By Jenna Vinci
A Western North Carolina University, Appalachian State, just welcomed students back nearly two weeks after an unexpected category 4 hurricane hit the mountains on September 28th.
Appalachian State student Bella Rogers ‘25 shares her experience on how this hurricane impacted her semester without warning. She shared that Hurricane Helene, “was a complete shock and seeing the devastation in Western North Carolina has been truly heartbreaking.” Despite the lasting effects of the storm, Rogers shares that it was, “amazing to see our community come together during this time” and many people lended a hand to those in need.
Last Week, October 16th classes resumed at the University and luckily their campus was able to recover quickly. She adds that, “It was unnerving going home and not knowing when we would resume classes.” She goes on to say that they were given the date for when classes would start up again a week after the devastating storm hit the mountains.
Furthermore, for students who stayed on campus they were provided with, “lots of resources if they were displaced from their housing situations.” Many classrooms and other campus buildings including residence halls sustained notable damages from flooding and other storm related damages.
She shared that, “students were not evacuated as they had no idea how hard it was going to hit them,” additionally she stated that, “we received consistent warnings about flooding and the unsafe conditions of the roads from the university,” but what followed was a big shock leaving many families and students facing devastation.
After their class hiatus from September 30th to October 15th, this was bound to affect the students academically as well. To add, Rogers mentions that she is a senior and is concerned that the rest of her semester would not be the same but she vocalized her gratitude for the University and their quick responses to problems in order to get them back on campus.
I spoke with Lori Vinci, Dean at North Shore Community College to hear her thoughts and concerns for students and faculty following their halt in academics. While classes were able to resume, there were many changes that needed to be made in terms of course work and what students will learn to allow for a smooth continuation of the semester and make up for lost time. While the University is doing their best, students may run into shortcomings from a shorter semester.
Dean Vinci shares her concern for the two week hiatus as, “learning has been condensed, potentially affecting mastery topics.” To add, she states that, “faculty members are also playing a crucial role in supporting the mental and emotional well-being of students,” and that they have too, “address the anxieties and trauma caused by the hurricane.” This adds more responsibility and stress to staff and faculty to be there for their students and reconstruct the curriculum to still teach students to their full potential.
