On July 7th, 2020, Brown University released its plan for the 2020-2021 academic year. 

We recognize that in these uncertain times, the Brown University administration was forced to make a difficult decision surrounding the plans for their current students. As first-year students, we understand that the administration was focused on maintaining a healthy environment for students to learn and thrive in. The current plan is that juniors and seniors will be on campus for fall and spring, sophomores will be on campus for fall and summer, and first-years will be on campus for spring and summer. However, there is no option for first-years to take the fall semester online. Instead, we are only allotted one online course for the fall, and enrollment in the spring and summer semesters is required, whether on campus or remotely by choice. 

Unfortunately, with this plan in place, first-year students must remain in school for four consecutive semesters, with only a two-week break between the first (Spring 2021), second (Summer 2021), and third semesters (Fall 2021). This limits students from obtaining internships or pursuing summer employment opportunities, factors that may hinder a student’s pursuit of education. For instance, multiple students rely on summer jobs as a means to help support their families or to pay for school expenses. This disproportionately affects low-income students who are required to support themselves in their educational endeavors. Additionally, many students pursue summer internships after a year of college experience because they plan on entering competitive fields that prioritize research and work outside of the university. Given the fact that many other institutions are not adopting a similar plan, this may put Brown students at a disadvantage as they will not be able to participate in the same opportunities.

The spring-summer plan also gives rise to many issues regarding mental health and stress. Although we understand that college is stressful for all students, having four consecutive semesters of school will cause additional stress, as there is not enough time for students to recuperate and de-stress. Furthermore, the vast majority of first-year students have yet to experience the depth and rigor that higher education entails. This inexperience, coupled with an elongated schedule due to the close proximity of the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years, may lead to first-year students being overloaded and overworked. This student burnout may be intensified for students who will not be able to return home, specifically international students, who could struggle with the time restraints and travel limits due to COVID-19.

With these concerns in mind, first-year students would like to have a choice between a remote fall semester and an on-campus summer semester. We believe it is important to have control of our own futures. Brown University has always emphasized the student’s role in pursuing education, whether through the Open Curriculum or extracurriculars, and this request would align with those principles. We would like to have the option of taking more than one course online during the Fall 2020 semester. This would allow students to take a maximum of four classes (thus waiving the summer semester), while other students may choose to take one or two classes to lighten their load for the spring and summer semesters. At the least, students should be able to transfer credits from other institutions. We believe this would be the most effective way for first-year students to proceed during these difficult times.

As the University works to implement an academic plan that suits its students, we hope that Brown administrators will deeply consider our requests for choice between a remote fall and an on-campus summer.