By Sadie Murphy 

Students had a variety of opinions to offer when questioned about how comfortable they were with the information supplied by the college for the upcoming semester proceeding the recent COVID Crisis. 

Ana, an incoming first-time freshman, feels confident in the information provided by the college. This is especially so because of her band teacher, Ms. Dolly. Ms. Dolly is a Glenville Alumni that Ana says “makes sure that the kids that are going there know everything they can.” 

Lily*, an upcoming sophomore, feels that while a fair amount of information was made available, there was not enough and they “needed to tell students a lot sooner.” Lily* says the most vital information that was left out was surrounding classes - “about what’s going on with them and a better explanation on the new procedures.” Her biggest worry is about some classes remaining in the face-to-face format that the CDC describes as the highest risk in IHE General Settings in their post Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education. ***

Jane*, an upcoming junior, spoke about how she felt that the information provided by the college was not adequate in making her feel comfortable in returning in the fall. “I don’t think the college has thought much past the money that they would lose if they made classes online. I also don’t think they thought how to encourage the social distancing guidelines because most students won’t follow them,” she tells the Phoenix adding, “It’s impossible to get a bunch of college students together and not expect parties to be thrown.” 

Jane* is currently working with her advisor, Dr. Jeremy Keene, to switch to all online classes for the fall semester. She says, “If I’m not able to, then I’m most likely taking the semester off.” For Jane* “college is important but it’s not that important.” However, she was quick to offer praise to her advisor for working hard to accommodate her wishes. We should all be grateful for wonderful advisors, like Dr. Keene, who, as Jane* describes, “understands the struggle of wanting to stay safe but also wanting to continue getting an education.” 

Jacob, an upcoming senior “according to Degreeworks,” had a different opinion to offer. While he believes that information provided could be more adequate, he “recognize[s] that the college seems to be trying to follow state guidelines as best they can.” He said,” I think, regrettably, that the college has done the absolute best it can in this time period before school starts, only it doesn’t seem to amount to much.”

“I think that opening schools this early while also being safe about it would have been impossible for Glenville considering their budget, the state's budget, and the overall state of politics [in] WV right now,” Jacob says, adding, “Glenville sadly isn’t WVU and probably couldn’t afford to take another semester off financially. And if they did, I doubt the state would want to help them open back up.” 

While Jacob admits that it would have been best if the college had a plan of action earlier so students could plan accordingly and provide more support for professors and the immunocompromised, he advises his peers who feel the college was inadequate in preparing for their return in the following statement:  

“I’d say honestly, don’t come back this semester. Your degree isn’t worth your life and can be put off as long as you need. If you think coming back to Glenville is going to be a significant risk to your health, take a semester off.” 

*denotes aliases that have replaced the actual identity of the individuals. 

 Further Updates            

Since these interviews, a lot of steps have been taken and shared through Glenville’s website and social media accounts. You can find links to various information regarding returns below.

              The “Glenville State College Re-opening Plan Summary” and “Return to Campus” can be found at: https://www.glenville.edu/emergency/COVID-19/reopening

              A Course Fee Waiver Request for classes that were not originally online-formated can be found at: https://www.cognitoforms.com/GlenvilleStateCollege9/Fall2020COVID19CourseFeeWaiverRequest   

              The following is an updated chart of move-in dates and a link to schedule an appointment to move back in:                                            https://www.cognitoforms.com/GlenvilleStateCollege1/Fall2020StudentCheckinForm