The Villanova Difference in a Time of Crisis

Meghan Rice ‘20 CE

Platforms like Zoom, Canvas and Blackboard have enabled students across the country to continue learning in a classroom-like setting. In fact, people are quick to note how helpful this technology has been in scheduling group meetings and sharing information with each other. However, I’d like to bring up one key component of these platforms that we tend to overlook: the human element. If it weren’t for the support and care of Villanova staff and faculty, these platforms would fail. Professors could just as easily post the required material for us to learn on our own, yet they trudge through these new platforms to give us office hours, support learning services, and ways of staying in-touch with our classmates. As a visual learner and a senior, this contact enables my professors and classmates to continue to be positive fixtures in my life even at a distance.

Saint Augustine once said “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.” Therefore, in remaining positive during this crisis, my last semester at Villanova also remained positive. I may not get March Madness, CEE Day, Senior Week, or Commencement but at least I know that I will always have the support of my fellow Wildcats.