[Ulayaw] Dilemmas from the Provinces

In February, Adamson University announced the application of limited face-to-face classes in selected programs for the 2nd semester S.Y. 2021-2022. Prioritizing programs from the College of Science, namely Engineering, Architecture, and other programs.

In April, Adamson announced the implementation of "Physi-flex," a learning mode to be applied for S.Y. 2022-2023. It is said to implement a combination of face-to-face, online, and offline learning. The guidelines regarding the said announcement are soon to be released.

As a Communication student and as someone who lives in the province, specifically Bicol, the news is a bit hard to take in. I have my dilemmas regarding the reopening of schools, which may also concern everyone who lives outside NCR.

My parents have been asking me ever since the first semester about whether Adamson will already be having face-to-face classes. It seems that they, too, are already preparing to send me off to study in Manila.

In case my program is included in the implementation of Physi-flex, there are many things for me to consider. It is my topmost worry if it will be safe to study and live in Manila despite still being in a pandemic.

More worries such as looking for a boarding house, getting used to a new environment, and meeting new people. It is an added struggle to be in an unsettling place in an unsettling situation.

For universities that will be reopening, it will be best to have guidelines to accommodate students from the provinces. It will be an appreciated consideration to give them time to adjust and get used to the new environment.

It is a dilemma when I know that I can just study here in our region, where we have fewer COVID cases and a more familiar environment.

But, I can just postpone all these worries. Face-to-face classes for Communication students appear to be a far-fetched dream.

It seems that the university overlooks the importance of physical learning for programs from the Department of Liberal Arts and Education. With no guidelines yet, we're all left to hope in anticipation.

I do hope that we'll be given the chance to learn again in a traditional setup. We, too, experience burn-out and exhaustion in online learning that is more physically and mentally draining than physical learning.

It will be a waste if I am left with no choice but to transfer and continue studying at a university in our region because I already grew to love the Adamson community and the COMMunity.