With school online, Agora classes have less variety

This school year has been unconventional, and Agora Week is no exception. With classes being online, there is a less diverse range of classes than a typical year.

According to Chris Guyotte, the leader of the Agora Committee, there are less classes being taught by university members than there would be usually, and therefore less total proposals, so, “we had as many student classes as we normally get, but we didn’t have to turn as many away.”

The online setting and lack of Agora classes from university people have affected the variety of classes. Guyotte says there are, “a lot more gaming classes, and not as many high-level academic classes as we normally have.”

In addition, there were less submissions for sports-related classes this year than previous years. This is understandable, as not everyone has access to sports equipment, and, as stated by Agora Committee member Anuprova Bhowmik, if you are teaching someone how to do a hands-on activity like playing a sport, “it’s a lot easier to stand over their back and guide them and tell them what to do.”

On the other hand, there are more cooking classes this year since we aren’t limited by having only one room to cook in. Fing remarked that, “We normally get a large number of cooking classes, and we have to pick and choose between them … [but] since most people are going to do it in their own kitchen, it doesn’t really matter how many classes we have.”

Each student will be required to take at least 3 classes during Agora week, and they are able to choose up to 4. They must take at least 1 educational class and 1 cultural awareness class. Fing said, “I think there’s enough variety in those 4 classes that everybody will be able to find at least one class that they really enjoy.”

Sign-ups were this week, and classes will take place from February 16-19.