COVID-19 graphic. Aubrie Rice // Publicity Center
Editorial Note: The editor-in-chief knows one of the sources in this story and therefore did not advise the writer or make any edits. All edits were made by assistant editor.
By Mackenzie Dexter
Since the initial changes brought by the 2019 novel coronavirus [COVID-19], such as school cancellations and heightened sanitary precautions, Western students are dealing with constant changes at the end of winter quarter and leading into spring quarter.
Students are also facing work complications: adapting to the constant changes caused by the evolving situation, losing hours or even stopping work completely.
Bryan Heiner, a student and paraeducator, said that due to the statewide school shutdowns, he will go at least 40 days without scheduled hours as a non-contract employee.
“Classified staff like non contracted paraeducators and subs do not get paid during school closures,” Heiner said in an email. “The decisions to close schools is difficult and not easy to make.”
Heiner said that along with him being unable to work, there are other issues that students and staff face, such as people who work full-time and need to find childcare.
“Schools are working hard to find ways to best accommodate their students with regard to the situation we are in and cause the least amount of disruption to their education,” Heiner said in an email. “There are a large number of vulnerable people who would be at risk if schools continued to operate, not only staff members, but also many of the children’s families who they live with.”
Prior to school closures, Heiner said that there was an increase of consciousness to make sure children were keeping their hands clean and interacting with one another to minimize the spread of germs.
“Once the closure was announced it made a quick change to teachers trying to figure out the implications of it and schools trying to figure out ways to best support the students,” Heiner said in an email.
According to Heiner, it is challenging to move younger students onto online-based classes due to resource availability and since many students are reliant on the services schools provide.
“It is not as simple as moving classes to an online format, many kids are not as able to do work on computers, and a number of households I am aware of do not have regular internet access,” Heiner said in an email.
Emma Barnett, a Western student and Associated Students Publicity Center employee, said that she is still working, but she and other employees are now working from home.
Barnett said that with homework becoming less time consuming due to the quarter ending, there is more time to do work for the Publicity Center.
However, with Western moving to online classes for spring quarter, the campus is not going to be as busy as usual due to student events being cancelled for the next couple of months.
“We primarily design publicity for AS or other campus events,” Barnett said in an email. “With the virus, all of our events are being postponed or canceled and new ones are not coming in leaving us without any projects to work on.”
Barnett said that until the pandemic eases, there will be a lack of work for the Publicity Center. Along with less work, heightened anxiety, uncertainty of workload and health are stressors.
Barnett said that she is not only worried about her health, but also the health of others. She worries that going outside and following her typical routine might end up negatively affecting another person.
“I have a difficult time not thinking about myself and what my actions may do,” Barnett said in an email.
Allyson Roberts, a student, volleyball referee and gym supervisor for the City of Bellingham, can no longer work at her job due to the COVID-19 outbreak. She said that all the referees lost their jobs that usually start in March and go until June.
“It’s very disappointing but it was not my only source of income, although my other jobs as well have been put on hold till the end of April,” Roberts said in an email. “A major way it is impacting me is obviously financially, I have made the decision to move home for a few weeks while we have online classes to work for my parents.”
Roberts said that her employers are doing a good job communicating with her as well as her co-workers.
“They have been really great to the employees, obviously this was not something neither them nor us wanted to happen and they care a lot for their employees,” Roberts said in an email.
Katherine Zumpano, student and barista at Acme Ice Cream Cafe, said that while her work is only doing to-go orders for customers, employees are working hard to keep the space sanitized.
“The hardest part has been knowing we’re open and we’re out there, and could potentially catch and then spread the virus to others,” Zumpano said in an email. “So having to be out right now when the rest of the world is in lockdown feels scary.”
While her work is not shut down, she said that there is a chance it might be in the upcoming weeks due to the continuous spread of COVID-19.
“It’s really scary, because I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford school in the spring, or to either keep living on campus or pay rent somewhere else,” Zumpano said in an email.
In a time of uncertainty of the ongoing effects of COVID-19 at a global level, students at Western are also feeling the impact on a personal level.