Absence of College Students Affects Local Businesses When classrooms emptied and education migrated to Zoom, what became of the local economy dependent on students’ business?
by Brendan Morris
“ “ An Empty College Lecture Hall, Image Courtesy of Pixabay.
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n these uncertain times, one thing is certain; somebody WILL begin a sentence with “In these uncertain times” at least once a week. But like all truisms, the benign acknowledgement of the unpredictability of the pandemic is justified, it’s a cliche for a reason. From commerce to education, the Coronavirus pandemic has launched every sector of our lives into chaos, but what remains uncertain is how lockdown initiatives impact the interconnectedness of our economy. How did buses fare with the mass adoption of commuters now working from home? How did the chipper across from the pub deal take the vanishing of their midnight, kebab-hungry customers? But one specific type of institution commonly created a bedrock on which the immediate economy was founded, the world over; college students, and the businesses sustained by their presence. In March of 2020, the world watched in awe
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as institution after institution shut its doors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In an effort to contain the contagion, colleges and universities around the globe took advantage of new digital technology to teach their classes from their home office. However, it was not without its drawbacks. The phrase ‘Zoom fatigue’ soon became a part of the college students vocabulary, as they expressed the exhaustion brought on by never-ending video calls. But our exhaustion of digital meetings didn’t hold a light to the vacancy created by the lack of students in the local economy. The change in the practice of college from cafeteria chit chat to digitally-driven education was not felt just by the students. The businesses located in the locality of third-level education institutions were now left with a vacancy in their account books. And
