Ice storm disrupts remote learning
Vehicles and scenery around Marshall University’s campus were covered in ice from the storms that came through Monday night.
In the past weeks, the greater Huntington area has seen a considerably large ice storm that – according to Appalachian Power as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday – has left 33,398 customers without power in Cabell county alone. Thus, the university decided to cancel both in-person and virtual classes; however, some students have felt the burden of the storm more than others.
Leslie Meade is a senior elementary education student from Buffalo, W.Va, who initially lost power last Thursday but has been out of an internet connection since last Wednesday. Additionally, her cell phone service is very weak because of the rural area where she lives. Although she said some professors have been very understanding, others have not been as accommodating.
When asked if professors are less understanding of students in rural areas, she said, “Most definitely. I think many of them believe we are all in Huntington, and that is not the case.”
Meade showed The Parthenon an email from a professor asking her to turn in an assignment by tomorrow, even if it meant traveling to campus, which she said she does not feel safe or comfortable doing right now.
Meade wishes more professors would understand the storm’s impact and simply extend the deadlines for assignments.
Other students across social media have complained about similar claims about professors asking them to drive to campus to complete coursework, so this does not seem to be an isolated incident that Meade faces.
Jamie Taylor, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, sent an email to the deans of each college after a Twitter account tweeted to President Gilbert about the many students outside of Huntington and professors still “piling on” lectures and assignments. Taylor asked the deans to be considerate of students who are still struggling with power and spotty internet.
Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Media, Wendell Dobbs, sent an email to faculty in the school which read, “Keeping up with assignments in the face of this weather crisis, coupled with the ongoing crisis of COVID, is undoubtedly pushing many students to the edge of their abilities.”
A spokesperson from the University responded to these issues saying: “Instructors have been asked to be understanding and to work with students who may be facing special challenges. Students who are having issues completing class work during this weather should contact the instructor first to see if they can work out accommodations. The Office of Student Advocacy and Support also is available to assist.”
Tyler Spence can be contacted at spence83@marshall.edu.
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Kateryna Schray • Feb 17, 2021 at 1:46 pm
My heart goes out to Leslie and the many other students in this situation. My name is Kateryna Schray and I am an English professor currently serving as the interim director of the Office of Student Success.
Our FAM peer mentoring program has been alerting us to the plight of individual students without power/internet, and we have been reaching out to their professors asking for their help and understanding. Thankfully, every colleague I’ve emailed on behalf of students has responded with kindness and support for students. I am sending thank you emails to their deans. Many of our students are indeed pushed to the edge despite the best efforts of everyone on campus. Learning under COVID, multiple terms in quarantine, power outages, lack of internet, spotty cell phone service and inclement weather have all affected our students ability to succeed.
STUDENTS: Please know that you are not alone and that we get it. Please believe that you will look back on this challenging time and see yourself, rightly so, as heroic. I can only imagine how stressed out, helpless and anxious you must feel. You have worked so hard to get to college, scraped together the tuition and fees and, despite everyone’s sincere and best efforts, it is nothing like what you had hoped and dreamed it would be. We understand this.
Your faculty want to help: YOU are the reason they are at Marshall and, for most professors, walking into the classroom is the best part of their day. If you can read this and you feel overwhelmed and have no one to help you, please send an email to the Office of Student Success at [email protected]. We can help with academic matters and often work with the Office of Student Advocacy and Support — and that office is truly great — Michelle Biggs goes to the ends of the earth for students. Please know that we are grateful that you are here, that every single one of you matters to us and that we genuinely care about you. Don’t do this alone — let us help.