What's Your Beef?

Credit- belchonock /123RF

Spending a semester at William Paterson University amid the COVID situation doesn’t give a true reflection of the school’s state as usually crowded spots and areas seemed scanty or almost empty, parking lots meant for commuters seemed like a reserved lot meant for VIPs and one had to hardly wait on queue for anything so basically all seemed nice and quite rosy in the fall semester of 2020.

However, my only beef is with the tuition fees which  I find expensive and my thinking on it is this, since most of the classes have been moved online and in some cases hybrid, we should be getting reimbursed for studying from home and not using the facilities on campus or just a reduction in tuition will be just fine. So apart from dealing with expensive tuition, another thing I can't wrap my head around is the need to pay distance learning fees, The logic behind that completely eludes me, students are learning from home, faculty staff is teaching from home, school is free of both parties in most cases, why should students pay for distance learning that they are enrolled for not necessarily by choice? Now that’s my beef, lol.

If there is anything I could do and I had the power to do it, it will be to reduce tuition knowing that as the school is going through financial difficulties so are students and their families having even a more difficult time financially. If only wishes were horses.

 

Hidden Gem

Hidden Gem on Campus

Scenery behind 1600 valley Road, William Paterson University building
Photo credit- Beatrice Amune

In the fall semester of 2020, being a transfer student and attending William Paterson University for the first time, I struggled with a lot of things as an international student with a different educational setting back home. The COVID-19 situation made it even harder to adjust to the school environment here as classes were hybrid and my hopes of being able to interact with other students who could help and point me in the right direction were constricted as everyone was being extra careful.

Since I often commuted to school, I’d usually like to take advantage of being on campus whenever I had class and would stay back to read and complete assignments but sometimes that was difficult as the library, try as it may, could not fulfill my three in one needs of studying, having a quiet time and enjoying a mini adventure all at once.

So I embarked on a special mission to find that unique spot now referred to as the “hidden gem” where I could do all three things while on campus.

"Marketing Principles" was a course I had to take at 1600 valley road and I’d stay back in class after we were done but little did I know my long-sought special spot was right behind the building.

On this fateful day in September 2020, I decided to look around before leaving, and to my utter amazement, I stumbled on this view right behind the building. The pond and green scenery became my mini-adventure when I got tired of reading, the table and chair were my companion in studying and doing assignments, and lastly the quiet environment was my place of peace and calm.