If there is a line that separates the privileged from the not-privileged in an education setting, I’ve always been on the far side – the not-privileged – or right in the middle. That is, until now. Being where I am, it is easy to think that the rest of the universities are doing just as fine as mine. It’s easy to be unaware of the privilege that comes from attending one of the richest universities in this country, possibly the world. It’s easy to be complacent, to be ignorant.
Ever since I stepped foot in this country, (the plague island of the UK) a little over two weeks now, I’ve been terrified of contracting covid. I have lost count of panicked calls where I wonder how I am to get home if the university demands we leave; how am I to survive if the country goes into a national lockdown; the worst, what if I get covid and have to get through all by my lone self in a student room!
The university’s regulations have put even my paranoid self at ease, though. From distanced learning to strict regulations in libraries to booking systems to rigorous hygiene standards, I am not as freaked out as I once was. The best, though, is the testing system in place for university students: if we have symptoms, we can book a test online and have our results within a day.
Being rather oblivious to certain disparities that exist within education institutions (I’m used being very middle-class in all I have and do), I thought this applies to all UK universities. This New York Times article told me otherwise.
But when the inevitable happened, and the virus tore through chockablock student suites, the university largely left students on their own: It imposed such a draconian lockdown that students had to nurse roommates back to health, parents drove hours to deliver food and lawyers offered pro bono help.
To date, roughly 90 British universities have reported coronavirus cases. Thousands of students are confined to their halls, some in suites with infected classmates, and many are struggling to get tested.
Therein lies the problem. The rest of the world and their struggles are so removed from our daily discussion that your happy bubble is not ruptured until and unless you actively seek out information. While every session and discussion we have had so far emphasize student welfare (+1 for that. It’s quite refreshing, especially the stress on mental health and the support systems available) on the homefront, we don’t discuss the situation in other universities.
I signed up as a volunteer to deliver groceries, food, and post to students at College who have to self-isolate; this is in addition to all the welfare support provided by the university. I just read about parents having to drive all the way to College accommodation so their children at Manchester Metropolitan University could eat.
Theoretically, I know about privilege and its effect. Theoretically, I know crises like a pandemic throws socioeconomic disparities to stark contrast. Theoretically, I know all of this. Living it, though, is a whole other ball game.
Minoli Wijetunga 