Navigating a pandemic is something that universities and students have never experienced. Therefore, they have been ill prepared to deal with it at times. New procedures and course modalities have become university norms, but how do universities stack up against each other?

Missouri Western

One Missouri Western student said the school did a great job of communicating with students.

“They have done a really good job of communicating with us and being open and honest about our safety and the number of cases that were on campus,” Eleanor Larson, 19, said.

However, Larson feels that the online course modalities are not working well for students.

“They need to make sure the professors are actually teaching because a lot of my professors just post stuff and don’t make an effort to help the students or get to know us,” Larson said.

Carley Christgen, a freshman at Missouri Western, did not favor the online course modality either this semester stating that her, “college experience is going to be different because I have never had a real college class before so it will be different when I have to actually go to class.”

University of Missouri Kansas City

University of Missouri Kansas City student Cameron Christgen, 20, said she did not receive the same amount of communication from her university as some of her friends at other universities.

“Communication to the students regarding class schedules and assignment due dates are absolute garbage,” she said. Explaining further that she has missed more classes and assignments than before the pandemic, and her professors have not been very forgiving.

“Professors aren’t clear in the online classroom, don’t care about your grades at all, and don’t even attempt to work with you to make sure you’re getting your work done the way they want it,” Cameron Christgen said.

However, she said that UMKC checks up on her well-being often, stating that her “school takes mental health very seriously and always sends emails with tips for staying healthy.”

Park University

Although students felt there were areas that universities could improve upon in the pandemic, many felt that the schools did the best they could, considering they were not well equipped to handle the situation in the first place.

“I think they did what they had to do,” Park University business major Austin Sawyer said.

He says that while it is sad that students can’t do some things on campus that they normally would, he’s glad that the school is prioritizing the safety of the students and the staff.

Sawyer also stated that Park’s COVID-19 symptom tracker is not doing an effective job.

“I think that it needs to go much more in-depth; I just press no every single time without reading the questions, so I’m sure that’s what everyone else does,” Sawyer said. “I think that Park could be doing a lot more to keep students informed.”