DUELING COLUMN: “Back-to-School” Summer Semester More Important Than Ever

Nicole Ardila/PantherNow

Nicole Ardila/Staff Writer

I lost my freshman year of college, I can’t handle losing another. It’s time to return to campus. 

If you’re like me, you’re probably dying to go back on-campus, or for even the first time ever. However, many people think it’s not worth the risk. 

Ever since the pandemic started, I wasn’t a fan of remote classes, it’s mentally frustrating and exhausting. I’ve previously touched on the subject of Zoom Fatigue, and it’s spreading amongst college students. Zoom classes not only drain students but they make them feel unmotivated to learn and awkward to socialize. They have also affected our mental and physical health. 

FIU students have admitted that they’re losing the college experience, and online classes are not as engaging compared to in-person classes, impacting their academics. 

There’s a study of over 7,000 college students and faculty that has reported that 70% of students say they’re falling behind, 48% of students from lower-income families struggle more to engage in remote classes than higher-income students. 

Refraining from opening back up the classrooms, not only harms the students’ education but the university’s financial stability. 

It’s been reported that freshman enrollment in the U.S. for Fall 2020 has decreased by an astonishing 13.1%. Last year, FIU estimated a fiscal impact of $29 million due to the pandemic and predicted a drop of 1% in enrollment for the 2020-21 year; which alone would cost $4 million to recover the loss in revenue. It is possible that for this reason, FIU decided to open back up the classrooms this upcoming summer term. 

Keeping in mind those who are concerned about the virus posing a risk to students or their immunocompromised family members, FIU has provided three options for summer term classes: Fully In-person, Certified Hybrid, and Fully Online. 

Some faculty members were feeling panicky when FIU mentioned that they wanted all staff to return to campus starting March 1st. They started to oppose the idea, but SGA President Valdes said “the way to start normalcy again, is for campus life to flourish, so we need students here.” She also suggested that faculty encourage students to return. 

Especially now that vaccines are released, more people are starting to feel more comfortable going out again. 

You may think that enforcing a vaccine requirement would be the solution to return to class, however, not all students plan on taking the vaccine. A mandate can challenge FIU to some possible lawsuits, which have been inevitable in past cases. To avoid that, the university would have to allow religious and medical exemptions. 

Students have the fundamental right to “equal access to a public education system”, therefore FIU, as a public university, must allow all students to return to campus, vaccinated or not. 

Our higher education, internships and career opportunities are much more important than some entertainment events held recently. 

If placing students in classrooms poses a risk, then why would 22,000 people gathering together at the Superbowl be considered safe? The nation is slowly progressing to going back to normal by enforcing safety guidelines in public places, so sending students back to classrooms should’ve been their highest priority, not an NFL game. 

In regards to safety, the CEO of FIU’s Healthcare Network, Dr. Eneida Roldan, believes that the university has the necessary resources to make the campus safe. 

As the SARS-CoV-2 continues to mutate, our reality is that this virus won’t be eradicated for several years from now, and we can’t put our lives on hold for that long. We have solutions, and instead, we’re focusing on the problems. A year has already passed and we have to dominate this virus by learning to live with it, and not let it control our lives any longer. 

Those who do not feel comfortable going back on campus should simply stay at home then, continuing online classes. But they shouldn’t take away the opportunity for those who want in-person classes more than anything.

A real college experience is one that students shouldn’t have to miss out on, and the more we remain online, the more valuable time we’ll throw away. 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

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