To help students adjust to their 2020 college experience, Winthrop’s student council created a monthly event called Garnet Table Talk where students are able to voice their concerns about their Winthrop experience amidst COVID-19. The topic of each month will vary from residential life to class instruction, depending on what is relevant.
“This is our way to not only listen to students, but have students heard by other administrators as well,” Brandon Jackson, student council president, said.
On Sept. 10, Jackson and student council vice president, Ravyn Cunningham, held their first Garnet Table Talk, focusing on how students have been adapting to remote learning. While students understand the importance of COVID-19 precautions, remote learning has introduced new dynamics in their college careers.
“Now more than ever, you are personally responsible for your education. So I used the syllabi provided to me to outline what I have due and it has made it easier to prioritize classes and assignments,” Ethan Lehr, sophomore business administration major, said.
Because of the increased responsibility upon students this year, time management has become even more important in maintaining classes and assignments. The Garnet Table Talk attendants went over the correlation between time management and responsibility, and how this year may help students in their future careers.
“Long-term, it will prepare you for the workforce. I think now a lot of companies and industries are starting to focus on remote work,” Jackson said.
Though time management is essential to remote learning, Jackson and Cunningham made sure to also address the negatives that students have experienced as a result of virtual learning. The lack of socialization in asynchronous learning has created a divide between students and their professors, as well as each other.
While Zoom meetings provide a little bit of interaction between students and professors, in-person learning makes it a lot easier to socialize with fellow students and professors. But nowadays, in-per- son learning is not feasible for all.
For those students with all virtual classes, they are missing out on the full college experience.
“Social development is just as important as the form of education that you may receive,” Jackson said.
The miscommunication possible in asynchronous classes can also further disconnect students from their professors. With varying workloads, professors may not realize their students’ stress.
“Since [students] are at home, [professors] may assume that they have more free time, when in reality they have more things going on,” Cunningham said.
During the Garnet Table Talk, the validity of synchronous classes and their safety was also addressed. Attendees said they felt safe in their classrooms, and that their synchronous classes were their favorite of the semester.
The circumstances from quarantine and COVID-19 introduced a new lifestyle to Winthrop, but students are resilient and will adapt to these new circumstances.
“These precautions are necessary to hopefully return to a life of normalcy,” Lehr said.
To further help return campus life to normal, Jackson and Cunningham look forward to continuing the monthly Garnet Table Talks to support students in their endeavors on campus.
