The novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has become a global pandemic, leaving millions of Americans trapped at home, while also leaving thousands of study-abroad students in a panic to get back home. Equally, the virus has left millions of students within the United States confused and worried if they will be able to stay on campus, and how, exactly, they will be able to finish the rest of their education through spring semester.
Universities throughout the state are abiding by the decision of the CSU Chancellor’s office for guidance on how the universities should handle the thousands of Cal State students abroad this spring. Sonoma state students studying abroad in specific countries such as China, South Korea, Chile, Ghana, and all throughout Europe have been instructed to be sent home.
The CSU Chancellor’s office along with Sonoma State and other study abroad programs are working together to find an efficient way for these students to finish off their semester or quarters abroad. Students who are enrolled in CSU study abroad programs and outside study abroad programs will still be receiving credit for their classes taken abroad or in some cases refunded based on their program and academic calendar.
The majority of these programs are creating ways to ensure students still receive credit for the classes taken while abroad and will make most of the classes accessible online, making it possible for these students to finish their semester.
Although online classes may be an efficient way for students to finish their abroad classes back home, many issues still arise.
SSU students abroad and students from universities located all over the United States are finding it difficult to manage their new class structures.
“I am still taking classes online, although it is a lot more difficult than i had thought…we are forced to be in online classes based on Spain’s time, which is is eight hours ahead, which many students, such as myself, find frustrating,” said Michelle Ryan, a third-year student at Gonzaga University who was studying abroad in Madrid, Spain before the Coronavirus left many large cities in Europe utterly shut down.
As of now, all summer Study Abroad programs in Italy have been cancelled, although with global help, and people doing their best to social distance themselves, students hope Coronavirus will only be a talking point of global health come summer.
“I was really looking forward to studying abroad this summer in San Sebastian, Spain, but as of now I am not sure what the future of the Coronavirus holds,” said third-year student Alondra Lopez, who was planning on studying abroad this summer.
The entire CSU system is working alongside each Cal State University to make sure that students who are abroad make it home safely, while also preventing the potential spread of Coronavirus.
“We are following CDC guidelines in ensuring that those who have been in high-risk countries follow proper self-isolation procedures and protocol” said Hope Ortiz, the global engagement coordinator at SSU. The entire CSU system is working along with the individual universities and professors to ensure that students currently at the universities and students returning from abroad will be gaining the most out of their online education,” she continued, “the same as they would while in an in-person class. Overall, it is the job of everyone to take safety precautions into their daily life in order to end the spread of COVID-19.
