They actually reversed the schedule change and I am still reeling because I honestly thought we were shouting into the void for nothing. It feels surreal to have the administration finally acknowledge the pressure but please keep an eye on the email updates because we still need to make sure …
February 16, 2021
Final supporters
Mrs. Thorne,
In speaking with many other students there is an increasing amount of concern about next semester. I know this was not your decision, however in an attempt to be taken seriously we decided you would be the best candidate to represent us. Below is not an exhaustive list and is in no particular order, but it contains the main grievances held by many students, who will also be listed. Our hope is that by you reading this we will be sufficiently heard and that you would represent us to the appropriate parties.
- We are paying for a full semester. This includes full room and board as well as full classes. The condensed semester means dropped assignments and a significant amount of time where the dorms would normally be full, but will not be. With both our education and living facing a significant decrease in quality, there should be a decrease in the cost. If this is a matter of keeping the doors of TFC open, then the students should not be the ones picking up the slack. We are not donating to TFC, we are paying for our education and to live here.
- Many students use the school year as a guarantee of food and housing. By cutting the semester short, students with poor or nonexistent home lives suffer immensely.
- There was no transparency whatsoever with this decision. Professors were out of the loop as well as students. Furthermore, by waiting so long to make such a decision, it feels as though it was hoped that it would fly under the radar. This feeling is further compounded by the method in which this email was sent, which was from a “noreply” address that is normally used for mass communication. With the weight of such a decision affecting the lives of students so heavily, this should have been communicated much more professionally and openly.
- Mental health on campus has suffered greatly. While the attempt to give time for rest by allotting days for time off is appreciated, it is far from sufficient. The amount of students who have claimed to suffer from ‘burnout’ is staggering. Ask any student “How are you?” for the last several weeks and the answer will be some form of “extremely stressed” and “exhausted.” One semester of this is enough. Many students are left wondering how they will be able to handle next semester and if they should even consider coming back.
- Because of the conditions, many students find their grades suffering greatly. This means lower GPAs, failed classes, and, ultimately, more money that must be spent. Lower GPAs mean lower scholarships, failed classes means students must retake them, and a number of failed classes means that students may potentially need an extra semester to graduate. These circumstances create an environment in which students are set up to fail and go further into debt. TFC must do more to promote the success of their students in the midst of the situation.
- There has been no transparency with the COVID situation on campus. How many students have been positive compared to not? How many of those students have gotten seriously ill? Are the number of students going to the hospital this semester higher than average? Does TFC even track how many students are hospitalized due to accidents or illness on campus? The lack of answers to such questions is a failure on part of the leadership and has created a secrecy culture that we are no longer willing to tolerate.
- The lack of attendance policy makes staying motivated extremely difficult for students. In a vacuum this may be manageable, but on top of the stress of the condensed semester and the general stress of uncertainty relating to COVID, this becomes a serious issue. Even students who would self identify as “good students” found this to be a struggle this semester.
Our desire is to create better communication between students and leadership. Obviously, we care deeply for the safety of students and faculty on campus, and by no means wish to take the COVID situation lightly. We believe there must be a better solution to dealing with this safely while also addressing the above issues in some way. Attached are a list of signatures of students who have read and agreed with the above statements.
Updates
November 20, 2020
I really thought this might just disappear into the void but looking at how many people feel the exact same way honestly makes my head spin in the best way possible. It is weirdly comforting to know I am not the only one stressed about where we are going to live or how the timing even works because this is just way too much to deal with alone.
Reached 100 supporters
November 20, 2020
28 Comments
a lot of students , including myself were not able to keep up with the condensed semester this semester and i doubt it’ll help to condense next semester as well
I understand that the administration is in a difficult position—there is not an easy answer to this problem, and any solution proposed will be met with criticism from some corner. However, the points raised in this petition are too accurate for me to ignore. Furthermore, I think the Christian community on campus suffers from the condensed semester format. When students must devote more time to schoolwork, they have less time and energy to invest in relationship. If Toccoa Falls College wants to foster Christian character as well as intellect, then we need a better solution.
I understand the reasons behind shortening the semester and appreciate the efforts to keep us from doing online school. However, student mental health is struggling way too much and the lack of communication only adds on to the stress!
I wholeheartedly agree with all these points. I am someone who can usually work well under pressure and limited time, but with everything going on at TFC this semester, I was struggling to keep up in all my classes, and my grades reflected just how stressed and unmotivated I had become. Coursework never felt like it had been limited to the time constraints, and I know I wasn't the only one who was feeling that way. I cant imagine doing this all over again next semester. I am grateful for the work TFC has already done, and I respect the fact that we have to change how we do things, but the way it has been done is exhausting.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything listed in this petition. I know that covid creates a difficult environment for faculty as well as students, but that in no way excuses the embarrassing lack of communication with students. For the tuition I paid, I was hoping for better from this college. I know the faculty have a difficult job, but I'm still disappointed with the results.
I think we all understand the safety concerns that come with a longer semester, and as stated above, we do not take these concerns lightly. However, given that we, as students, are the ones being affected by the changes with condensed semesters, we believe that we should be able to contribute to finding a solution to this issue. We understand this is a difficult situation for everyone involved, but we would like to reach a reasonable compromise and have a voice in the matter. Further, communication is essential to campus life. Many students, including myself, have felt as though we are being kept in the dark about COVID related matters and the coming semester. We realize that this has not been easy for anyone, but students and faculty have all felt the air of secrecy surrounding these matter, and we as a student body feel as though we should be effectively communicated with. I believe this petition was well written. I believe many students, including myself, have no interest in placing blame or pointing fingers. We simply want to learn from our mistakes and do better in the future. We want to be communicated with about important issues on our campus. We desire a voice in the future of our school. We, overall, want to reach a compromise between students and staff on the matter of a condensed semester. We understand this is a difficult situation, but we want improve ourselves and our school, and overall, is that not part of developing character with intellect?
I think that a condensed semester makes no difference with the pandemic that is going on. People are getting to get even if their is a condensed semester. There is no need for a shortened semester.
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They actually reversed the schedule change and I am still reeling because I honestly thought we were shouting into the void for nothing. It feels surreal to have the administration finally acknowledge the pressure but please keep an eye on the email updates because we still need to make sure …
February 16, 2021
Final supporters
Mrs. Thorne,
In speaking with many other students there is an increasing amount of concern about next semester. I know this was not your decision, however in an attempt to be taken seriously we decided you would be the best candidate to represent us. Below is not an exhaustive list and is in no particular order, but it contains the main grievances held by many students, who will also be listed. Our hope is that by you reading this we will be sufficiently heard and that you would represent us to the appropriate parties.
- We are paying for a full semester. This includes full room and board as well as full classes. The condensed semester means dropped assignments and a significant amount of time where the dorms would normally be full, but will not be. With both our education and living facing a significant decrease in quality, there should be a decrease in the cost. If this is a matter of keeping the doors of TFC open, then the students should not be the ones picking up the slack. We are not donating to TFC, we are paying for our education and to live here.
- Many students use the school year as a guarantee of food and housing. By cutting the semester short, students with poor or nonexistent home lives suffer immensely.
- There was no transparency whatsoever with this decision. Professors were out of the loop as well as students. Furthermore, by waiting so long to make such a decision, it feels as though it was hoped that it would fly under the radar. This feeling is further compounded by the method in which this email was sent, which was from a “noreply” address that is normally used for mass communication. With the weight of such a decision affecting the lives of students so heavily, this should have been communicated much more professionally and openly.
- Mental health on campus has suffered greatly. While the attempt to give time for rest by allotting days for time off is appreciated, it is far from sufficient. The amount of students who have claimed to suffer from ‘burnout’ is staggering. Ask any student “How are you?” for the last several weeks and the answer will be some form of “extremely stressed” and “exhausted.” One semester of this is enough. Many students are left wondering how they will be able to handle next semester and if they should even consider coming back.
- Because of the conditions, many students find their grades suffering greatly. This means lower GPAs, failed classes, and, ultimately, more money that must be spent. Lower GPAs mean lower scholarships, failed classes means students must retake them, and a number of failed classes means that students may potentially need an extra semester to graduate. These circumstances create an environment in which students are set up to fail and go further into debt. TFC must do more to promote the success of their students in the midst of the situation.
- There has been no transparency with the COVID situation on campus. How many students have been positive compared to not? How many of those students have gotten seriously ill? Are the number of students going to the hospital this semester higher than average? Does TFC even track how many students are hospitalized due to accidents or illness on campus? The lack of answers to such questions is a failure on part of the leadership and has created a secrecy culture that we are no longer willing to tolerate.
- The lack of attendance policy makes staying motivated extremely difficult for students. In a vacuum this may be manageable, but on top of the stress of the condensed semester and the general stress of uncertainty relating to COVID, this becomes a serious issue. Even students who would self identify as “good students” found this to be a struggle this semester.
Our desire is to create better communication between students and leadership. Obviously, we care deeply for the safety of students and faculty on campus, and by no means wish to take the COVID situation lightly. We believe there must be a better solution to dealing with this safely while also addressing the above issues in some way. Attached are a list of signatures of students who have read and agreed with the above statements.
Updates
November 20, 2020
I really thought this might just disappear into the void but looking at how many people feel the exact same way honestly makes my head spin in the best way possible. It is weirdly comforting to know I am not the only one stressed about where we are going to live or how the timing even works because this is just way too much to deal with alone.
Reached 100 supporters
November 20, 2020
28 Comments
Reimbursement for tuition is reasonable. If students are not using resources at a certain time, they should not be made to pay for them.
a lot of students , including myself were not able to keep up with the condensed semester this semester and i doubt it’ll help to condense next semester as well
I understand that the administration is in a difficult position—there is not an easy answer to this problem, and any solution proposed will be met with criticism from some corner. However, the points raised in this petition are too accurate for me to ignore. Furthermore, I think the Christian community on campus suffers from the condensed semester format. When students must devote more time to schoolwork, they have less time and energy to invest in relationship. If Toccoa Falls College wants to foster Christian character as well as intellect, then we need a better solution.
I understand the reasons behind shortening the semester and appreciate the efforts to keep us from doing online school. However, student mental health is struggling way too much and the lack of communication only adds on to the stress!
I wholeheartedly agree with all these points. I am someone who can usually work well under pressure and limited time, but with everything going on at TFC this semester, I was struggling to keep up in all my classes, and my grades reflected just how stressed and unmotivated I had become. Coursework never felt like it had been limited to the time constraints, and I know I wasn't the only one who was feeling that way. I cant imagine doing this all over again next semester. I am grateful for the work TFC has already done, and I respect the fact that we have to change how we do things, but the way it has been done is exhausting.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything listed in this petition. I know that covid creates a difficult environment for faculty as well as students, but that in no way excuses the embarrassing lack of communication with students. For the tuition I paid, I was hoping for better from this college. I know the faculty have a difficult job, but I'm still disappointed with the results.
I think we all understand the safety concerns that come with a longer semester, and as stated above, we do not take these concerns lightly. However, given that we, as students, are the ones being affected by the changes with condensed semesters, we believe that we should be able to contribute to finding a solution to this issue. We understand this is a difficult situation for everyone involved, but we would like to reach a reasonable compromise and have a voice in the matter. Further, communication is essential to campus life. Many students, including myself, have felt as though we are being kept in the dark about COVID related matters and the coming semester. We realize that this has not been easy for anyone, but students and faculty have all felt the air of secrecy surrounding these matter, and we as a student body feel as though we should be effectively communicated with. I believe this petition was well written. I believe many students, including myself, have no interest in placing blame or pointing fingers. We simply want to learn from our mistakes and do better in the future. We want to be communicated with about important issues on our campus. We desire a voice in the future of our school. We, overall, want to reach a compromise between students and staff on the matter of a condensed semester. We understand this is a difficult situation, but we want improve ourselves and our school, and overall, is that not part of developing character with intellect?
I think that a condensed semester makes no difference with the pandemic that is going on. People are getting to get even if their is a condensed semester. There is no need for a shortened semester.
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Reimbursement for tuition is reasonable. If students are not using resources at a certain time, they should not be made to pay for them.