Students say an early goodbye in the wake of the coronavirus crisis

By Anastasia Pumphrey

Stonehill administrators have made the decision to extend remote learning until the end of the spring semester due to the continued spread of coronavirus.

The College’s decision was sent via email to students and faculty around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, detailing that Stonehill would be “extending remote learning for the remainder of the semester.” It was made in conjunction with many colleges and universities as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) officials have increased warnings of the viral outbreak, now declared a pandemic, spreading through large crowds.

“The health and safety of our community is our top priority. Following guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Public Health, we concluded that extending remote learning is critical in preventing the spread of the disease through our confined, heavily populated college environment,” Pauline Dobrowski, vice president for student affairs, and a member of the senior leadership team, said.

In the email, President Father John Denning, C.S.C., said, “with a heavy heart… I make this difficult decision after monitoring the constantly-changing landscape and following the most recent guidelines provided by our state and federal officials.”

As of a second email sent out on Thursday from the Office of Student Affairs, “no decision has yet been made regarding Commencement activities.” The office has said that it is working with the current federal and state guidelines for quarantine due to the outbreak, and that it will update the student body when any sort of decision is made.

For many at the College, this decision was disappointing, but in the end, it was just one out of the four years cut short. But for seniors, it carried more weight.

“The small class sizes at Stonehill make it so much easier to get to know the professors on a personal level. I’m disappointed that, during my last eight or so weeks of undergrad, I don’t get to share that in-person experience with the faculty members I’ve grown to know and love over the last four years,” senior Emma-Cate Rapose said. She said that this will not only be an early goodbye to the faculty and staff she has gotten to know, but also to friends that have become like family, and a way of life.

“If I had known that the last times were the last ones, I might have done things a little differently,” senior Kate Packard said. “To everyone who gets to go back in the fall: don’t take it for granted. Show up to class. Get to know your professors. Spend as many moments as you can with your friends. Your last moments at Stonehill may not get snatched away like ours did, but they will end and no amount of countdowns and 100-days celebrations will prepare you for the day the countdown reaches zero, but I’m grateful to have gone to a school where the countdown never truly reaches zero.”

The College sent out another email earlier today detailing the process of Spring 2020 move-out, which will be between Sunday, March 22 and Sunday, April 5. In this two-week window, the Office of Residence Life said they recommend continuing to practice social distancing while on campus, and that each student is only allowed two additional people to assist with moving out.

These instructions are to ensure that Stonehill remains in compliance with last week’s recommendations from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, and U.S. President Donald Trump, of keeping groups to under 25 people in an area at a time.

Senior Chhany Minton said that although the seniors are devastated, the issue has grown larger than just the Stonehill community. “To be deprived of the potential memories I still could have made with friendships I cherished so dearly hurts. There is no other way to put it. But we must wish for the good and health of others, as well as those we love in a time like this.”

President Denning closed his email with a statement of well wishes for the College, saying, “Once again, I would like to thank the many members of the Stonehill community who have reached out in solidarity during these difficult times. As a community of faith and scholarship, I am confident that together we have the spirit, courage, and ability to navigate through this moment of great challenge.”