The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Snowstorm does not cause semester extension

Snowstorm does not cause semester extension - The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

The Central Academic Building at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on Feb. 15,2021. Photo By Lauren Mayes

The spring 2021 semester will not be extended despite the cancellation of a week’s worth of classes. Faculty members are readjusting their syllabuses and deadlines to accommodate for the rest of the semester.

All classes were canceled at Texas A&M University-San Antonio last week because of below freezing temperatures that caused power outages. Normal operations and classes resumed Saturday.

Provost Mike O’Brien said there will not be changes made to the academic calendar and May 11 will remain the last day of the spring 2021 semester.

“There is no need to extend the semester,” O’Brien said on Feb. 24 through a phone call.

While the semester won’t be extended, professors may give students extensions on deadlines. Students who are struggling to manage their workload should contact their professors for extensions, O’Brien said.

Math lecturer Alberto Alvarado said he is working with students to extend deadlines as needed. He said each student has their own set of struggles and he will be working with them individually as needed to determine deadlines.

“Most faculty members are being lenient,” Alvarado said. “Right now, that’s what students need.” 

 Alvarado said he did not assign students work last week due to the power outages.

“How should I expect them to do their work if they can’t even access it,” he said.

Criminology freshman Annerys Lizardi said her professors have been understanding of the difficulties students have been going through.

“My professors pushed assignments back,” Lizardi said. “They said they would give us more time to work on them.”

Lizardi said two quizzes were canceled in her history class. In her composition class, last week’s blog wasn’t required but students could complete it as extra credit. 

“The work has been pretty much the same amount from before the snow,” Lizardi said.

Lizardi said there were fewer students in attendance during her interpersonal communications course on Monday. She said it was most likely because they’re still struggling to connect to the internet.

“For some students it can be nerve-wracking especially with those still struggling with their internet going on and off.” she said. “We should accommodate (the syllabus) so they don’t feel so stressed out and catch up easily.”

Alvarado said the circumstances students are dealing with are not ideal. Students have to deal with COVID-19, pipe bursts and power outages on top of having to do school work. 

Alvarado said he believes he can still provide students the rest of the coursework. He said they would just have to take it week by week. 

“Math is a jam-packed subject,” Alvarado said. “There’s a lot of content students need to learn throughout the course. We need to deliver this information to them because some courses are prerequisites for other classes.” 

Alvarado said students could benefit from extending the semester since they would get more time to learn and complete assignments.

Lizardi said it would be a good idea for the university to extend the semester. She said a week would be enough to make up for the time lost during the power outages.

About the Author

Daisy Gonzalez-Quezada
Daisy Gonzalez-Quezada is a communication senior at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. She transferred from Allen County Community College in Kansas in 2019. In her spare time, she likes to listen to music and watch either sitcoms or K-dramas. She wants to explore the world as a journalist after graduating.

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