In the wake of the Smith administration’s decision on Aug. 5 to host classes fully remotely this fall semester, students are frustrated but ultimately understanding of the situation.
“When this plan came out I was very disappointed and not very surprised,” Adrienne Wander ‘23 said.
In the weeks between the original announcement on July 6 stating that first years and sophomores were allowed back on campus to the Aug. 5 change of plans, students were frantically figuring out if they should transfer and defer, signing leases across the country, and finding internships and jobs to make the best out of their new living and learning situations. With the Aug. 5 announcement, many students, especially first years, sophomores, and international students, are now again searching for new plans for the fall semester that starts in three weeks on Sept. 1.
International students are in a tough situation with the new announcement, having only weeks to figure out visas and living situations. As of Aug. 11 the form to request to live on campus is not open yet.
Sara Halili ‘22, an international student from Albania who was planning on living on campus as an HCA this fall, does not know where she is going to live on September 1. She lived on campus until the end of the spring semester and then moved to New Jersey with family friends for the summer. Halili ‘22’s parents are currently immigrants in Greece, and she does not have immigration permission to live with them this September.
“I don’t know if I will want to go back [to Albania],” Halili said. “I am worried about traveling in the pandemic, and there are not many flights to my country anyways.”
“Your reaction depends on what kind of household you live in,” Jaden Gerard ‘24 said. “It can be really devastating if you live in a certain type of household.”
The Aug. 5 announcement triggered mental health problems across the Smith College community. The day the new announcement was made discussion of eating disorders, suicide, and feelings of helplessness echoed throughout the Smith Confessional, the anonymous posting board for Smith.
Smith is often more accepting of the queer community than students’ families, and Smith is known as a safehaven for queer life far beyond the Pioneer Valley. With this new announcement, many students are devastated to lose their in-person queer lifestyles and an environment that allows for safety in expression.
“I’m completely isolated here [at home],” Chloe Willison ‘23 said. “I want to go back to Smith to be around queer people. I don’t feel like myself at home.”
First years, excited about their first time in college, are now faced with the decision to start college remotely or defer for the year. The Admissions office at Smith did not provide the Sophian with the number of students who are deferring when requested.
One of many students who have deferred is Maddie Rehrman ‘25. Rehrman made the decision before Smith announced her class would not be returning to campus. “My entire school career I thought I would graduate in 2024, and now I am going to have a whole year off, and that is strange, but I think it is the right choice for me,” Rehrman said.
Gerard made the opposite decision. Gerard excitedly planned out every detail of her arrival to Smith, including testing and what she was going to visit first. Now she will live at home with her parents and take classes remotely during her first year.
When asked why she decided to start Smith while it is remote, Gerard said, “I have been excited about college since fifth grade, and I don’t want to slow that down.”
Sophomores are also in a precarious situation finding living situations for the year. Many students who were originally excited to live on campus are now faced with the reality of living with their parents for the foreseeable future.
Many sophomores fear how their academic planning will be stifled by a remote experience. “I don’t know what I want to do for my major,” Izzy Bruno ‘23 said. “It is going to be really hard to decide what I want to do and shop for classes while it is all remote.”
Some students quickly looked for leases since the Aug. 5 announcement came out. Eden Mourad ‘23 has decided to live in New York City for the semester and is currently looking for other Smith students to sign a lease with. Many upperclassmen, who were not invited back but thought they would be able to use campus resources, have already found leases in the area. Other Smithies have decided to rent homes together around the country.
Students have many critiques of how the administration handled the decision to move to complete remote learning. “I would have rather that they didn’t tell us we were going back in the first place,” Bruno said.
January graduates were also invited back to campus and are disappointed that their plans changed so suddenly.
Tahlia Deady ‘20J was planning on living on campus but will now be staying with her family in Oregon. “I get along with my mom, but at the end of the day I am 22 living with my mother, so it’s not ideal,” Deady said.
There is a sense of understanding about the administration’s decision throughout the student body. “At this point nothing is surprising anymore in 2020 I will deal with anything that happens,” Halili said.
