Umar Coates Oral History, 2022/05/12

I asked the interviewee how did the pandemic affect their college experience

May 12, 2022

Corryn McPherson

History459

University At Buffalo

English Education--Universities

English Social Distance

English Social Issues

English Conflict

English Environment & Landscape

Mental health

BLM

Race and ethnicity

Social Class

Mask mandate

pandemic

college

From 03/2020 until 11/2022 we redacted information revealing covid and vaccination status of those other than the contributor but discontinued that practice on 11/14/2022. This note was bulk added to any item with the word "redacted" or "redact" in curatorial notes, so may not apply to all on which it appears. Erin Craft 12/29/2022

05/12/2022

05/13/2022

07/06/2022

12/29/2022

03/16/2023

05/12/2022

Corryn McPherson

Umar Coates

14228

Amherst

New York

United States of America

Audio

00:14:47

Corryn McPherson interviews Umar Coates, a student at University at Buffalo [UB]. He discusses his experiences and thoughts regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, school, family life, finances, mental health, and how UB handled the Covid-19 pandemic.

Corryn McPherson 00:00
Would you like to remain anonymous?

Umar Coates 00:01
No ma'am.

Corryn McPherson 00:02
Can I have your first and last name?

Umar Coates 00:04
Umar Coates

Corryn McPherson 00:05
Male or female?

Umar Coates 00:06
Male.

Corryn McPherson 00:07
Ethnicity?

Umar Coates 00:08
Black.


Corryn McPherson 00:10
Age?

Umar Coates 00:11
22.

Corryn McPherson 00:12
Okay, and what year are you?

Umar Coates 00:14
Sophomore.

Corryn McPherson 00:15
And where do you go to school?

Umar Coates 00:17
University at Buffalo.

Corryn McPherson 00:18
How old- Are you- How old were you when the pandemic started?

Umar Coates 00:24
20.

Corryn McPherson 00:25
And what year were you?

Umar Coates 00:28
Sophomore.

Corryn McPherson 00:30
Okay, can you explain to me what's it like attending the University of Buffalo during the pandemic?

Umar Coates 00:37
it was a big adjustment, I first, I felt like when I had initially got dismissed to going home for the COVID pandemic, a lot of the professors, even the students, they had to make a big adjustment. So it wasn't only I was making them an adjustment, and I had to understand and respect that. However, I felt like the university they did do their best. And trying to allow students to understand no course material that they can only be displayed virtually. However, at the same time, the students that did not receive the grades that they may have once thought that they receive because of the pandemic, are now liable to deal with the consequences of them not really having in person one on one, type study sessions with their professors.

Corryn McPherson 01:30
What was it like learning in the pandemic, you could talk about zoom and stuff like that?

Umar Coates 01:35
Now, from me to you. I'm not full- 2020 semester, I took academic withdrawal. Um, I had gotten sent home in spring of 2020, due to the pandemic. But to further the pandemic, I didn't come back out here because I feel like that's one thing the university could have did better was allow housing to students that did come back for the pandemic at a discounted rate. Because paying for room and board for virtual courses, wasn't really something that a lot of students really had the financial means for. So, as opposed to students having to pay room and board amongst our tuition, something had needed to be cut in half. I don't know by who I don't know when he was gonna cut it in half. But I do believe that students needed to receive a break in some sort of financial way.

Corryn McPherson 02:33
What was your mental health, like during the pandemic, attending school, even though you did end up going home?

Umar Coates 02:39
Now, in the beginning of the last question that you asked me, I didn't say that. I didn't- No, I said that I have received the academic withdrawal. The reason why I have received the academic withdrawal is because like you said, my mental health wasn't intact the way it should have been. I was going through losses in my family, I had deaths in my family. I know that that I had going on at the time, and I was also working to try to provide for my family on top of all that. So as far as mental health is concerned, to be quite honest with you, school wasn't a priority, taking care of my family and making sure that my loved ones were safe and healthy. was a big concern in me then getting a degree at the time.

Corryn McPherson 03:21
Did you and your family get COVID? And what was it like? Like, for your family during the pandemic?

Umar Coates 03:28
Okay, so, me myself personally, I've never had COVID. My mom never had COVID. My dad never had COVID, but [REDACTED] had COVID. And my brother died from COVID. Older brother had died from COVID. So I mean, all in all, and we wasn't- we weren't in a family. We're not a family that receives unemployment or social security assistance and nunna that. So we had to keep working. And we had to keep being able to put food on the table for one another because even though there were government assistance programs, my family and I is just not the type of family to take from the government, if that makes sense.

Corryn McPherson 04:16
The pandemic affects you like financially like I know you did say you work, was it a good enough income? Did your family get out of work and?

Umar Coates 04:27
Okay, so as far as the finances are concerned, at the time, I believe I was probably I had just turned 20 years old on April 14, so the pay rate for the job that I was working there was decent. Like I said, like I wasn't providing for my family wholeheartedly, but I was definitely making sure that I could help them out where help is needed. So whether it was comnet, electric, water, food, whatever I can help it around the house was what I hope to it and my parents- My mom works for the school district. And my dad, he, he's a truck driver. So... my sister is a social worker. So I mean, all I know, for the most part, my sister, and my mom is on salary. And my dad, I don't want to say he freelances, but he kind of owns a business of his own. So he does what he asked to do over the road. So as far as the financial aspect of things was concerned, I would say, through the grace of God, me and my family was able to make amends and make ends meet with what we had. So I would say that it wasn't really on our own strengths, that he was able to maintain jobs and stay healthy to the entire pandemic, that was just a blessing from God, that wasn't something that we did on our own.

Corryn McPherson 05:48
Next question is compare UB to how it first was during the pandemic, and how it is now like, what's the difference? Is it back to normal?

Umar Coates 05:56
I felt like as university, their goal, of course, is to make everything go back to normal. However, the sickness is still around. They're still students that are contracting it. There's still humans that are contracting it, not to just only limited to humans, I mean, students, but there's a lot of people that are still contracting the disease and what the virus, you want to put it, but I feel like the school is putting his best foot forward and attempting to make everybody feel comfortable again. Because believe it or not, I believe that no child is going to want to wear masks throughout the entire day, nobody's gonna want to put a mask on for 6 7 8 hours a day when they're handling their business. But I do believe that from then to now, because I can only speak about the times that I have been here. I came back in spring 2021. And I lived in Hadley, but I was the only individual in that whole apartment complex. So as far as how the school handled it, they did their best, everything was sanitized. They made students feel comfortable to a certain extent. Yeah.

Corryn McPherson 07:19
So what are some of the things you think UB could have done better? You could talk about mass vaccination, social distancing.

Umar Coates 07:28
Okay. Um, I feel like I can't really say too much about the social distancing, and the masks and everything else. Because when it comes to social distancing, I am a socially distant person. So I'm not really around a whole lot of people, for me to be like, Oh, wow, this person didn't have a mask when he's coughing, and he's coughing and sneezing. And as far as the pandemic goes, the university itself handled business, how they could have handled business in the best of they abilities. I'm not sure how many other universities have had the same amount of rules that we've had, or the same amount of guidelines that we've had to follow. But I feel like every university across the country, I can't speak for other universities other than the one that I attend. But for this one, I do believe that administration did the best they could.

Corryn McPherson 08:31
What's some of the positive things that UB did?

Umar Coates 08:37
That's a good question. Because as far as, as far as the student is concerned. To be completely honest, on this interview, I really believe that there was no positive in any of this. Um, this university, just like any other university, I'm not gonna say that they don't. I'm not going to say, let me be formal with you guys, I'm not going to say that this university truthfully cares about its students. Just like any university in this country, this is a business. And as African American students, we're contributing to their business. So the best thing that I can say that UB did was really accept these black students into the university so that we could change and shift shaft the culture a little bit and make they university a little bit better. As far as this pandemic is concerned, like I said, they do what they could do. But for the most part, we also did what we could do as students, we still have to go to class. We still have to review lecture notes, we still have to go to study sessions, we still had to speak to TAs. So for the most part, matter of fact, that's something that UB did not I felt like it was a little bit good in a sense, was allows students to have access to certain tutoring. I feel like virtual tutoring is gonna help just as much as virtual classes will, because all you can really do is speak to somebody to a screen and hope that by the end of that session, you understand what it is exactly what they're trying to talk about. However. This university is really a business. Like I said before, there's really no pros to go into college, other than paying for college and graduating college. Like, I came here so I can graduate, I wasn't looking for no pros, no cons, no, none of that. I knew that I had a plan and wider vision on what I'm going to execute in order for me to take care of my family in the near future. So not for nothing, the university really hasn't given me anything this university like, and I'm not even said I want to take anything from this university. But at the end of the day, this university hasn't made me a better individual. This university hasn't made me a better black men. And quite frankly, this university being in the city of Amherst can't help me be a black, a better black man. I'm the only person that could help me be a better black man. And the other black men that do go to the school are the only ones that can help each other become better black men. So truthfully, I'm just here so I can give the university my money and they can give me my degree.

Corryn McPherson 11:40
Okay so, how do you view after the pandemic? How do you view like UB in a negative or positive light?

Umar Coates 11:49
After the pandemic? I will view UB in- I wouldn't give it a positive or negative because like I said in my previous statement, I'm simply here, so that I can graduate. So as far as the administration, and the faculty and staff goes, there are a couple professors here, that do, do a very good job making students feel welcome. But there is a very select very, very select few professors that really do make students feel welcome. For the most part, it's a good university, it's a diverse university. But the diversity doesn't- is limited, I can say the diversity is definitely limited. It will be nice seeing a couple of other students that look like me in some engineering classes that I'm taking. Now, as far as data is concerned, there's not enough black men or women for that matter in the engineering field. So without further ado, I feel like this university, they could definitely, as opposed to them looking at at the what they did wrong or what they did, right. Or, as opposed to me telling you guys what they did wrong or what they did right. They should take a look in the mirror and reflect on how they can make the university better because at the end of the day, yeah it's a business. But it's not always about numbers. It's about parents actually sending their children to a university where they feel as if they can grow, and where they feel as if they're surrounded by a community of individuals that are helping them grow as well as a secure University. Not to say that UB isn't safe. But at the same time, as many college students do. We all have lapses in our mental health. We do have a couple of mental health options that we could pursue if things do go left. But at the end of the day, as university I do believe that this is strictly about the money. And if it's about the money now it's always gonna be about the money. There's nothing is going to change unless they don't get paid enough money. And then they go out to start selling they books and they professors and everything at wholesale. We need lower prices on everything. The gas prices is high, everything is high. So look, if everything is high, I mean that's something got to be low, and I'd rather be my tuition and some gas prices you feel for me. So with that being said, without further ado, I do appreciate Corryn for giving me this opportunity to answer the questions when I interview.

Corryn McPherson 14:45
Thank you