The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIANS are among the regional students who condemned as “tone-deaf” the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Mona campus’ decision to resume face-to-face classes on Monday despite the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Bahamas Student Association assistant treasurer at UWI Mona, Marcos Ambrister Jr, said he understood the university’s attempt to balance continuity and compassion but admitted many students felt the reopening came too soon.

“While they have started face-to-face, what they have done is that all of the lectures have to be recorded and all of the content has to be uploaded and made available for all students,” he said. “So it would be more like if you're unable to get there, like a lot of Bahamian students right now, are currently still not in countries yet, so they are able to have asynchronous learning and catch up on their own timing.”

“It may have been a little bit tone deaf restarting so early. But of course, I understand the circumstances, and they're just trying to strike this balance for us.”

Mr Ambrister said similar frustrations were shared across faculties. “We had a meeting with our faculty over the weekend and a lot of the concerns that was expressed from Bahamians, from Caribbean students, regional students alike, was that it is too soon, that it's a bit toned deaf,” he said.

“It almost comes off as though the people that are making the calls aren't in touch with the reality that people had to actually come back. People have to be in the right frame of mind. For a lot of people, like Bahamians, are a bit traumatised from Dorian and now having to place themselves in a situation where they're going to have to face PTSD going back into a storm-riddled country.”

UWI Mona announced the resumption of face-to-face classes for November 3, acknowledging that some students, particularly those in Western Jamaica, would be unable to return immediately. The institution said lecturers are required to upload course materials to its learning management system for students to access later.

However, all teaching and learning activities at the Western Jamaica Campus have been suspended until November 10 because of the storm’s destruction.

The Jamaica Observer reported that students planned a peaceful sit-out on Monday to protest the decision. In an open letter issued Sunday, a group of students described the university’s move as “irresponsible” and “tone-deaf,” urging a one-week suspension of classes and a temporary shift to hybrid learning, given that many remain displaced, without power or water, and emotionally unprepared to resume studies.

By contrast, the University of Technology (UTech) suspended its face-to-face classes indefinitely.

Mr Ambrister said most Bahamian students took advantage of a government-arranged relief flight last Friday, but noted that the last-minute nature of the evacuation made it difficult for some to prepare. He left Jamaica before the Category Five hurricane made landfall.

“The entire process was exhausting, and that's just from watching your counterparts have to go through what they were going through,” he said. “Seeing that the preparation that they were coming from a country that you know experienced catastrophic Category Five hurricanes, and seeing the preparation or the lack thereof, that they were making it automatically, let you know that this was going to be disastrous, and that that was one of the things that fueled my decision to get out of the country, because I knew that they were not ready for what was really about to hit them.”

He said returning students are facing less-than-ideal conditions, as damage to Western Jamaica’s agricultural sector is likely to lead to higher food prices, supply shortages, and uncertainty about basic resources.

“We’re getting ready to go into a place where we’re uncertain as to what prices will be, how scarce supplies will be.”

Mr Ambrister added that UWI has extended its withdrawal deadline for the semester and arranged counselling support for affected students.

About 50 Bahamian students are currently registered with the Bahamian association at UWI’s Mona campus.