Student is Angered UNR Opened for Fall Semester Amid Chaos of Hawk Fire

A student's perspective angry that UNR was open for classes today despite the chaos caused by the Hawk Fire:

"I’m a UNR student affected by the Hawk Fire, and I want to share what this situation has actually looked like for some of us.

When the evacuation happened, everything moved incredibly fast. Everyone was trying to leave at essentially the same time, and we ended up stuck in evacuation traffic on Moya Boulevard for hours. By the time we finally made it through, we were turned away and told the evacuation center was already at full capacity. A lot of us had nowhere to go. People ended up sleeping or camping in Walmart parking lots, warehouse parking lots, and wherever else they could safely stay for the night.

The next day, we started looking for other options. Hotels throughout Reno and even surrounding areas like Carson City and Fallon were full. Some people I know ended up driving all the way to Sacramento just to find somewhere to stay. The rooms that were still available in the area were sometimes going for more than $300 a night. For families with pets, finding somewhere to stay is even harder. Many hotels charge additional fees for dogs, which can quickly become unaffordable when you don’t know how many nights you’ll be displaced. When I contacted the animal shelter, I was told they were already full and couldn’t take any more animals. Eventually, staying at home became the only realistic option for my family.

This is now my second day at home without electricity. The food in our refrigerator and freezer started spoiling, so we cooked as much as we could before losing it. We don’t have a hotel to go to. We don’t have somewhere else we can simply stay indefinitely. Leaving also comes with the possibility that changing closures or evacuation restrictions could prevent us from getting back home.

And in the middle of all of this, UNR has decided to continue holding classes.

I want people to understand that affected students aren’t asking for classes to be canceled because we want a day off. Some of us are dealing with evacuation orders, road closures, no electricity, spoiled food, displaced families, pets with nowhere to go, and uncertainty about whether we’ll even be able to return home if we leave.

I have a child at home. If I leave this area to attend class and I’m unable to get back because of road closures or evacuation restrictions, I could be separated from my child.

How am I supposed to make that choice?

Other schools in the area recognized that this emergency has disrupted people’s lives. I don’t understand why UNR students are being expected to carry on as though everything is normal.

I’m sharing this anonymously because I don’t want attention on myself. I just want people to understand what some families and students are actually experiencing right now.

We aren’t asking for special treatment. We’re asking for some compassion and acknowledgment that, for many people affected by this fire, going to class simply isn’t the most important or even realistically possible thing right now."

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