Fresno State must recognize the hard reality of virtual learning for first-gen students
Who would have thought that March 12, 2020 would be our last day on campus? That day I sat in the classroom anxiously taking my first midterm as a first-generation four-year university student. Later that day, I opened my email to what would change my way of learning indefinitely. Fresno State informed its 25,000 students that due to COVID-19, classes would resume virtually in a week while professors prepare to teach online. As universities worldwide scrambled to adjust to virtual learning, many managed to endure the semester. Many professors were understanding since they themselves were adjusting to the new reality.
However, this past fall semester seemed to be different. Some professors expected their students to treat the semester as a regular in-person semester with the same expectations. In at least one case, students were required to arrive five minutes prior to class to enter the Zoom lecture; otherwise, they could not get in. Some professors were not posting recorded lectures for students to access on their own time.
The academic workload on top of unprecedented personal and work demands through this crisis is debilitating on our personal, social, physical and mental well-being.
“I breathe, eat, and sleep homework! I can’t continue living this way. For that reason, I am dropping the semester,” one friend told me, overwhelmed. She was a diligent student; her entire planner was full of deadlines. I was the one who would constantly seem to struggle to keep up with homework. Every week, we spend hours with our fingers stuck on the computer keys, our eyes glued to the screen, our minds exhausted, our bodies screaming in pain from being largely sedentary, but continuing on. When we received our grades, it was pitiful to see that the hours of work came out to be less than average grades. This prepared student left her dreams while being so close to finishing the semester.
She is not alone, as other students have voiced their concerns with the academic demands. A transfer student expressed, “I am hanging by a thread with 9 units but, in reality focusing on just one class because of how tough it is to be a student while adjusting to a new place. In addition, controlling my Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD with the news that my father has developed Alzheimer. I have worked my butt off to transfer, but now I am feeling like I have been robbed.” When asked if she will attend next semester, she said, “I don’t want to, but most likely or else I will lose my financial aid.” Another student spent 78-102 hours a week focusing on class-related tasks. “The workload is consuming my social life and mental health. I am burning out.” Clearly, I was not the only student spending more than 60 hours each week doing homework. There are many more untold stories of students who share the same experiences.
Let us also not forget that Fresno State has a high rate of first-generation students; in 2018, there were 71% of us. I do not have immediate family spheres to mentor me academically. Since I come from lower-income family and lack academic mentorship, I am highly prone to drop out. This can be true for many.
I request for administration and faculty to acknowledge and address the harmful effects of the lack of compassion, understanding and flexibility on us students. Keep high academic standards, but please be considerate of hardworking, stretched-out students when giving course requirements. Fresno State, this pandemic is not going away soon. How can we support our students to put them in the best position to thrive and be the leader that other higher education institutions across the country will look up to?