The situation we as a part of the JCU community of SP ’20 is extraordinary, difficult, and unprecedented. And while we sympathize with the rapid economic, social, political, and security-based changes Italy as a country faces, we are looking for guidance during a most trying time. 

From calling housing and related student-fees a non-recoverable cost, for students whose families are now facing gross unemployment, job layoffs, and hiring, to operating under the assumption that students can return to Campus when authorities have clearly indicated that possibility is gone, to the lack of cohesion among JCU Moodle changes and classroom direction, the entirety of the JCU community not only has to anticipate the cost burdens of this pandemic but also have to worry about the academic and career implications of what this semester costs in the long-term. 

The effort to preserve academic and intellectual curiosity this semester is appreciated. However, John Cabot also has a uniquely globally-focused curriculum, much of which has been drastically changed as a result of this virus. While other European nations and their respective universities have just been feeling the effects of COVID-19 in the coming weeks, students at Italian universities have been at the pulse of this pandemic, in a state of panic and uncertainty that has gone on for weeks longer than other universities, with only a few days of vacation to adjust. 

John Cabot’s spirit around academia and its motto around exploring the world, and forging a link between Italy and the Americas, again, is truly one of the most incredible things about getting to be a JCU student this semester. 

All things considered, however, this is not a time for studying. Every class year at JCU is facing this pandemic whose economic downfall surpasses that of World War II, falling witness to the collapse of their healthcare infrastructures and life as they know it. Students at this time are not going to be effective in their studying, they are heartbroken, scared for the future, and for their well-beings. Demanding the same level of academic rigor that was expected in Rome is impossible at this point. COVID-19 is poised to bring our healthcare and employment infrastructures to its knees, and students need to be given the time to adjust to that, to mourn and grieve their spring semesters, without having to worry about how they have to explain how COVID-19 has negatively and adversely impacted their academic and exam performances. The job market and higher education market will not be forgiving, so as the JCU community during this time of tremendous uncertainty, we are asking for clemency. 

A fair way to offset the hectic moving out process and drastic changes to coursework students face in their coursework would be giving students the option to undertake a  pass/fail option for this semester to accommodate all JCU students, both degree-seekers and visiting. Schools around the world from MIT to Cambridge University to ESADE have been planning and actively implementing such options to help their students during this difficult time, both for degree-seeking and visiting students. 

Additionally, JCU has a richly diverse student body, creating a welcoming community for all. However, COVID-19 has already caused various complications for students in their coursework. As students return home, many challenges such as timezone differences, housing uncertainties, access to sufficient materials for work, Internet accessibility and availability that is highly volatile globally, and rising anxieties about exit opportunities for the next few years are becoming more prevalent among students at JCU.

Again, considering these extreme circumstances, the student body strongly urges JCU Administrators to look into potential options for pass/fail-type grading to offset the immense burden suddenly placed upon students and professors alike at the University. If we cannot have access to refunds at this time to offset the financial anxiety around COVID-19, we are begging for some type of ease-of-burden academically. Proceeding as normal is simply unfeasible with thousands of students displaced and forced to relocate, while faculty scramble to adjust to Moodle and maintain the integrity of their classes when their livelihoods also hang in the balance. 

Thank you.