out in President Burwell’s email was the health and safety measures being taken on campus. There will be increased COVID-19 testing as well as required facial coverings and sanitization stations around campus.
One big change is the cancellation of spring break and the delayed start to the spring semester. Classes will now begin after Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19, 2021. The reason for this is to mitigate the spread of the virus as a result of student travel.
Many students have strong opinions about the impacts and implications of this change.
Chloe Leeds, a freshman at AU, believes that “what American University is hoping to offer is not enough to make canceling spring break worth it, as if anything is offered, it will only be very minimal and for very few students.” She goes on to say that “as we approach January, we will know more about what it looks like in terms of the pandemic. If it continues to get, worse, which it is predicted to this winter, it will be a safer bet to stay completely online until the following semester.”
A junior at American University says they “think the one thing [American University] was specific on, no spring break and a week late start, should not be done. Since spring break is very important for people’s mental health and since [people’s mental health] is already not good because we are online, they should not take that away”.
Other colleges, such as Virginia Commonwealth University, have chosen a creative alternative for spring break. These schools are transitioning their spring break into study days which some universities are referring to as reading days. These days will allow students a break from classes while also ensuring that students stay on campus.
Hajjer Amer, a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University, believes “reading days are a great replacement for spring break because it gives students a break from school without the risk of having a COVID outbreak.”
When looking at the cancellation of spring break, it is important to look at the health implications currently associated with travel. Keeping in mind immunocompromised students, the cancellation of spring break sounds like the only viable option at the current moment.
The spring plan includes the possibility of more in-person co-curricular events and “double the number of in-person classes offered in the fall.” The problem with this statement is that there were zero in-person classes offered in the fall. As many students put it, when you double zero, you are still left with zero.
One student expressed that “though [she hates] being online, [she] think[s] for the safety of the staff, and the professors, and the students, and all the people in the DC area that college students come in contact with it is better if we are just fully online for another semester, at least until we get this more under control, and hopefully a better president”.
Additionally, American University plans to offer a “limited way for students with specific programmatic requirements to be on-campus and/or acute housing needs.” Although American University made this statement, they did not provide any specification on who would qualify for such housing. Many students were led to believe that students with on-campus classes may be able to live on campus.
As the spring semester nears, students are busy at work trying to secure housing arrangements. Without clear direction from the university, students are unsure how to plan for next semester. Due to the demand, housing costs are rapidly rising as availability decreases. Students are being forced to find housing outside of the city or even in hotels. Rising costs are leaving many students unable to afford housing in Washington D.C.
Annie Berlin, a freshman at American University, has found “it is really hard finding an apartment when [she] is living on the other side of the country because [she] can’t go in person to look at the apartments. If it was not for [her] roommate living near DC [she] would not feel as comfortable moving into the apartment [she is] going to be living in.” She finds it “alarming for a relatively small school to not prioritize their students.”
The impact that the American University decision has on students is problematic, but for freshman students, they have never even had the opportunity to experience in-person classes and residential life.
For first-year students, there is also the possibility of a “mini-mester” which would allow a bigger group of first-year students to live on campus for the second half of the spring semester.
For many freshmen, including Jody Mancuso, “the ‘mini-mester’ honestly makes zero sense since it’s only for the latter half of spring semester”.
Berlin finds it completely “irrational to bring students to DC for a short period of time in which they could potentially get COVID and spread it to people in DC and their hometowns.”
Chloe Leeds, says she “understands that American University is trying their best to be safe while also having potential opportunities, such as on-campus housing for students, but [she] would prefer if they were more straightforward about the unlikelihood of returning to campus in any capacity next semester.”
As we learn more about the spring semester, it is looking like virtual instruction will continue to be the main mode of lesson delivery. As Mancuso puts it, “being stuck on zoom is crushing our social spirit, mental state, and our souls. Students aren’t battery-powered machines— we need social interaction to keep ourselves going instead of being isolated from one another.”
With American University’s spring plan announcement, it is important to make time for yourself and check in with your friends. If you feel that things are becoming too much to handle and you need to reach out for help, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is always accessible by calling 800-273-8255.
Photo Credit: Her Campus Media Library