A new wrinkle appeared in your inbox last night. “If you are receiving this message, students in your class have indicated that they….will take the all online option.” The ellipses describes the conditions that allow them to do so. Conditions that both fortunately in the grand scheme of the life and unfortunately for the immediate future do not apply to either you nor your husband, the Eminent Historian.

No explanation of how many students nor which class, because you are teaching two different courses that, in the schedule of alternation according to course number, put you on campus every week. No explanation of what will happen to them if they are in an elective, and therefore can only take this section. Just, this is happening, can you accommodate?

That this question comes so late, one week before freshmen arrive for their extended orientation, and three before all students arrive, tells anyone curious that this has been a last minute glitch. In going through all of the contingencies for reopening, the planning failed to take into account the students and their health and family concerns. About a month ago, they ended up polling students on this matter. The results seem to be in.

You don’t want to get angry with anyone here because, again, this is such an unusual situation. Still, at a school that always puts the students first, in a “business” that treats students like the customer who is always right, this is rather surprising. Especially since the students desire to have some normal sort of school year has allegedly been allegedly driving the return to campus (actually, we all know that the students’ room and board dollars have driven these decisions, but students always come first).

You would also like to the reason that at least some online sections for the core classes that have multiple sections weren’t considered at some point., even if that point is today.

Right now you have each class in a classroom, one half at a time, one class meeting time out of every forth. Out of what would normally be approximately 26 meetings during the semester, you will now have maybe 6; and that is only if everyone is not sent home before it is all over. Already, you are in a situation of “what is the point?” Now, if part of those students can’t even attend those six meetings…? Well, if there is a critical mass, then you could just treat those meetings as office hours or a study session and put the whole course online. In fact, you may just do that anyway. In fact, that might be the best idea. They would be lagnaippe if we don’t have do go all online, and no great loss if we do.

“What is the point?” There isn’t one. So treat it that way. Take matters into your own hands and do it your own way. Also, remind yourself that you don’t care about promotion because there is no reward with it, just as there is no reward here. Only survival.