As the first day of classes at most North American universities draws to a close, experts surveying the aftereffects of last week’s winter storms estimate that thousands of syllabuses nationwide may have been detrimentally affected by the severe weather.
“With my children and spouse at home last week, there was little I could do,” said one adjunct at Butler University in Indianapolis, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I tried to work on my syllabuses, I really did what I could. But even after my best efforts, they are in pretty bad shape.”
University administrators at many schools fear that the full extent of the damage may not become clear until later in the semester. Possible impacts include missing days, incorrect page numbers, and inaccurate due dates for assignments.
Students who believe that a syllabus they received was impacted by the severe weather can contact their university’s counseling services, who can provide comfort and support as they seek to cope with the uncertainty and confusion that can result from reading and following the affected syllabuses.
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