Critique On Covid Reponse
By: Nhan Phan, Harrison McGovern
We live in unprecedented times, under unprecedented circumstances, and are making unprecedented choices. Everyone hoped 2022 was going to be somehow better than 2021; but so far, it’s not looking at all like what we longed for. With the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the Academy has chosen, rightfully so, to take a cautious approach in re-entering normalcy. However, the rollout of policies has not been a smooth sail. It is vital to examine the effects this had on the Exeter community.
Let us first examine how international families and students were impacted by this barrage of new COVID-19 policies. A few weeks ago, Principal Rawson sent an email about the COVID-19 pickup policy, which stated that if a student tests positive for COVID-19, a parent/guardian or an emergency proxy must come to campus within 24-hours to pick up their student to isolate outside of campus. Although the email did briefly mention that those in extenuating circumstances need to contact the Dean of Students Office, this email stoked fear and anxiety among international students and families alike. International students were under the impression that they were going to be barred from campus should they test positive, leaving many bewildered, while international parents were under the impression that they would be required to be on campus within 24-hours of notice. By every means, this is an unrealistic expectation. Even though the Academy did later clarify the policy over a Zoom call to international families, the assumptions made in the initial communications struck fear in an uncertain time.
Secondly, we need to take a look at the hypocrisies of the COVID-19 policy on campus. When asked about the rushed decision to return to in-person instruction in a Student Council Q&A session, Dean Weatherspoon mentioned there was a difference of opinion among both students and faculty, and that the school was committed to avoiding hybrid learning. He also coined the phrase, “we are in this together.” Besides the fact that the question was never really answered, it brought up the question of what does it mean to be a close contact. Earlier in a Q&A, Weatherspoon defined close contacts as people that one might spend a lot of time with and are not necessarily standing away from. To many, this definition was not only vague but also confusing. In this case, would classmates be considered close contacts? Sports teammates? Dormmates? The decision to fully revert back to in-person learning without a proper definition of close contact concerned many, including myself.
A disturbing irony can also be found in Exeter’s preservation of students’ physical health by means of utter disregard for the mental well-being of the student body. While Exeter’s pupils do equally recognize the unprecedented nature of each of Omicron’s curveballs, it should be noted that an expectation of proper informing by the administration has been completely submerged under last-minute mass emails, deprivation of basic social settings, and a general lack of care for the conditions imposed upon each Exonian with little to no foresight. With the series of sacrifices imposed onto Exonians by the school establishing mandatory return to campus for all students, should those very same Exonians at least be entitled to enjoy their time here? Was that not the purpose of returning to campus, to ensure, in the words of Principal Rawson in his January 7th email, the “health and safety, the student experience, and maintaining flexibility?”
All in all, the student morale is not where it needs to be, and the Academy’s new COVID-19 policy is not doing anything to change that. Moving forward, the Academy needs to make sure that the student body is in the loop because, at the end of the day, the decisions of only a few adults will impact hundreds of students, many of whom are international, low-income, or find themselves in an increasingly difficult position during the pandemic. The administration desperately needs to reconsider its COVID-19 policies and definitions to create a clear, hassle-free message that students can comply with. More importantly, the Academy needs to think deeper about the student experience.
