On behalf of a concerned student body we are advocating for an extension of our Spring Break in order to better facilitate the transition from in-person to remote learning. 

We understand that the University’s administration has taken measures to help prepare faculty and staff for this shift to online teaching, and that many professors have begun the difficult process of adapting their classes accordingly. Given the circumstances, however, this turnaround simply does not leave adequate time for students to make the necessary changes in their lives to prepare for such a dramatic change. 

Within the last few days, students at the University at Albany, SUNY have been stripped of the promise that they would be able to return to campus on Sunday, March 22. They were instead directed to a virtual check-out link through Residential Life and told to select a certain day and time to check-out by Sunday, April 5th. 

Along with these new restrictions, students who chose to remain on campus for recess housing were instructed they had under a week to move out entirely from their dorms, unless they could successfully argue that they had extenuating circumstances. Even then, many students who applied to remain on campus due to these extenuating circumstances were informed that their appeals had been denied. Friday, March 20th, less than 48 hours before many students originally planned to collect their things, the student body was informed that they may not return to retrieve their belongings. 

Due to these entirely unique circumstances prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mental and emotional stress that it has caused for the student body, we are advocating for an extension of our Spring break. This extension would offer a number of benefits for the students of UAlbany. 

First, an extension would provide students with the opportunity to recuperate from the stress of having to overhaul their living circumstances in a matter of days. 

Second, an extension would allow students who do not readily have access to resources such as high-speed internet connection to begin to make accommodations for this difficult situation. 

Third, an extension would afford students the opportunity to begin to organize their lives as they address the complications that come with the rapid changes that we are facing today. 

Students are facing issues ranging from unemployment, housing insecurity, lack of access to technology, residing in different time zones than due dates, additional responsibilities at home, lack of health-care, food insecurity, and many more issues in this unprecedented and unpredictable time. 

We believe that for the wellbeing of our students, a delay in class instruction is a necessary accommodation that the University must make. Should the University do so, it will allow students to better prepare and be better accommodated for an overall smoother adjustment to the new academic structure. 

What we are facing is nothing short of a seismic shift in our academic careers. We are asking for an extension of Spring Break until Monday, March 30, 2020 so that our student body can best prepare for what comes next.

Student Association COVID-19 Taskforce