Many activities have been canceled for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester due to the virus that causes COVID-19 becoming a worldwide pandemic. As of March 19, Sonoma State University’s president, Judy K. Sakaki, announced that Sonoma State will not resume face-to-face instruction for the remainder of the spring semester.

The postponement of the Spring 2020 Commencement was also announced as well, a decision that leaves graduating students afflicted.

Face-to-face classes will now be all online, which means everyone, from students to professors, will be using resources like Zoom, Canvas, and email.

An upcoming SSU graduate, Natalie Villagomez Vigil, explained her thoughts on possible consequences for everyone having all their classes online: “ I think a lot of people will struggle with the transition because professors were not all online and students will forget to keep track of assignments—myself included,” she says, “Also I think students with different ways of learning are at a disadvantage because all learning is done through a screen and not interactively.”

This transition for students will not only be different, but this will be complicated for those with different learning abilities, and the disruption can lead students to more stress. The added pressure combined with the stress all college students face: passing their midterms, getting good grades before Spring Break, and all the other issues that strain students’ mental and physical health.

Now the stress has changed abundantly, but not for the better. “The most stressful thing is having to essentially teach myself everything, and be both my own teacher and student – while also juggling four other classes.” says Natalie. Some may argue that she still has her professors that can help, but they too are limited by the constraints affecting society.

According to Natalie, only a few professors have been very understanding about how overwhelming and stressful these times have been and have made themselves more available through Zoom, email, Canvas, and even text. Other professors believe classes should continue as if they still met on regular days and hours, with no talk about what we should do next as a whole.

Natalie is not the only one that thinks this way. In a small survey conducted on the social media platform Instagram, 80% of students that responded said they were stressed about this new transition.

Discussions about the crisis are abundant on social media, and many questions are circulating on Instagram stories for students to respond. Students were asked, “What are your thoughts about commencement being postponed?” Julissa España, an upcoming SSU graduate, responded by saying, “I just hope they actually postpone it and not cancel it.”

This is a concern for many SSU students that will be graduating this May. Natalie, who was also supposed to walk this semester, feels like an important stepping stone is being removed due to the fact that commencement is being postponed.

Now with online classes, students are not just feeling stressed about passing their classes, but now many are worried about what it’s going to be like after graduation. Students are concerned that virtual learning alone could leave them unprepared for their careers.

Natalie mentions that as a kinesiology major, “hands-on learning is vital. Online classes cannot offer the same benefits face-to-face learning has with hands-on experience. Although it is still possible, it will be very different through a screen.”