The University of the West Indies main entrance on Mona Road (Photo Credit- Jamaica obsever-)

JAMAICA OBSERVER- Students at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, are set to stage a peaceful sit-out Monday, in protest of the university’s decision to resume face-to-face classes following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

In an open letter released on Sunday, a group of students called for a one-week suspension of academic activities, followed by the implementation of a mixed-modality learning framework to accommodate those still grappling with the storm’s aftermath. The letter describes the university’s move as “irresponsible” and “tone-deaf,” arguing that many students remain displaced, without access to basic utilities, and emotionally unprepared to resume studies.

The students emphasised that their protest is an act of solidarity with peers from western Jamaica, one of the hardest-hit regions, where thousands remain in shelters and key hospitals have been rendered inoperable.

Citing official reports, they noted that 25,000 people are currently displaced and at least 28 Jamaicans have died as a result of the hurricane.

“The university does not yet have the capacity to accurately identify how many of its own students are homeless, injured, trapped or God forbid have died,” the letter stated, adding that the decision to reopen campus “prematurely” ignores the physical and emotional toll of the disaster.

The students also drew comparisons with other institutions, noting that the University of Technology (UTech) has suspended face-to-face classes indefinitely and that UWI’s Western Jamaica Campus has delayed reopening by a week.

They criticised the Mona administration for pressing students to pay rent for accommodations they were forced to evacuate, calling it a “class issue” and “a profound abdication of empathy.”

The letter further highlighted the mental strain many students are facing, describing a “frozen mental and emotional state” brought on by trauma and uncertainty.

“To demand immediate academic participation amid such upheaval is not only imprudent but inhumane,” the statement read.

The group urged students to use “agency to resist” by not attending classes on Monday.

“Tomorrow, sit out,” the statement concluded, “resist the insensitivity and impracticalness of this decision.”

The letter was signed by several students.