Bad Institutional Communication: Students Feel Betrayed

Institutions strive to communicate the resources available to their students; they feel betrayed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students turn to institutions for resources to take care of their mental health and meet their educational needs. However, many colleges have failed to meet these expectations, and students are likely to feel betrayed by this. In a study conducted by Alexis Adams-Clark and Jennifer J. Freyd on students at the University of Oregon, it was discovered that more than half of them have felt some kind of institutional betrayal by their universities in something related to the pandemic. For research, the term institutional betrayal is when universities harm the people who depend on them or do not fulfill their students’ obligations.

The surveys were conducted between the fall 2020 semester and the early winter 2021 semester. During this time, the university used distance learning primarily; however, most first-year students had to live in dormitories on campus, taking a small number of face-to-face classes. The study asked students if their institution created a safe environment where they followed security protocols, violated them, or was difficult for them to share their concerns about COVID-19. Additionally, they asked if they had experienced trauma symptoms in the past two months, such as headaches, mood swings, depression, or anxiety.

Last year’s survey revealed that 67% of students reported experiencing at least one type of institutional betrayal related to the coronavirus. This number decreased to 55% in the most recent results. In both cases, those feelings were related to the trauma. The least reported form of betrayal was to punish the student for expressing concern about the situation or denying their experiences related to COVID-19. The worrying thing is that among the most common, students reported that they feel that their schools do not comply with security protocols or that virus transmission and/or non-compliance with the protocols can occur at any time.

The researchers justify applying two surveys saying that the first, in 2020, the Coronavirus policies were new and perceived as disturbing and insufficient. Still, by 2021, the institutions had more information and could create better protocols; in addition, the students had already gotten used to politics. According to the investigation, the decrease in feelings of institutional betrayal is due to the modification of security measures. However, the study has its limitations as it only surveyed students from the University of Oregon, “As such, it is difficult to conclude how these results generalize to other universities, which may have implemented markedly different COVID-19 policies and procedures,” the authors wrote. They theorize that institutions with tight, well-thought-out, and justified security measures have a lower risk of committing institutional treason. As a result, their students may experience less psychological distress. “However, such a conclusion is beyond the scope of the current study.”

Feeling betrayed by their universities could have ramifications for institutions long after the pandemic subsides or subsides and negatively impact students’ academic performance. It could also affect your participation in college activities, future enrollment, and upcoming donations to the institution. The authors say that “the objective is not only to recognize the damage and eliminate institutional betrayal but to replace it with actions that focus on the needs of its institutional members.”

Students do not know the support services universities offer

However, there is the other side of the coin, where students are unaware of the support offered by universities. In a survey conducted by the University of Texas at Austin of more than 120,000 students from 273 institutions, almost 60% of students answered that they did not know support services related to COVID-19.

Like the University of Oregon study, the researchers conducted a second survey six months later where the percentage of ignorance dropped to 49%. These findings underscore the impact of the pandemic on higher education and its disproportionate effects on students, especially minorities. Universities have a great job ahead of them to help their students access the resources they need and overcome the pandemic’s challenges.

In the second survey, more than a third (34%) of the students responded that their financial situation is worse now than before the quarantine began, four points higher than in 2020; and about a quarter admitted that they have difficulties paying for studies. The study noted that Asian, Native American, Black, and Latino students were more likely to have financial challenges than their white peers.

To help them complete their higher education, American universities have used federal aid funds to offer broadband points for those without internet access to cover outstanding loans. But if they don’t know about these resources, they won’t be able to access them. The authors said that “universities are trying their best to communicate, but how do we communicate and [how] often? The students are trying to absorb the information; they are thinking of a million things. It’s about showing them the supporting information.”

One communication medium commonly used by instructions is email, but many students do not check their mailbox. However, it is the most accessible system to send them notices, updates and communicate the types of support they offer. A successful technique, according to the study, for informing students is to involve faculty staff. All pupils interact with teachers, so they must be well prepared with relevant information to share. Besides discovering the needs of their students, they can also learn about the supports that the institution offers them.

For the authors, the important thing is to remain flexible in the face of the pandemic, not only in the ways of connecting with students but also in the way of taking classes since some prefer to take the lessons at home than face to face or half and half. They found that 59% of students actively avoid situations on campus where social distancing is not guaranteed. Of that percentage, the majority who responded belong to groups that experienced higher COVID death rates.

The authors note that “students are traumatized by the loss of stability. Many suffered the loss of jobs and caregivers. The stress of how do I stay healthy, employed, and try to advance in my studies? The impact on mental health has been significant. It has been incredibly stressful for our students.” Knowing what resources are available to them will prevent students from feeling betrayed by their institutions. These surveys and those from the University of Oregon serve as a conversation starter about how colleges interact with students to discover how they feel, what they care about, what they need.

Health crises or other disasters are inevitable, and each time they happen, students’ academic performance suffers. Suppose universities do not have a sound system for communicating their support resources and the steps they are taking to create a safe environment for students. In that case, they will continue to feel betrayed.

Do you know the support resources that your university offers? What do you think is the best way to convey the information to the students? Have you felt throughout the pandemic betrayed by your institution? Please leave us your comments below.

Translation by Daniel Wetta

Paulette Delgado

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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0