Hammond, LA
March 17, 2020
S O U T H E A S T E R N L O U I S IA NA U N I V E R S I T Y
Q&A with Dean of Students SYMIAH DORSEY Staff Reporter
COVID-19
A woman wearing a mask gathers items at Walmart, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Hammond. Toilet paper has become one of the much sought after items as many prepare for an exteneded “quarantine” at home. Maiah Woodring/Le Souvenir
Coronavirus halts in-person classes, changes daily life in Louisiana and around the globe STAFF REPORTS With the recent outbreak of coronavirus, the university took precautionary measures to transition face-to-face classes to online classes. Following President John L. Crain’s mass email regarding the decision on Thursday, March 12 to move towards remote learning, there have been several operational changes in the university. In a message sent to the university on Friday, March 13, Crain announced that campus events and activities previously scheduled through April 13 are cancelled. Events cancelled by the Office of Student Engagement include: Lions LEAD Retreat (March 20, 2020), The Big Event (March 28, 2020), The Big Event
Rain Date (April 4, 2020), Mulan Movie Bus Trip (March 31, 2020), All Greek Week Events and Activities (March 29, 2020 to April 3, 2020), Strawberry Jubilee (April 8, 2020), International Student’s Walmart Bus Trip (April 9, 2020), The MISA Banquet (April 21, 2020) and Leadership Luncheons (March 26, 2020 and April 22, 2020). Karley Bordelon, president of Student Government Association, shared that The Big Event will be held next semester and promoted over summer. “Our Big Event is actually going to be cancelled, so our Big Event and our Big Event rain date,” shared Bordelon. “We’re really upset about it, but we know that students are going to be ready to serve in
the community next semester, over the summer, and we’re just going to encourage everyone to go volunteer and help out around the community whenever they can after this has passed.” Bordelon shared that SGA was involved in the decision the university took. “The administration’s been involving us in the decisions,” said Bordelon. “It’s been a little back and forth because it is so sudden and it’s so hard to predict what’s going to happen, so the decision was obviously where everyone wasn’t really completely prepared for it, but we have been involved and the administration’s been updating me on what’s going on and we’ve been discussing how we can help with future communication to make sure students are
completely aware of the resources that we still have and how we’re going to function.” Southland Conference tournaments have also been cancelled for the spring and the Harlem Globetrotters event scheduled for March 13 was also cancelled. Kemmler Chapple, assistant associate director of sports information, informed that the university is going to follow the decision made by Southland Conference. “Our Southland Conference has decided to shut down all athletic non-conference and conference contests through March 30,” informed Chapple. “That is all we have to report as of now. Just using an abundance
How will the university accommodate students who don’t have internet connection? “At the moment, we do recognize that every student won’t have a laptop or access to Wi-Fi. On campus, there will be labs open. I know Fayard will remain open, the library will remain open. There’s conversations about other spaces also being open as well. Regarding residents, I think housing has sent out information— just collecting certain information to see who does not have access to a laptop, to just determine what type of lab space will be needed to be open on campus.” “In regards to students who do Dr. Gabe Willis not live in campus and have Wi-Fi Dean of Students concerns. I believe we’re gonna ask those students to communicate that to their faculty members—any challenges they might have, and then they’ll kind of have to work that out between their instructor and the student at the moment.” Will there be any sort of refunds? “Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers to questions related to refunds. You know, certain fees such as intramurals—those are good questions that we would have to consider. The thing about moving into an emergency type of plan is that you may not have every answer going into it. So, the thing that we have to remember is that we’re all anticipating the questions that are coming out.” “You all are actually doing us a huge favor by posing these questions that we may have not considered fully because it’s new. It’s challenging to see the questions, but it’s also great to hear them because it allows us to work through the issues that we need to, so keep them coming. We’re going to work through them as quickly as we can with the information that’s available.” What advice do you have for students and faculty? “I would advise to keep an open mind. Realize that the university is making the most calculated decisions with the information that we have. Believe that we’re operating with their best interest in mind and that we are working to transition the courses as quickly as we can. But also, be open minded about it. I know there’s a lot of unknown, but try to remain as positive as we can. Continue to ask the questions but also be patient at the same time” Additional statement: “Just know that I promise we’re acting with your best interest to certain decisions that are made. We’re doing it with the information that we have available, and we’re trying to be as calculated as we can. We’re working on getting information out as quickly as we can to decrease that anxiety. We’re working very hard to do that.”
Louisiana Update:
On Monday evening, March 16, Governor John Bel Edwards gave the following information regarding coronavirus during the press conference: Cases: 136 Deaths: 3 Parishes where infections are seen: Caddo, Bossier, Ascension, St. Tammany, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, Lafourche and Terrebonne.
see CAMPUS EFFECTS, pg. 7
Pandemic causing concerns for Korean exchange students
Freshman Sori Lim shared her concerns as a Korean international student on the campus closures and transition to online classes. Symiah Dorsey/The Lion’s Roar SYMIAH DORSEY
that their visas and education will be compromised. The university is home to two Korean With the national transition to online exchange students who are studying in classes due to the coronavirus pandemic, the United States under the J-1 Exchange exchange students have expressed fears Visitor program. Students with a J-1 visa Staff Reporter
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are registered for a “full course of study,” which does not allow online classes to count towards full-time enrollment. According to the University of Washington’s summary of the visa’s regulations, part-time studies can jeopardize a student’s stay in the United States and make him or her ineligible for J-1 student benefits. Sori Lim, a standing freshman exchange student and English major, expressed her concerns when she first heard about the disbandment of face-toface classes. “I’m supposed to study here for a year, but if coronavirus doesn’t disappear, I might have to go back because of my visa,” said Lim. “Online classes, I can’t issue my visa. It is only face-to-face.” Although Lim is hoping to receive exceptions to the full-time enrollment requirement, the period of uncertainty has caused worry among her family. “Life is unexpected,” said Lim. “My family is really worried about me.” Lim also shared concerns that her campus experience will not compensate
for the money she paid. “I spent a lot of money to get here,” explained Lim. “My airplane was $2,000 roundtrip, and I paid $5,500 for my meal plan and dormitory, and my insurance was $600. It cost $600 to issue my visa. So, I spent more than $8,000, and now it’s online classes.” Even with the possibility of accomodations, Lim shared how the pandemic will affect her learning and living experience on campus. “I’m really sad because I really want to learn English face-to-face,” said Lim. “I wanted to travel. Actually, I was supposed to go to Chicago over spring break, but now I can’t. I usually go to the gym every weekend or at least three times a week, but it’s closed. So, I have nothing to do.” Hyunseok Cho, a foreign exchange student and standing freshman engineering major, shared similar grievances about how the pandemic has impacted his exchange student experience. “It took everything—my friends, my studies,” said Cho. “The gym and the swimming pool—a lot of things are
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News..........................................2 Campus Life.................................3 Campus Life.................................4
Opinions.....................................5 Sports & Fitness...........................6 News..........................................8
closed because of the pandemic.” Cho shared what his options were if he chose to return to South Korea. “When this situation broke out, my coordinator in South Korea at my university, she sent me an email saying that it’s not yet mandatory for me to come back to South Korea, but if you want, and if you worry about pandemic, you can come back,” explained Cho. “But for me, for my program, if I chose to go back to South Korea, I have to do more things.” On March 16, Lim visited the International Services Office to discuss her J-1 visa. “They extended my visa date until January,” said Lim. “Because I applied before coronavirus started, my visa application was already going on before the online classes started. So, I can remain here, but students who want to extend their visa now, they might not be able to.” Any international students concerned with their visa or quality of campus life are encouraged to visit the International Services Office in North Campus Main Building Room 113.
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