Editor’s note: All opinions expressed in this article belong to their respective author. Check our section “Voices” dedicated to opinion pieces on AUI Chronicle. This piece was co-written with Hiba Mezzyane.
Scrolling down the Facebook group, “Student Community at AUI”, one cannot fail to notice the huge number of students willing to come back on campus. Many of them are continuously pointing the numerous flaws of the university’s approach towards Fall 2020. It seems like we are unable to articulate a clear opinion about the eventualities of next semester, considering the current sanitary circumstance.
COVID-19 is far from being over. Morocco is still in the middle of the second wave of infection and the risk is higher than ever. More restrictions are being established by the state regarding higher education. To illustrate, the minister of National Education, Said Amzazi, has stated that all campuses allowing more than 4 to 5 people in one room are to be closed until further notice. He claims that this decision has been made in joint with both ministries of Health and Interior. In the case of AUI, the university has issued no official statement regarding the ministry’s decision and still holds onto its prior decision of operating at 50% capacity, allowing only newcomers (both undergraduate and graduate-level), graduating seniors, mentors, resident assistants, etc.
Coming back to campus, at what cost?
Taking into account the e-learning experience in Spring 2020, students found themselves facing countless challenges at their homes. Many found it hard to follow their classes online which affected their grades and academic life. Following the recent decision of the university, students, afraid of reliving the Spring scenario, rushed to various platforms, expressing their demands to pursue their classes on campus. One could count the various factors that led them to make such demands. Some face connectivity issues whereas others are finding it difficult to study in their homes. The reasoning behind such arguments is understandable. However, there must be a set back to reality, considering the current pandemic situation in Morocco.
In fact, students must assess the current situation and think about the whole community of Ifrane. The small remote city in the Middle Atlas, has no proper infrastructure nor adequate health facilities. Additionally, it has a very limited revenue with a population that does not exceed 15.318. Therefore, it is important to consider the former when articulating a decision regarding next Fall. Additionally, students must acknowledge the evolution of the country’s sanitary situation as well as the heavy repercussions of the pandemic where many cities’ health facilities are being overwhelmed and over-charged, as we speak.
As mentioned before, Morocco is witnessing a second wave of infection that has proven to be worse than the previous one. The risk is present now more than ever and gatherings are to be avoided altogether. Although many would say that students are to be held responsible and they are mature enough to mitigate the risks, one must not forget that transgressions are bound to happen, and any mistake might cost many students’ lives. While some solutions do seem evident and easy, we must not forget that the university is facing unprecedented challenges and there are several factors that we are not aware of.
Regardless of the scenarios and outcomes of the next semester, we must all be held accountable for our actions. In case Fall 2020 is on campus, the student body must be aware of the responsibility that is present by maintaining and respecting all the regulations set by the university to protect us from the virus.
Re-opening the university appears to be a financial must, the “how” is a problem
The only reason why universities in the US are re-opening is the huge loss incurred by room and board charges once learning moved online. While reopening is a difficult process that already created a lot of issues in different colleges around the world (rising clusters amongst students, difficulty to control students’ behavior, etc.), universities have no choice but to re-open in order to generate more financial resources to better mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
In AUI, it is true that the university expressed its concern about its financial situation as it intends to continue paying staff and faculty, invest in infrastructure upgrades but also cuts in already struggling auxiliary operations (Executive Education, Research, Events, etc.). On the other hand, the university is still determined to execute a strategic plan that focuses heavily on growth in terms of numbers, external marketing, and additional majors despite the current context. This leaves students perplexed because of two main issues: tuition fees and common fees, and whether it is right to pay the same amount of money for fewer services as well as what priorities should we set as a university in these difficult times.
Besides, a problematic question remains: How to ensure that returning on campus is safe for students, staff, and faculty?
Bringing back a big number of students, between 1200 and 1300, to campus will not be an easy task. Monitoring more than 1000 students, aged between 18 and 22 will prove to be difficult since one could argue that some might not be very considerate of the current circumstances. Therefore, a breach of rules can be expected, and how to deal with such cases of irresponsibility will be a challenge.
Furthermore, it is important to note that severe restrictions will have to be put in place on students who will probably have to stay on campus and limit contact with their peers. This will jeopardize the student experience that AUI promises to its new students. These restrictions will also have to be put on faculty and staff given that 4 cases were already recorded in AUI before any presence of students on campus.
With less than two weeks before the beginning of the new student orientation program, a huge number of questions remain unanswered, revealing either a huge lack of communication on how next semester will be managed (as other liberal arts universities in the region have done) or an absence of concrete plans (contingency plans, details on the movement of students, housing regulations, etc.). In both cases, students remain anxious and can only voice their concerns on social media.
“What would you do?”: Planning is hard when everything is uncertain
Make no mistake, delivering a concrete plan in a context full of uncertainty is nearly impossible. Decisions will be difficult and will not be able to please every single member of our community. All we can do is set scenarios, study them thoroughly, and listen to all parties involved. An approach that the university has taken, only to fail in terms of true and transparent communication with its students.
A vacuum of information has been created since early August when students started raising concerns about how the situation will evolve. While it is true that no answers could have been provided, a better link between students and the administration through proper statements, video speeches and a hotline to answer any concerns could have made the student experience better. This left the SGA trying to communicate and answer questions to which they do not have answers through Facebook.
Despite the lack of communication, we still must acknowledge how difficult decision-making can be in these uncertain times. Variables and official decisions keep changing from week to week and different stakeholders are affected differently by potential decisions, making planning and expectations very difficult.
We sincerely hope that we overcome all challenges that are currently causing concern and anxiety for all members of our community. These challenges are also a great opportunity for us to develop resilience, flexibility, and learn valuable lessons about crisis management for years to come.
