Photo by Daniel Chekalov on Unsplash
By Lexy Gierszal, Contributing Writer
After talking with students who chose to stay remote this fall, I came across some interesting reasons as to why they took this option.
For some, the appeal of knowing they would be home and not have to face the possibility of moving out early again was enough, for others finances drew them in the remote direction.
For junior Brynn Crawford, the stability remote learning would provide was enough for her to remain home this semester.
“This route would allow me to know where I was going to be living and working from for the whole semester,” Crawford said. “This option was very attractive to me because I would not have to worry about any major changes, such as being sent home or being quarantined, happening during the academic semester.”
Other students chose the remote option to save money on room and board.
“I decided that for the amount I was paying to be on campus but still have some classes online, I could stay at home where I felt more safe and comfortable during this pandemic,” senior Sam Brumagin said.
When asked if they believe Susquehanna has been doing right by its remote students, opinions differed.
“Personally, I have had to make a lot of significant changes to my learning style in order to adapt to online classes. I would have really appreciated some kind of support/guidance from the university on ways that I could adapt my learning style to suit online courses,” Crawford said.
Brumagin said she’s seen good and bad.
“It really depends on the class. Some of my teachers have done a phenomenal job of using platforms such as Zoom, Blackboard and Microsoft Teams to make class effective,” she said.
Some of the biggest complaints remote students have had are about the workload they have been receiving from professors, as well as extra costs they have now as remote students, that they would not have had if they were on campus.
In regards to this semester’s workload Brumagin said, “I do believe that most teachers seem to give more work to be done outside of class time instead of utilizing our allotted class time. They seem to be treating it as if all we do is sit home, when in fact, I am still working and part of clubs and organizations.
Within the first two weeks of classes Crawford was required to purchase materials for courses that would normally be provided by the university.
“In the first couple weeks of classes I had two incidents where I was required to purchase course materials for labs that would have otherwise been provided to students at no cost. It does not seem fair or right to me that I should have to incur these additional costs just because I have chosen to learn remotely this semester,” Crawford said.
Even with these challenges remote students believe that Susquehanna is working hard as hard as it can and will adjust.
Brumagin said, “Overall, I think the university is doing the best it can, but there is definitely room for improvement.”
