Students at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, are preparing for a peaceful sit-out on Monday to protest the university’s decision to resume in-person classes following the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. In an open letter issued on Sunday, a coalition of students called for a one-week suspension of academic activities and the adoption of a hybrid learning model to support those still recovering from the storm’s impact. The letter criticized the university’s move as “irresponsible” and “tone-deaf,” highlighting that many students remain displaced, lack access to basic utilities, and are emotionally unprepared to return to studies. The protest is framed as an act of solidarity with peers in western Jamaica, one of the regions hardest hit by the hurricane, where thousands are still in shelters and critical healthcare facilities remain non-operational. Official reports cited in the letter reveal that 25,000 people are displaced, and at least 28 Jamaicans have lost their lives due to the disaster. The students expressed concern that the university lacks the capacity to assess how many of its own students are homeless, injured, trapped, or deceased, and argued that reopening campus “prematurely” disregards the physical and emotional toll of the crisis. Comparisons were drawn with other institutions, such as the University of Technology (UTech), which has indefinitely suspended in-person classes, and UWI’s Western Jamaica Campus, which delayed reopening by a week. The letter also condemned the Mona administration for demanding rent payments for accommodations students were forced to evacuate, labeling it a “class issue” and “a profound abdication of empathy.” The mental strain on students was emphasized, with the letter describing a “frozen mental and emotional state” caused by trauma and uncertainty. The group urged students to exercise their “agency to resist” by not attending classes on Monday, concluding with a call to “resist the insensitivity and impracticalness of this decision.” The letter was signed by several students.
UWI Mona students plan sit-out over decision to resume classes less than a week after Hurricane Melissa
