How my north Texas students taught me ‘we’re all in the same boat’ is a lie

Despite the theme of daily messages and memes we’re receiving, we are not “all in the same boat” – and this pandemic is proof.

I like the sentiment of this statement, compelling us to act as if we were all in the same boat about to sink; to pull together to survive. But the truth is that we are not positioned equally to weather this storm.

Living in rural north Texas, I’ve seen firsthand how this crisis is compounding other financial, social, and personal struggles that people endured long before COVID-19 – in ‘normal’ times.

I work at the University of North Texas, a minority-serving research and teaching institution, and though it falls outside of my job description, I deal with my students’ everyday crises all the time.

Their cars break down and they cannot attend class. They cannot buy textbooks until their financial aid kicks in. They get sick but, lacking insurance, do not go to the doctor, and so can’t give me doctors’ notes.

Those who struggle with mental health issues face too few campus counsellors and cannot afford off-campus care. Those who suffer domestic violence may not be able to report it, for example, because of their immigration status or if they depend financially on their abuser.

Many of my students are the first in their families to go to college. Those about to graduate this May are heartbroken that ceremonies to celebrate this achievement, that they worked so hard for, may not happen.

Many are full or part-time workers in addition to being full-time students. They worked in various retail jobs, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, in hospitality and various other service jobs. Many were also Uber and Lyft drivers; some babysat, taught yoga, or did other odd jobs.

These young people are now among the record near-10 million in the US who applied for unemployment benefits since 21 March 2020.

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