What are colleges doing nationwide, and is it safe?
This Back-to-School season is unlike any other, with the fall semester undergoing major academic, cultural and lifestyle transformations due to COVID-19. Colleges and universities across the nation are innovating ways to maintain their school community and the integrity of their education without compromising the safety and health of their students. A tough feat, to say the least.
Many colleges are implementing a hybrid system, with a mix of in-person and online classes, which varies with each school and with specific classes. This could mean one course is fully online throughout the semester while others are not. Certain classes, especially labs and art studio courses, simply cannot be facilitated online without greatly diminishing the learning experience.
Another path is using a rotation method, where depending on the day of the week, a cohort of students attend class in-person while the others do so online. The rotation decreases the number of students in a classroom at a time and thus helps avoid the spread of the virus.
For smaller, more isolated campuses, there may be a higher ratio of in-person classes to online classes, since the student body is more contained. Much larger universities in more populated areas, such as Rutgers University, have too large of a student population to do any in-person classes, with a few exceptions.
Other major players of higher education, including Harvard and Princeton, have chosen to conduct their fall semester with fully online courses for undergraduate students. However, for some schools, a limited percentage of their student body may be allowed to return to campus, a decision determined based on their year or possibly their research. This smaller student body may have a hybrid instruction, or they may still adhere to a fully online experience.
Institutions are also constantly revising their plans as new information (and obstacles) arises. Take University of Pennsylvania’s recent update not to provide on-campus housing to almost all undergraduate students, or Brown University’s backtracked decision to remain virtual until Oct. 5 with students potentially returning at the end of September.
For nearly all in-person, on-campus experiences, face masks, sanitary procedures and other precautions will be the new norm inside and outside the classroom. Depending on the university, students may be tested regularly throughout the semester. Dining halls may only serve takeout or have limited seating. Gyms and study spaces may be closed, have lower capacities or install plexiglass sheets.
Most sporting events are on hold at least until the winter season or heavily restricted throughout the fall. Even the Big Ten Conference, the oldest Division 1 conference in the U.S., decided to postpone its fall season to avoid any health risks of their student athletes, despite announcing their approval for plans and medical protocols just a week before the postponement.
On top of these changes, many universities have adjusted their academic calendars for the semester to start earlier and end in-person instruction by Thanksgiving. For these universities, the last week of classes and/or final exams will be conducted solely online. This way, students would not be obligated to reconvene on campus after returning home for the holiday, and colleges can control the spread, especially in anticipation of a second wave in November.
Despite all of these efforts to make campus a safe environment, students are on edge about whether universities will suddenly shut down once again. In the case of an outbreak, this is a very possible reality, prompting questions about contingency plans, housing and refunds. And for international students, the risks are exponentially greater.
Some argue that there is no safe in-person college experience, especially with the likely possibility of parties, gatherings and travel among college students. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has already proven the potential risks. UNC, which held its first class of the semester only a week ago, reversed its decision Monday for on-campus learning and is enforcing remote instruction effective Wednesday. The rate of infection grew from 2.8% to 13.6% within the span of one week.
Regardless, others will argue that in-person learning can be achieved with technology and innovation, along with a “culture of care,” in order to practice safety and monitor health. As of now, there does not seem to be a clear right answer, but only time will tell.
However, selfishness and recklessness in not following safety measures will tear down everything universities are trying to build in this environment. Students need to individually understand that the pandemic is much larger than themselves, and they cannot sacrifice safety in an attempt to salvage their normal college experience.
College may be about finding independence and our paths, but there is a bigger picture — one that goes beyond our personal well-beings. We have to work together to look out for one another and ensure the safety of our communities. Universities around the nation are truly putting college students to the test. To my classmates and the college kids who normally think they are invincible: do we have what it takes to help prevent the spread of coronavirus?
That being said, what universities are doing might not be enough. Nothing might ever be enough without a proven vaccine to cure the virus. But our institutions can only do so much, and the rest is left up to our individual actions and moral codes. Don’t ask yourself what you will be missing out on this semester. Instead, ask yourself what you will do to protect your health and the health of your classmates.
This semester will no doubt be one to remember — and hopefully one we will not have to relive.
