The clock is ticking, and every day I get more doubtful that everything is going to be ready for the fall semester. I can only imagine how the higher-ups at Camosun are feeling as they’re slogging through what I’m sure are many overtime hours working to create a plan that could change at any moment.
This isn’t going to be easy for us: international students, for example, need to book tickets, get visas and study permits, maybe get a COVID test, set up isolation accommodations, and find a place to live once they get here—only then can they start to feel like they might be settled. I can’t imagine a world in which an international student isn’t stressed about the prospect of travelling across the globe for a semester that is as up in the air as the fall 2021 term is.
There is an insurmountable amount of political pressure to get back on campus for the fall semester, but at this point, for the government to say all systems are go seems unkind considering how much effort it takes the college to get things running again for September. Frankly, as each day goes by and places us closer to the fall semester with a lack of details about how this is going to play out, it’s irresponsible.
Travelling across the globe isn’t exactly easy to do right now. I’ve spoken to international students who are coming back this April for the start of term in the fall, and they have concerns. For example, there’s the possibility of getting here in April and finding out that classes for September will stay online. And they’re not the only ones who want to find some footing before September hits.
To aim for a partial return in the fall and a full return in January if all goes well seems like the more stable option to me. I realize nothing about this pandemic is stable, but the government has an opportunity here to show some confidence by putting forward a more solid plan. Impulsivity doesn’t make for a nice start to our post-pandemic world.