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"The Greatest Years of Your Life"

How the outbreak of Covid-19 has taken the point out of university, and the government don't seem to care anymore.

By Millie Hardy-SimsPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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I had been so excited to go to University. I didn't know any better.

It was four years ago now. I was 22 years old. I had put off University for four years because I had not made a decision about what I wanted to do. I still hadn't really, as I changed my degree after my first year. I enjoyed doing drama, but I didn't want to perform (which I know sounds stupid, but I was more about behind the scenes and it just wasn't what the degree offered). I changed to film and despite knowing it was a 'Mickey Mouse' degree and it would be very unlikely I would find employment in film, I felt I had at least a small chance once I graduated nonetheless. I was smart and efficient. I'm a First Class student, I work hard, I'm mature (in every sense) and so I really thought I'd enjoy university and have a good chance after graduation.

Ha.

In my first year of film, I continued my studies from home whilst working through my mums cancer battle (see my other posts), and I still managed to maintain a First average. I went back to university for my second year and tried my hardest to keep up that First average, which for the most part I did.

Then the pandemic hit and all went to Hell.

Goodbye any chance of working in film after graduating.

Nobody could have predicted the Covid-19 pandemic (well, they probably could, but as previously mentioned I don't do a science degree...) and so for the most part I, and my fellow students, were willing to roll with the punches and go with the flow. We knew the University didn't expect it and they were doing their best to keep our studies worthy of the £9000 we were paying. We attended the online lessons hastily put together. We listened to tutors and read all the emails saying it'll be okay.

It wasn't their fault, they didn't know.

The governement did eff all for students barr telling us to 'go home' in that first year of the pandemic, mooch off of our parents. They didn't think that some students go to university to get away from abusive households. They didn't think about the difficulties some of us face when we go home. But they didn't predict the pandemic, and that was okay. Nobody expected it.

It wasn't their fault, they didn't know.

They sent us back to university in September, 'It'll be fine now', they said.

Despite the fact freshers flu is already a thing due to the mixing of germpools that can be devastating to some people. Add Covid on top? Nah. It'll be fine.

"Just follow the guidelines and you'll be safe", they said.

Sure, the guidelines that you're literally making up as you go along. Okay. We'll do that. We'll wear masks in enclosed spaces that could be avoided by continuing online. We'll continue attending face to face lessons and putting ourselves at risk because you don't want to lower out tuition fees. We'll be your red shirts, your pawns. For the most part, at least at my university, we did as we were told.

"The swell in infections is all because of students".

Sure. Okay. Yeah. We'll be your scapegoat as long as it means you'll now do things to help us.

What do you mean we don't get extra funding? What do you mean we don't get excuses not to attend campus? What do you mean we can't travel home?

There is no doubt to any of the 2.38 million university students in the UK have been let down by the government. We have continuously been pushed aside as if we don't matter, told to retrain as if we're a waste of space, denied financial support, food and funding as if we're not the poorest of the population, used as medical personnel and not even paid, blamed for the spread of infections when most of the over 60s deny that Covid-19 is even a thing...

"It's all because of students".

This is an open letter to the government. Stop ignoring students. Stop pretending we are expendible. Yes, you have put £70million into universities to support students who cannot support themselves. It's not enough. You need to do more.

You, the government, have encouraged universities to refund those in university accomodation and we thank you.

You, the government, gave students a travel window so that they would not be stuck on campus for the holidays and we thank you.

You, the government, have tried to provide for students in cities, and I'm sure the cities thank you.

But what about the rest of us?

You have done some things for university students. You have.

BUT. YOU NEED TO DO. MORE.

Do more for the mature students who are on a different loan amount because of our age.

The mature students who cannot work right now because you've shut down our jobs.

The mature students who are in private accomodation and cannot make rent because the job they were working alongside their studies is gone now.

The mature students who have children and dependants.

The students who live in private student accomodation, whose landlords don't give a fig about the fact we can't afford food and our parents have been furloughed and cannot even feed themselves. You are giving landlords financial support, give us support to. Force our private student landlords to lower our fees for houses we're not even living in right now, especially when our rent simply pays electricity because they've paid off the house years ago.

What was left of my student loan has gone on making sure my parents have food. I'm young, I'll bounce back. Or I'll die of starvation before Covid-19 can even get me.

Force. Private. Student. Landlords. To Reduce. Rent. For. Struggling. Students.

Stop blaming students. Start recognising you forced students into feeling they needed to go to university in order to get anywhere in the world, only to pull out the rug from under them.

These were supposed to be the greatest years of my life.

Ha.

student
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