California Baptist University students received an announcement via email July 30 from Dr. Ronald Ellis, president of CBU. The message communicated to students that courses taking place during the fall 2020 semester would be moved online and delivered primarily through live/synchronous remote instruction.”
The electronic update about live/synchronous remote instruction was followed by an email sent by CBU’s division of Student Services. The email sent out by Student Services addressed students who were planning to live on campus for the fall 2020 semester.
With the news of classes being held primarily online, many CBU residential students were faced with a decision: Keep their plans to live on campus in the fall or cancel their plans to live on campus and live at home for the time being.
Dennise Rivera, senior political science and Spanish double major, described what it was like when she was faced with the decision whether to stay home or move back to campus.
“While I was planning on moving back, I ultimately decided not to (in order to) stay healthy and keep my family healthy,” Rivera said. “Not to mention, the financial effort didn’t seem worth it if there wasn’t going to be in-person classes.”
Staying home and engaging in virtual instruction is still something many students are having to adjust to. Different challenges arose for students who decided to stay home.
Madison Augusto, junior marketing major, recounted the obstacles she has endured while staying home for the semester.
“The biggest struggle for me is just being on my computer all day,” Augusto said. “All my classes and internship are online, so I get a bit antsy sitting in one place all day. Also not having campus resources easily accessible to me as they would be on campus.”
Having regular access to campus resources was one of the many hurdles CBU had to cross when sorting out coronavirus precautions.
Pamela Jost, director of Disability Services, elaborated on what the Office of Disability Services looks like during the pandemic. She also encouraged students to take advantage of the Office of Student Success amid this adverse time.
“All of our academic support services are currently delivered remotely,” Jost said. “Academic coaches meet with their assigned students weekly via WebEx to help students achieve academic excellence. I would recommend taking advantage of the services as students may find it challenging to navigate their academics at home successfully.”
