When she heard her classes would be online until the end of February due to the COVID-19 pandemic, surprise was not one of the first reactions for Lindsay McKenzie, a first-year English student at Western University. She didn’t understand how the university was having 300-person lectures in the first place.
“I wasn’t surprised when they said the end of February, but I assumed everyone would be doing that,” McKenzie said.
Due to the spread of the Omicron variant, Western University announced on Jan. 14 it would hold first-year students back from in-person classes until Feb. 28. Meanwhile, second, third and fourth-year students returned to campus on Jan. 31.
“We are hopeful that this staggered return will minimize transmission and the impact on the health care system,” the announcement read.
McKenzie is one of many first-years who say that while they understand the delay, they’re struggling with online school.
“It feels a little unfair but it makes sense with how first-years act and the fact that most of them live very close together, so I’m not that mad about it,” McKenzie said. “Late February does seem like a really long time compared to the upper years, but it’s going by pretty quickly.”
Chrysa Balaka, a first-year student in Western’s music program, described the current situation as “a little annoying, I guess. I’m in the music program and I feel like I have to be there.” Like McKenzie, Balaka said she thought more schools would be online.
“I understand why we’ve been held back from in-person classes,” Balaka said. “First-years would be the ones to spread COVID-19 so quickly just because of residence.”
A staggered return to campus has been done at other universities, including McMaster University, which allowed its first years to return on-campus on Jan. 31. A week later, second, third and fourth-years returned to in-person classes. In its policy announcement, the university said it was starting with first-years to give them a chance to adjust to in-person activities.
Balaka described her Zoom classes as “awkward” because everyone must play their instruments with their cameras off. While Western does allow a handful of music classes, including first-year courses, to continue in-person if students wish to come in, Balaka said her hometown is too far to make the trip for one class.
“Ensemble just isn’t the same online. You can see everyone playing but no one can actually hear you. I feel like I have to go back,” Balaka said.
Because of the delayed return, first-years are also being refunded residence fees for January and February. However, residence students are allowed to submit an early move-in request if they wish to return before Feb. 27.
Besides the logistical difficulty of online classes, Balaka also said being away from in-person classes creates a challenging learning environment.
“I find that being in the school environment makes me work better. The desk in my residence room is where I do all of my homework,” Balaka said, adding that going from doing homework in a school setting to her bedroom has been difficult.
While some students have returned to residence early, they say the experience has been lacklustre. Denis Tzvetkov, a first-year kinesiology student, returned to campus to train with Western’s track team, but it was postponed.
There was no possibility of a residence refund as he had returned in January.
Although Tzvetkov has since been able to return to the track with the resumption of athletics in February, he said being held back from classrooms is an injustice.
“I’ve been back in residence since Jan. 2, so it was super lonely and quiet here. It felt like I was missing out on the experience because I was just staying in my room all day just doing homework,” Tzvetkov said. “Feels like I’m paying full price for half the experience.”
Other students like Balaka said that despite the delay, they’re still excited to go back.
“I think it’s super worthwhile to go back even if it’s just for a month,” she said. “I find myself really slacking when it comes to online learning and being physically in the class will be a great motivator.”
Featured image by Aaron Greenspan.
