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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GradGov Survey Identifies Lack of Consistent Accessibility Resources Among Graduate Students

GradGov+Survey+Identifies+Lack+of+Consistent+Accessibility+Resources+Among+Graduate+Students

Access to virtual resources remains inconsistent for Georgetown University graduate students who miss class because of illness and other concerns, according to a survey conducted by the Georgetown University Graduate Student Government (GradGov). 

The survey, conducted over a three-week period in late fall of 2021 garnered 405 responses and asked graduate students to share responses on topics including class attendance, level of preparedness for returning to in-person learning, availability of class recordings and overall experience with student support during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The survey reported that 53% of graduate students missed class at least once during the fall semester, almost half of which reported the cause to be health issues. Nearly 60% of students  reported feeling between “not at all prepared” and “somewhat prepared” to return after a missed class. 

Results from the survey reveal that the university lacks a standardized policy providing short-term academic resources for students experiencing illnesses such as COVID-19, according to Rio Dennis (GRD, LAW ’25), chair of GradGov’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee.

“A majority of students are not trying to take advantage of just skipping class for no reason, and we need to make sure that we have accommodations for that,” Dennis said in an interview with The Hoya. “ARC is only set up to be for long-term accommodations for disabilities and so forth. There’s nothing set up for the students short term, like needing to miss class.”

GradGov | A survey from the Georgetown University Graduate Student Government conducted among its members over a three-week period in fall 2021 highlighted that access to virtual resources remains inconsistent for graduate students who miss class because of illness and other concerns.

The Academic Resource Center (ARC), which provides academic support to disabled students and student-athletes, has a formal process for requesting academic accommodations. Students can work with the center and their professors to ensure they have ample virtual resources. 

GradGov hopes that the survey results will urge the university to provide more equitable access to courses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Dennis said.

While almost 30% of graduate students reported having access to class recordings without needing to justify their absence to professors, around 15% reported having no access to any virtual resources. Moreover, only 31% of graduate students reported having virtual options available in all of their classes.

Each group across the university determines its own mode of course instruction, according to a Jan. 21 email from University President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95).

A lack of resources supporting virtual class attendance incentivizes graduate students to attend class in person despite the health risks posed by COVID-19, according to Rachel Martinez (GRD ’24), a member of the GradGov DEI committee.

“We are still in a place where we shouldn’t be encouraging people to come to class sick, or for any reason that they just absolutely, physically can’t be there. They shouldn’t be punished for that,” Martinez said in an interview with The Hoya. 

Students should have more leniency when it comes to class attendance, according to Dennis.

“For students with a disability, for students with military obligations, for students with different temporary family leave, whether it be funerals or pregnancies or whatever the case may be, just need a lot more leniency, especially with the current attendance policies that are very strict and don’t actually accommodate for any of those things,” Dennis said. 

The university remains committed to ensuring that the learning environment is accessible and inclusive, according to a university spokesperson. 

“We will continue to prioritize the health of our community in all we do, therefore, if students miss class because of COVID-19-related isolation or quarantine it will be handled in a manner consistent with students missing class for illness or other reasons,” the university spokesperson wrote. “To this end, faculty members have been encouraged to accommodate students by making course materials available to students missing classes due to COVID-19-related isolation or quarantine, or other symptoms and illnesses, based upon course content and pedagogy.”

Students’ responses included a notable demand for more transparent and consistent virtual accessibility across the entire university, according to Dennis. 

“It’s not something that’s specific to one program or the other, it was very static across all of the different programs as well for the graduate students. Every school was lacking in this,” Dennis said. “There were some schools that were doing slightly better, and maybe in one area or the other, but no student was feeling like they were amply prepared to return back to class.”

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