SAFETY FOR ESSEC STUDENT

Dear ESSEC Administration and respected parties,

We are writing this letter as a coalition of international students as well as on the behalf of the concerned parents of students from the GBBA Cergy program at ESSEC. We are writing to express our tremendous concern for the ongoing rapid spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the profound disappointment and concern towards the steps implemented by ESSEC Business School to prevent the further spread of this dangerous virus. All of us would like to propose several measures to be adopted at ESSEC to ensure the safety of the students and faculty, which includes excused self-quarantine and the opportunity to switch physical classes to online courses.

According to the French Minister of Solidarity and Health daily announcement,the number of infections of the coronavirus has reached an all-time high in France with 1,784 cases confirmed, 33 deaths, and only 12 recoveries (Last updated on 10/03/2020 21:51 GMT) . With 73% of death rates out of closed cases, we hope you realize the dire implications of this situation. Furthermore, there is a cluster of infection in the Oise area as well as the Val d’Oise area, and even several cases reported in the Pontoise region. The virus mostly spreads between person to person, not just after they show symptoms but it is also transmissible while the virus is still dormant. Coming in contact with a carrier or a respiratory droplet will get a person sick. The estimated safe distance is at least 4.5 meters away. In school, nonetheless, the classes cannot be kept if everyone is 5 meters away from reason, this petition is nonsens from each other, so the only other liable option would be to consider online programs. This way students can still keep with the courses comfortably while remaining safe within their own home.

If the school is concerned about students won't keep the Honors Code when taking the exam online or having the take-home exam, it can be solved by the professors giving exams that are not easy to solve even if it's open-book or open-internet. If there isn't a platform existing to move onto online courses, professors can upload the video of the lecture that is filmed in a separate area on MyEssec and make sure the students watch the lecture during the originally- designated time for the course. Regarding the attendance, it can be done by students submitting some kind of notes or assignments after the lecture time. Students can submit additional assignments during the online lectures as alternative methods for maintaining the course efficiently.

Since the beginning of last week, many students around the country felt reluctant to take public transportation to school, even some professors have adapted online courses. We do understand and appreciate that ESSEC is trying best to maintain teaching and keeping pace with the French government. However, international students like us who had been affected by the severe outbreak in our home countries knew well about the dire situation. Heartbroken stories happen all around the globe due to carelessness. Families being broken apart, children who have to live with the effects of a damaged lung for the rest of their life, and many other cases. In essence, we do not wish to comment on whether the steps implemented by the government are effective or not. We simply want to know if the school will ensure the safety of the students. To study at ESSEC, many of us have to travel thousands of kilometers, and we hope that our voices can be heard. This is the time we take intensive implementations like allowing self-quarantine and switch to online classes to fight and contain the virus, which simultaneously, also protect the beautiful country that we call our home away from home-France. If our voices cannot continue to be heard, and the situation turns to be worse, we are willing to connect with our home embassy to see if anything can be done to help with the situation.

We fully support ESSEC and we hope that the school can understand where we are coming from. More importantly, zero cases in ESSEC is not a reason to let our guard down but rather a reminder for us to move towards a healthier approach as once the virus appears in the community, it spreads remarkably quickly. We are a community, not just the international students, but the whole GBBA program wishes for more measures to be taken. Lastly, please, do not consider this request only when it is too late, keep in mind that the virus has at least fourteen to twenty days of not showing symptoms. Thank you for your time, and attached below are all the information we have collected on the coronavirus and the administrative measures taken by other schools, including ESCP, HEC, and Emlyon.

Sincerely,