Another year, another major water shortage affecting UNC. Students are left struggling to take hour-long hot showers, flush toilets, make ramen and, in all seriousness, catch up on additional work created by canceled classes.
It’s understandable that the school has to take precautions — like canceling classes — to ensure the safety of its students. It’s also understandable that in such cases, professors are sometimes forced to adapt their syllabi to manage the time lost for giving lectures in class. The alternative, and one that often occurs, is for professors to carry on with class and expect their students to catch up on the work and lectures on their own time. This latter option can be overwhelming for students; many of them juggle other courses and delayed workloads, as well as overlapping midterms.
The solution? There doesn’t seem to exist a clear one — the professor has to move on, and the students have to learn the material, right? Right.
But it’s OK to advocate for a more realistic sense of expectations between students and professors.
Students need to understand that the time taken off from classes is time that professors have lost in teaching their subjects. They need to be prepared for the extra work they might need to finish for each class missed.
Students, don’t bother your professor with unnecessary extension requests if you can help it. Read those textbook chapters, write that paper and complete the problem sets. Do it so that your professors and peers don’t have to wait for you, and do it for yourself. Everyone relates to the pressure of catching up on work. Spare yourself the stress of mounting work, and go to professors for help if you need it.
Professors should understand that many students are overburdened already. Moving on with assignments and exams — much of which could’ve been explained during the missed class time — can be challenging for students.
Professors, please be considerate of the nervous student who’s running a little late to class after the water crisis, or those who hurriedly asks you for an extension. Please be welcoming of students who ask you more questions than usual after class, or those who might need additional resources to help them better understand the material. Try and relate somewhat to them and the different anxieties they might be struggling with. When they ask you for help, give it. You have the ability to support them more than you know.
There are so many sides to this current water crisis — so many multifaceted issues to consider. What is most important is that everyone affected by it remains safe. But let’s also remember the different problems that might arise for students and professors when classes resume. It’s important to consider the different expectations that both students and professors might be juggling for one another. Ultimately, both parties should maintain a realistic sense of each other’s capabilities in times of transition, like the aftermath of this water shortage.
