The novelty of an unanticipated day off of classes had about worn off by Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Cabin fever started to hit students who’d been stuck inside all weekend. Rumors about making up lost school days started to circulate, and with them came numerous complaints about the decision to keep the UCSD campus closed for two (ultimately, three) days.
To some extent, the complaints were understandable, if not warranted ‹ it was difficult not knowing until the day before whether classes would be held the next day, not to mention all the confusion with the scheduling of future midterms, papers, etc. And given the distance of the fire from campus, the total shutdown of campus for three days seemed at first a bit excessive.
However, San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy had requested that schools, businesses and retailers let students and employees stay home if at all possible. UCSD’s compliance with this request was in large part, according to a statement posted on the school’s Web site, ³to reduce traffic on regional highways.²
And because of that, somewhere, maybe a fireman was able to get to the fire just in time because the roads were more accessible. A professor living in Scripps Ranch whose house was just burned down had one less thing to worry about.
And for that, it was worth it.
UCSD’s decision to close the campus was a commendable one ‹ keeping classes open would have done significantly more harm than good.
True, we’re paying a lot for our education, and three days of missed class aren’t usually easy to make up. But when 13-plus people die and nearly 2,000 homes are destroyed ‹ and, for that matter, when you’re living in an official state of emergency ‹ a few days of school just don’t matter that much anymore. It would have been pretentious and inconsiderate of UCSD to place its own desires above the needs of the community (as if we need any more stereotypes about clueless, self-centered college kids, anyhow).
Furthermore, the closure of campus did ultimately benefit students.
Staying indoors, for one thing, protected students from the near-toxic air quality. So many particles from the fire were filling the air that even surgical masks were completely ineffective; the only way to protect one’s lungs was to stay inside. That became a whole lot easier with the cancellation of classes.
Additionally, those students whose families live in areas where evacuations were held were given at least a little peace of mind by not having to worry about missing classes.
Teachers, too, have taken the situation in stride. Some have postponed midterms slightly, or are assigning reading at a marginally more rapid pace, or have simply cut less-important parts of the material out of the syllabus.
There have been rumors that our Christmas break might be truncated slightly to make up for the days lost last week. First of all, that’s just a rumor, and an unlikely one at that.
Secondly ‹ yeah, it would be too bad if we got home for Christmas a little late. But try telling that to the (former) homeowners in Scripps Ranch and see if that earns much sympathy. It shouldn’t. At least we have homes.
School resumed on Oct. 30. Back in class and away from the ashes, and with the news starting to focus on a few other topics, it’s easy to feel as though the fire’s pretty much over.
But it isn’t for our neighbors in Escondido, Julian and any other place where more houses were burned than were left standing. Rebuilding a life will take a lot longer than the few days it took to get back into the college class routine.
There are definitely those who make up for the slightly disheartening attitude of some students. The Associated Students, for example, held a donation drive in which items such as food, water and blankets were collected for fire victims. The Still Thoughts Organization sold gifts, the proceeds from which also benefited fire victims. Muslim Students Association will donate a dollar to the cause for every non-Muslim student who participates in an upcoming fast.
And it’s definitely not too late to pitch in. The Red Cross, for one, is still accepting monetary donations. There’s a meeting Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. at Half Dome Lounge at John Muir College to make packages for those whose homes were lost.
So props to those who get over their own concerns and help the real victims of the fire.