By Victoria Durgin, Co-editor-in-chief
Susquehanna’s decision to extend spring break by one week has left many students wondering what will come next.
In an email sent to all students and faculty around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, Susquehanna University President Jonathan Green announced that students will not return from spring break as scheduled.
While the break was initially scheduled to end with classes resuming on March 16, students will now tentatively resume classes on March 23 instead.
Additionally, the university is looking at possible alternatives to traditional classwork, according to Green.
“We are committed to doing everything reasonably possible to ensure students are able to finish their semester on time. We are exploring online alternatives for students who are not able to return to campus for the remainder of the spring semester, including if circumstances require a longer-term physical campus closure,” Green said in the email.
In an email sent to all students on March 13, Susquehanna Provost Dave Ramsaran said the university is planning the best way to ensure all students can complete classes and graduate on time.
“We continue to monitor this evolving situation to ensure we are making decisions in the best interest of our community and campus learning environment,” Ramsaran said in the email.
Susquehanna Media and Communications specialist Amanda O’Rourke also said the faculty have some experience with online classwork should it become necessary.
“Fortunately, the university has been offering online education during its summer and winter sessions for some time and has built up a knowledge base within the faculty,” O’Rourke said.
Some students are still worried about what the end of the current semester might look like, especially for students who rely on multiple aspects of campus life for their needs.
“One of my big concerns is shared with many students who use their on-campus jobs to pay bills,” said Milo Brooking, a senior who works in the Information Technology (IT) department on campus.
Brooking said he uses the wages from this job to pay for his phone and car bills as well as paying down the interest on his student loans.
Other students have expressed similar concerns over the status of their campus employment as well.
Senior Jennifer Sauerman echoed Brooking’s concerns on Twitter.
“A lot of students with on campus jobs are worried about losing their only source of income,” Sauerman said.
O’Rourke said that students in this position should reach out to their supervisors.
“The university may be able to provide some remote paid work for students unable to be on campus and who are experiencing financial hardship,” O’Rourke said.
Sauerman also noted that this concern is growing amongst students as many schools are switching to online classes for weeks or even, in some cases, the rest of the semester.
This has led to some fear over what online classes might entail for students, though Susquehanna has not made a decision on the status of classes beyond March 22.
The emails from Green and Ramsaran both said that the university will communicate further instructions by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18.
Even still, it is a growing concern for Susquehanna students as they wait for further word from the university.
Sauerman said she––and others she has spoken with––are worried about how credits for things like practicum and laboratory work will transfer to an online environment. Several students are also concerned that they won’t have access to the software they need to do their work efficiently.
Outside of classes, some students are also worried about how much time they might be forced to spend away from campus.
“Susquehanna is the home of many students who aren’t welcome/supported in their homes and the uncertainty of when they can come home to Susquehanna is scary for them,” Sauerman said.
While worries about the future of classes remain unanswered because there is no plan to change class structure currently, students feel their concerns about issues like student employment and just wanting to be on campus are confusing to answer.
Brooking said he has reached out his supervisors on campus about ways to possibly work should campus remain closed. He said they have been supportive and sympathetic but ultimately are not able to definitively answer him.
“I know it’s not entirely their decision to make. [There’s] just a lot of uncertainty all around,” Brooking said.
