Claire Liu
Early April, students transformed their struggles into words and action by appealing for financial support from the University. On April 28th, their pleas were answered. This development may seem straightforward, but behind it may lie something more significant; a sign of unity even when our objectives seem to differ.
(Source: APU)
We are living through history at this very moment.
What unfolds before us is a health crisis expanding into the economic and political sphere. We are forced to wonder if the light at the end of the tunnel will ever come, and if it does, whether the world waiting for us will be the same as the one we once knew. This anxiety for the future is resulting in a divide caused by opinion and blame at a time when we need to come together the most in order to overcome this crisis together.
And yet, even when all circumstances seem to derive from us from our social nature, there have been many examples of people finding ways to overcome these social barriers and come together. Communities are forming not based on region or ethnicity, but a sense of purpose in this sudden limbo we are thrown into. This social formation is fascinating and it is impressive what people can achieve from this simple sense of belonging and hope.
The petition that encompassed the student body, an effort to ask the University to reduce tuition fees, is an example of this social phenomena of people coming together despite being physically apart.
This was the development of a group of students that wanted to communicate with the University staff during this sudden adversity. The petition listed out the reasons why the tuition fees should be reduced in a clear and concise manner. Through a shared sense of purpose, this activity was able to bring together students scattered all over the world.
The petition did not evoke any direct response from the University.
It did, however, catch the attention a local journalist of Oita-Press. Within two weeks of the petition, an article was published in the local Oita newspaper.
This article was sympathetic to the students and offered a perspective into the financial struggles students are facing during the pandemic. The Hospitality and Tourism sector along with the Food and Beverage sector are hit the hardest and that is where most students are making a living. Hotels are closing, restaurants are shuttering, and businesses are forced to cut their workforce. With no job, no income and not being able to return home, many international students are stuck in a horrible bind. Although this article did not take a side, the intent and portrayal of sympathy for the students was there.
Two days later, Ritsumeikan announced plans to spend 2.5 billion yen to help out students in need.
The day after, APU published the official announcement to support students with promised grants of 30 thousand yen and further financial aid to come in the near future.
This news came as a recognition that the student voice has been heard and an example of action leading to results.
From a different perspective, however, these two events may not be related at all. It is more likely that the university itself was already considering what it can do to help the students but they had other more urgent matters on hand. After all, they had to reorganize the academic semester, establish an online education infrastructure, figure out the logistics across different time-zones, as well as communicate with lecturers and students spread all over the world...all in less than two weeks.
Sceptics will see this development as a show of irony, a display of the narrow-minded nature of the human mind. Optimists will see this as a show of hope and unity, that human nature is ultimately virtuous.
Regardless of what stance people chose to take, one truth can not be denied; the fact that this development has helped many in desperate need.
On April 28th, the APU Alumni and faculty/staff formed APU Hands in order to help provide relief for suffering students. On May 1st, the first wave of donations were provided and to the date this article was published, APU Hands was still providing their services for those in need.
The student body, the local newspaper, the university, the faculty and staff; these are groups of people with different and sometimes conflicting interests. But at the end of the day, everyone was suffering from this pandemic and the way these events played suggests a deeper connection that links us all together. After all, despite how different our objectives may seem, if we take a step back and look, our goals may actually be in some way, all inherently aligned.