First-year counselors at Yale University, older students that advise freshmen on campus, claim that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has drastically altered their job responsibilities. Some even claim that the current situation on campus has made them feel unsafe.
According to a report by the Yale Daily News, residential assistants at Yale University are complaining this week about the additional responsibilities imposed on them as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The university has also discussed reducing the pay of counselors that choose to leave campus by 12 percent.
One first-year counselor graduating in 2021 said the ongoing pandemic has drastically changed the responsibilities of her job. “I personally don’t feel safe on campus,” first-year counselor Grace Kang said.
Administrators have acknowledged the additional responsibilities that have been imposed on residential assistants in the age of coronavirus.
“I acknowledge that you did not sign up to be FroCos [first-year counselor] during a pandemic,” one Yale administrator wrote in a letter, “and so the residence requirement puts many of you in the position of having to make a difficult choice.”
In a petition circulated this week, a group of first-year counselors argued that the university should permit counselors to continue in their role if they choose to leave campus.
“We understand that the university will be taking all precautions possible to reduce the risk of transmission and ensure the safety of on-campus students while preserving as much of the in-residence experience as safely possible,” the petition states. “We, however, reserve the right to make that decision regarding our safety for ourselves, a decision that has been provided for every other Yale College student, particularly upper-class students. A personal choice for safety and a choice to serve as a FroCo should not be mutually exclusive.”
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