When the Zoom mic goes hot

Fernanda Figueroa | THE RIDER

With classes moving online this semester, UTRGV students are finding themselves experiencing funny and embarrassing moments through Zoom.

During her first week back Abigail Rios, a political science senior, found herself in her Zoom class with her microphone unmuted while eating “crunchy hot Cheetos.” Rios didn’t realize that her microphone was unmuted and just kept seeing her classmates’ expressions of “What is she doing? Why is she not on mute?”

“It wasn’t until a few minutes that I noticed I wasn’t on mute,” Rios said. “My professor didn’t say anything. but I did notice some of my classmates were laughing and I was laughing at myself, too, because how could I not have noticed that my mic was not on mute.”

Zachary Ugarte, a criminal justice sophomore was embarrassed by his mom on the first day of class when she decided to barge into his room asking him to do chores, all while his microphone was unmuted.

“All you hear is my mom calling me,” Ugarte said. “I’m trying to mute my mic but I was on a different window so everyone just hears it. Now everyone knew I had to do chores. I just got up and left [the class].”

Professors are also a source of entertainment during online classes.

For Merary Sauceda, a social work junior, her professor’s five-minute conversation about brussels sprouts being her favorite vegetable provided all the entertainment she needed during these unconventional times.

“We were first talking about vegetables, then she was naming the vegetables she likes and started talking about brussels sprouts,” Sauceda said. “The whole class started laughing and it was just a funny moment that happened during class.”

William Sokoloff, a political science professor, is trying to add humor  to his classes by creating PowerPoints with pictures of his dogs asking questions.

“I could be accused of being a bit corny,” Sokoloff said. “I hope my students can sense that I’ve put my heart and soul in trying to create a positive learning environment.”

For many, these funny or embarrassing moments can really make the class more fun, lighten up the mood and help students during these stressful times, Sauceda said.

“I think these silly and random moments make it feel a little bit more normal,” Rios said. “It allows us to still have that time to laugh just as we could in [in-person] classes.”