Austin Folkertsma
Campus editor
austin.folkertsma@my.tccd.edu

The University of Texas in Arlington, the University of Texas in Dallas, Trinity University in San Antonio and Texas State University are among several universities that opted to start the first few weeks of the spring 2022 semester online while TCC remains in-person. Students share their opinions on the matter. 

“I feel that if we all comply with the rules for protecting ourselves from this pandemic, the professors, staff and students will be able to enjoy this semester without interference,” NE student Richard Colon Rivera said. 

NE student Ashley Ryan likes the in-person learning format because she has opportunities to be able to talk to people. She said she felt isolated in an online learning format, and being in-person eliminates that feeling. Ryan is a high school 2020 graduate, so she became familiar with online learning but still prefers to be at school physically. 

“When we went into lockdown and then started to go back to school, it was all online,” she said. “I felt that the people that I had met in my classes were harder to talk to, and it was harder to meet new people, which sometimes made me feel isolated in the beginning.” 

Ryan expressed that it was hard to learn because she didn’t have a fixed schedule and prefers in-person because of the social aspects, giving her a chance to have personal connections with peers and professors.  

“I like having a fixed schedule because it keeps me on track so that I can use my time wisely and feel like I am getting the most out of my school and my education,” she said.

NE student Daniel Aghayere feels that TCC should be moved to online because his teacher and another student in his accounting class caught COVID, and he is afraid that he will eventually catch it. 

“I certainly prefer in-person,” NE student Matthew Sacks said. “The direct relationship between human beings, there’s no substitute.”

He said human interaction such as facial expressions, gestures, everything people use to communicate, is far more effective in person. 

“I will say, I have had very limited experience with the online format, but I do not want to see computers taking the place of human interaction,” Sacks said.

NE student Carlee Tincher said she prefers in-person because she tends to procrastinate. 

“It’s easier to just pay attention to my surroundings instead of my school work, and I would much rather come in and get my work done,” Tincher said.

NE student Ashley Miller said she kept checking the website for announcements of the campus shutting down but was quite surprised when she didn’t see any.

 “I feel it may have been safer had the campus shut down, but I also understand that a lot of students don’t learn as well online as they do in-person, but my opinion is we should have been online,” Miller said.