On Arriving Early
Helen Wajda, Deputy Opinion Editor
I’ve never been more uncomfortable than the five minutes before class started where it was just me, my professor and my TA on Zoom together. Should I just sit and wait, despite feeling awkward and no one saying anything? Do I leave and come back in five minutes, even though both already saw that I joined? Nothing prepared me for this, and I’ll never be the same.
On Disorder
Kim Rice, Deputy Copy Chief
Let me make it clear, I am not blaming NYU … fully. I understand this had to happen, and I mean in the grand scheme of things they are handling things better than other institutions (Harvard, I’m looking at you). However, I have no clue what in the f-ck I am doing. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not all that tech savvy. HOW IN THE FREAK am I going to have all my classes online? I have had two classes online so far and they both were a mess. No one had the common sense to silence their mic, especially if they were outside. And professors do not read the chat in a timely manner and they just teach and then look and nonchalantly go “oh oops, guess you guys didn’t see that.” Also, and almost more importantly, Zoom was up on Classes faster than anything has ever been fixed/added onto Classes, ever. I want to hear nothing about IT updates from now on since I know that they can add fixtures and things onto Classes in less than 24 hours. Lastly, I am wearing pjs to every Zoom session and I don’t want to hear a damn thing because this is what happens when the furthest I am going is from my bed to my desk, which is right next to my bed. I’ll see you guys in April in person, or else never again.
On Andy
Gabby Lozano, Deputy Opinion Editor
A girl in one of my classes set our beloved Andy Hamilton as her background — that should tell you everything you need to know about how seriously I’m taking this Brady Bunch chat.
On Tuition
Jake Capriotti, Photo Editor
I’m sorry — when did the University of Phoenix become $65,000 a year?
On Early Mornings
Arvind Sriram, Sports Editor
I’ve never expected to have classes at 5 and 6:30 a.m., but that’s the magic of time zones.
On Small Talk
Jun Sung, Opinion Editor
Nothing is weirder than the feeling of leaving your breakout room early and being the first person back in the main room. The awkwardness that I felt when I had to engage in unnecessary small talk with my professor over Zoom is something that will always stay with me.
On Learning From Abroad
Alexandra Chan, Multimedia Editor
Most of Hong Kong’s institutions have been online since last fall. I understand that moving education online is a huge undertaking, but it’s not entirely impossible and here is where we need to look to each other’s struggles. There are actual examples of how institutions can transition into online learning, and while it’s not perfect, it can be worked on. There are lessons to be learned from how people in Asia have done to face the virus, but many more have rather grumbled about how it can never be achieved. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not crediting the governments who have provided no support. All this was done by the people. My point is that while there are struggles with online learning, look beyond the limited experience of U.S. institutions and learn from others.
Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.
Email WSN Staff at [email protected].
