The past few years have not been fun. Some of us have come down sick ourselves. Some of us have lost loved ones. Some of us are struggling with financial pressures amid unprecedented economic upheaval. Some of us who seem relatively okay are not really okay. The pandemic has been hard on everyone.

You are all doing something amazing by trying to continue your studies during this time and I am proud of you for just signing up. It has been an unusual few semesters; this may or may not be an unusual semester as well.

Some of you will be returning to campus for the first time in a long time, and some of you are taking in-person classes at CityTech for the first time ever. Our course will mostly follow a traditional format, but many of your activities for our class will be asynchronous. This means that you must carry even more responsibility to stay on top of your work. Try not to let your work slip. Do your best to follow the weekly checklists.

That being said, your health and your well being should be your priority. If something comes up that interferes with your work for this class (for example, if you fall sick or if you must care for someone who is sick), let your instructor know what you need. We will do our best to make adjustments and find a solution that works for you.

You can contact the college’s counseling center with the information here. If you would like to discuss something with them, they can let your instructors know what you need without sharing confidential or private information with them.