University must double down on in-class alternatives

There is no doubt that a snow day once in a while can be quite exciting; it can be nice for both professors and students to have a day off and enjoy the snow or just relax with a cup of hot chocolate. After five snow days in very close proximity, however, it comes time to re-evaluate the basic definition of a “snow day.” With tuition being as high as it is at this university, each class, depending on calculations and how many courses one takes, can cost upwards of $200. Although the debate rages on as to what students are really paying for -- the degree or the classes -- five snow days deep into this semester, it is time for the university to investigate different ways for students to connect with their professors and lecturers when they are isolated by snow.

Although no one wants to be ‘that person’ who tells the professor at the end of the class that she forgot to assign extra readings, there is indeed a growing abhorrence for cancellations on campus this semester. After the recent days off on Monday Feb. 9 and Tuesday Feb. 10 it became evident that frustrations were rising across the board in the Tufts community. One member of the student body declared that Tufts had become more like “staying at an expensive hotel” than going to college on the popular app “Yik-Yak.” The “yak” received a lot of upvotes, indicating that many students agreed. Although humorous in nature, the post was not far from the truth. What makes this truth unacceptable, however, is that there are entire universities that operate online. Is it so far-fetched to have an infrastructure to connect students to professors when they cannot physically sit in class?

While it would be unreasonable to suggest that Tufts strive to remain open during snowstorms and unsafe conditions when many other universities in the area, as well as public transportation, were shut down, the administration should provide faculty with the adequate means and tools to make up class. They should train professors on how to use them and encourage their use. Currently, one of the methods used to make up class is an online module called “webex,” where students call into the class and can see their professor’s screen and hear him or her give a lecture. They can also ask questions over chat, but the general feel of it is quite similar to watching a YouTube video. Although this is in no way a replacement for the live interactions one has in a classroom, it is perhaps the next best thing. It is far preferable to have some consolation in the form of a recorded lecture rather than simply ignoring the lecture and its topic altogether.

Another way to make up class would be to schedule make-up lectures on Fridays or find ways to add more Monday schedules into the schedule. The issue with this is that there has been no administrative decision on whether or not this will happen, so professors are left unsure as to how they should adjust their curriculums. A better way to handle this would be for the university to provide students and professors with a clear decision on what they plan to do about making up missed classes.

On top of severely impacting our campus’ infrastructure, the recent storms have also put the Tufts community under a spell of confusion. General interest meetings and other campus events are being constantly rescheduled, exams are being pushed back and several classes are lessons behind. The university needs to effectively communicate with and support the student body and faculty in order to lead us out of this confusion.

When classes get cancelled, there is no one right way to make them up. There can never be a replacement for sitting in class and conversing with fellow students and with professors. However, simply writing off a snow day and classes missed as ‘lost causes’ is not only irresponsible, but also an unethical waste of tuition dollars. There is indeed a middle ground out there, and class cancelations need no longer be seen as an ‘all or nothing’ situation.