Amidst the sudden changes Washington University made in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some hope arose out of the chaos. A group of quick-thinking students organized a Google Sheets document containing a plethora of resources for students affected by the unexpected disruption, connecting students to housing, transportation and even grocery delivery.

The primary organizers of the document were sophomore Elizabeth Van Horn, junior Madeline Alburtus and recent graduate Luka Cai. The three initially all made separate documents offering different resources, but eventually combined them into one master spreadsheet, which has been shared through social media.

“I was thinking about the fact [that] I wasn’t sure everyone would be able to get home,” Van Horn said. “I made a Facebook post just kind of seeing if anyone wanted to drive home with me, and I added a disclaimer just kind of saying if anybody could also do the same…and have enough traction, we could create a spreadsheet for that.”

Apart from housing and transportation, the services offered by students, faculty and community members include storage space, grocery delivery, resources for physical and mental health, volunteer opportunities, vegan meals and a listing of local jobs for students who may be on unpaid leave. Students can also make their own requests.

“Under a resource someone will put a name and number or their email and a student in need can reach out to their person and that’s kept confidential between the person reaching out and the person being reached out to,” Alburtus said. “I had a student who ended up deciding to stay with a friend who’s local to the area, but she had reached out to me and asked to stay with us because she couldn’t afford to get home.”

Due to the wide range of student situations, a number of different offerings are posted on the spreadsheet. Junior Astrid Maldonado, a contributor to the spreadsheet’s housing resources, said that she initially posted her offer on different Slack channels before the spreadsheet arose.

“I remember instantly thinking, ‘We can house people,’ and being really relieved that there’s a way that people can seek that out, because it’s really scary to not know where you’re going to be staying,” Maldonado said.

While she found this student-driven initiative heartening, Maldonado noted that she was disappointed that the University didn’t do more to support the community.

“It was really inspiring that our community is so strong and [considers] these populations, but it was also kind of sad that we had to do it,” Maldonado said. “I understand that it…[is] an emergency situation. But it’s during times of emergency when you need to think about who’s going to be the most impacted and in what ways.”

Similar to Maldonado’s critique, Van Horn and Alburtus both made a point of noting that the need for the spreadsheet arose due to what they described as an unsatisfactory University response.

“This is 100% student-started and facilitated because of the University’s lack of a sufficient response for all students,” Van Horn said.

The Office of Residential Life provided late-stay applications for members of the student body last week, giving students with extenuating circumstances, such as those who reside in a country that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated as Warning Level 3, the opportunity to voice their need to stay in University housing. Still, Alburtus said this doesn’t go far enough in accommodating all students.

“There are students right now who have alternative situations,” Alburtus said. “One of the students I talked to is currently at home, hoping to return to the University because home is not the best place for her to navigate schoolwork, just things like that aren’t being properly allocated for in that process.”

Despite this resource sheet, many Wash. U. students still have not been informed of their financial situations. “More answers from Student Financial Services are supposed to be coming this week, but it’s just been hard to get answers. People don’t really know what’s going on,” Alburtus said.

As chaotic as the COVID-19 pandemic is, Maldando hopes that the University takes into account the concerns raised by students who need these resources.

“I want Wash. U. in the future to also prioritize…the marginalized groups in our community first before making announcements like these,” Maldanado said. “I think it’s really important to first think about who’s being silenced, who’s going to be the most impacted by this…and then make the decision.”