‘Recipe for disaster’: Vanderbilt students worry about virus surge with no virtual learning options

When Lindsay Breidenbach saw that COVID cases were surging in Nashville right before spring semester, she was nervous.

Breidenbach, a third-year graduate student at Vanderbilt University, is at risk for COVID complications. Having caught the virus before, she knew first-hand how debilitating her symptoms, particularly her asthma, can become.

Despite her fear, Breidenbach felt some ease knowing she could ask to learn remotely like she had in previous semesters. But two days before classes commenced, Breidenbach learned that virtual learning was no longer allowed.

“I felt like I was punched in the gut,” she said. “I realized administrators didn’t care how dire a student’s situation was, our health was just not their issue.”

Breidenbach wasn’t the only one scared. In the past two weeks, over 500 people have signed a petition demanding a hybrid class option, along with overall improved health measures.

Vandy Grad Workers United, which started the petition, said that students and faculty aren’t worried only about how in-person learning could harm those who are immunocompromised. They’re also concerned that sick students may continue to attend class to keep from falling behind or accrue absences. “The administration has forced students into a lose-lose situation,” the group wrote in a press release.

“That’s a foreseen consequence. If you sort of punish people for being absent for any reason, then you’re going to encourage sick people to show up,” Breidenbach, a member of Vandy Grad Workers United, says. “That just sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

According to Vanderbilt University, about 97% of its community is fully vaccinated. Last week, 333 university members tested positive for COVID.

Organizers say some students have taken matters into their own hands by filming lectures themselves to share with peers who are quarantining.

Nashville’s seven-day average of positive cases is slowly beginning to wane, but the rate is still higher than its ever been.

In response to concerns about the Omicron wave, Vanderbilt told WPLN that, “While much more contagious than previous variants, evidence shows that the Omicron is a significantly less severe illness, especially among vaccinated individuals. The majority of positive cases are reporting mild symptoms that typically resolve within a day or two.”

The university says they are actively working to keep students and faculty safe while continuing in-person learning, noting that in response to COVID, the university delayed the start of the spring semester by one week, reinforced indoor masking and required testing for returning students.