On March 11, 2020, a letter from the office of the president of the University of Minnesota announced that all in-person instruction would be unilaterally suspended until April 1 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

Six years later, another public crisis threatens the city of Minneapolis in the form of Operation Metro Surge, an emergency that once again threatens students’ abilities to attend class safely.

President Donald Trump’s citywide crackdown, referred to as the largest immigration operation ever, and dubbed an occupation by some, has led to at least three shootings in Minneapolis since the start of the year. 

Naturally, as students returned to the University to start the spring semester, many held concerns for their safety. 

However, the near uniformity that came in the University’s response to the pandemic is eerily absent in its response to student fears.

Second-year student Danny, who declined to give his last name, said many of his teachers in the College of Liberal Arts have opted for online options to protect student safety.

“I am Hispanic,” Danny said. “I know many people are just not comfortable going to campus. So they’ve kind of offered things like Zoom learning and stuff and different alternatives to going onto campus and jeopardizing our safety.” 

Distinct colleges within the University have addressed student safety concerns differently. 

An email sent by the dean of CLA, GerShun Avilez, on Jan. 16 highlighted various safety measures taken across the University to protect students, stating the college’s commitment to providing alternative learning models for concerned students. 

“I have asked CLA instructors to offer flexibility and online access to their in-person classes as their curriculum allows, especially in the coming weeks,” the email read.

The dean also provided a form for students to request temporary online learning accommodations, and they would later forward the response to their instructors to make arrangements.

In contrast, an email sent by the dean of the College of Science and Engineering on Jan. 16 provided less reassurance that student requests would be met. The statement encouraged students with safety concerns to reach out to their instructors directly, with hybrid or remote learning options approved at the discretion of instructors. 

Even within departments, responses to student safety concerns vary between instructors, from those remaining in-person to others moving completely online. 

PhD English student and graduate instructor Addison Cox said she has seen a variety of learning models used in the English department since the start of the semester.

“The modality shifts have been dependent on professor to professor,” Cox said. “I know at least two of them have moved online, but people are kind of touching the feeling as they go.”

Cox said she and her peers have been struggling to determine how to accommodate the needs of their students, as many continue feeling unsafe on campus.

“I teach first-year writing with the writing studies department, and so do most of my cohort members and peer members,” Cox said. “So we’ve kind of been going back and forth on, you know, what to do and how to address these things. Personally, I have gone hybrid, which is a totally new thing for me.” 

Online learning models have garnered negative reactions since they took the world by storm in 2020, with some evidence suggesting remote learning leads to lower performance and greater withdrawal rates for higher education students. 

“It’s hard to kind of develop a classroom atmosphere if everyone’s on a screen,” Cox said. “But I think the pros to that outweigh the cons in that I like students having this comfortable, safe atmosphere.”

Despite Cox’s decision to move to a hybrid structure, she understands why other instructors chose differently, as the classroom can be considered a safe place, away from the destruction outside.

“I think their biggest thing is to just keep the classroom moving as close to normal as possible and to also give students a bit of a mental break,” Cox said.

Danny said he believes his professors are earnestly trying to do their best for students as they navigate these challenges. 

“The professors have definitely been using their discretion to the best of their abilities, and they’ve been really empathetic towards what people in the community are going through,” Danny said. “It’s like you can feel their care for their students. Whereas with the administration, I do not feel that whatsoever.”

I admire the impulse from instructors to provide a sense of routine for students by enabling them to return to their learning as it was. 

But the reality is, these are far from normal times. Regardless of the good intentions of professors, not even schools can be considered fully safe. 

This week, Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent Zena Stenvik said one staff member was stopped every day on his way to work for a week, and that many have begun carrying copies of their passports or moving to online instruction.

Some Minneapolis schools have experienced a drop in attendance by double-digit percentages out of fear of ICE enforcement, according to the LA Times. One 16-year-old student was arrested after school while picking up medications for her grandmother.

“I think it’s a really strange time, and I’m always worried about the students,” Cox said. “I really hope that people are able to kind of access these classrooms that do give them a safe feeling because I hate the idea of someone being afraid when they’re coming into class.”

On Thursday, a letter from the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost at the University declared intentions to reimplement in-person learning starting Monday, Feb. 16, citing students’ desire to return to in-class learning. 

Personally, I have found coming back to campus and starting new classes a respite from the horrible news that constantly bombards me.

However, I also acknowledge the privilege in that mindset. I can look forward to coming to class because I do not have to fear walking around campus, as I do not have to carry a passport with me on my 10-minute walk to class.

But I’m writing this for my friends who do.