Some of you may have seen the title and thought, “No way it is!” To those of you who did, I hear you. However, I just think you are forgetting some of the key factors that make remote learning so great and that have encouraged UMass Boston to make another early call. I will share some of those reasons with you now. 

1. Increasing your pain tolerance by powering through screen fatigue

How many of you have had intense, pulsating headaches from overusing screens?  How many of you can barely keep your eyes open after only five straight hours of staring at your screen? Almost all of you. NOW DEAL WITH IT. Gone are the good old days of America where we raised our children to not even use a Band-Aid, because if they are weak enough to die of infection, then that’s on them. Let’s bring that back.

Also, have you all just considered not using your screens as much? I know you probably have four to five hours of school a day, and some of you may work or have internships online, but maybe pick up a book. Yes, maybe this semester your professor expects you to be reading an extra 300 pages a week because you save 15 minutes by not having to walk on campus, but you still have some time at night.

2. Easy and touching email signatures

I don’t know about the rest of you, but writing an email pre-pandemic was always so difficult. I could never think of a good way to start the email, or to end it. Also, all the emails I received from professors were solely focused on our coursework. Now there are so many different options to open an email while also demonstrating how well you understand the gravity of the current global situation.

Some established classics include “I know these are difficult/trying times,” “I know things are very different this semester,” and my personal favorite, “We still have work we need to do.” All of these demonstrate both originality and awareness of the raging pandemic, so they are super easy and a great go-to for any email.

3. Your professors are just as lost as you are

Okay, I know it is easy to blame our professors. But when it comes down to it, they hate remote learning as much as their students do, if not more. Therefore, the close-knit community of UMass Boston is kept alive through the shared stress and confusion of students and staff alike.

Furthermore, the fact that many of these professors continue to assign copious amounts of work while not even knowing how to share a screen with sound really gives a classic college feeling to remote learning. They are struggling, and so are we. While this situation is the worst, it’s the worst for everybody; that levels the playing field a bit.

Hopefully, you can now see that there are many great reasons that it is better that UMass Boston gets to stay remote another semester. We may even be lucky enough to end up remote again in the fall, but I guess I will just cross my fingers. Until then, continue to spend all your time staring at your computer screen. After all, pain is only temporary, and G.P.A is forever.