I suppose it depends on how many students (not parents) would prefer the online format. UCs have been toying with hybrid and online classes for years. If I recall correctly, before the pandemic, Berkeley’s CS course was taught in one lecture hall, live fed to another and also offered online. USC’s Distance Education Network (DEN) offered virtual graduate degrees long before the pandemic.
Edit to add that I think the real game changer will be whether students will be allowed to move into housing. If having live classes helps sell more dorm rooms with meal plans as well as support the other for-profit businesses on campus, I think that will be incentive to have more in-person classes.
I feel like the dorms will fill to the allowed capacity but they don’t get any more $ for increasing density in classrooms, so worrisome.
I’m not aware of many students who prefer remote but I suppose some would save money that way. My guess is the vast majority will want to go back to in person.
Students who would have a long commute from where they lived before college may be more likely to favor remote or distance learning, or the option of such. But this is not the usual demographic of these forums.
My son is pretty hell bent on being on campus but at least for now understands if campuses don’t open. We would be traveling cross country to either Ca or Co. The Co school has already been having students on campus all this year but with remote classes. It has been good to track their progress throughout the year on positivity numbers which overall have remained low. It is a small school, however, which makes it easier to do so. His Ca option has had few students on campus and I think all remote classes this past year, so it has been much harder to track how the school and students have been behaving.
“Chance“ of returning to normal SHOULD be well over 99% - which is what the survivability rate is for this cohort (including college employees) if COVID infected, to date. Confirmed campus related hospitalizations & deaths thankfully are exceedingly rare - to the point where a google search can barely unearth 1 tragic case. This includes a full semester without the benefit of vaccine ! It’s disturbing & puzzling that this question is even being pondered given the facts now known. The paralysis of fear has proven far more damaging for many which includes long term psychological consequences.
If it’s truly about “safety” (knowing nothing is 100% - although COVID is pretty close), why don’t schools focus on mental health (suicide prevention) drugs & alcohol issues which are all far more deadly ? For instance, the 2 fraternity alleged hazing-related deaths (one at VCU the other at BGSU) earlier this month. Both tragic AND preventable.
Let’s get kids back to a new, reasonable “normal”. At this point there are few excuses not to.
My district has been full time in-person for K-5 since October, and hybrid for 6-12, with no documented in-school transmission. Recently went to full time in-person for all. But of course, the kids are masked, and they’re not doing lunch in school - they start early, and end early, and give the kids a bag lunch on their way out the door.
I’m just hoping that the colleges are open in-person in September. Hoping that the schools will require immunization for Covid as a condition of entry.
Yes, UCSC- I see they have had some students on campus this semester (not sure what percentage). A student who is a current frosh mentioned his friends who currently live on campus this quarter (gotta get used to using quarter!) call the residential colleges right now “a ghost town.” I heard from Admissions that their next webinar regarding Fall re-opening is scheduled for Saturday, April 3rd. I am hoping there might be more information by then, but my guess is it will be more of the same since it’s less than two weeks away.
I’d like to see the evidence for a 99% Covid survival rate in college employees, please.
In my opinion, we haven’t gotten close to gathering or analyzing enough data to make that statement.
At least 77,215 people between the ages of 50-64 have died of Covid in the US. In comparison, in the 2018-19 flu season, 5,676 people in that age range died of flu.
Plenty of university employees are 65+. At least 113,198 people between 65-74 have died of Covid. And around 30% of the survivors in both age groups have long Covid (disproportionally women).
When everyone has access to the vaccines, and education about why they are safe, then I agree that campus life should go back to normal. But let’s not say that 99% of professors, cafeteria workers, cleaning staff, administrative staff etc. would be just fine if they got Covid.
That’s great! Hopefully similar messages will come from the other UCs today. Last week CA’s governor provided updated info to colleges regarding graduation. Several schools refer to it on their websites but I haven’t found the official statement (if there is one).
Yet they will not require employees and staff to be vaccinated. How can you force one group and not the other. Also the vaccines not fully FDA approved yet. Between now and the fall is something comes out about problems with one of the vaccines with long term affects, can they really do this? What if Pfizer is the one? I am not anti-Vax, but I know people who are waiting for full approval, and its not fair to require the students and not the professors and employees.
Yea. They can put out whatever press release they want but it will never be mandatory in the sense they will achieve 100% compliance. What about all the other “mandatory” immunizations that people opt out of ? Polio, MMR and the like. Plus, how about our border situation … any vaccines happening there ? No, just releasing folks to roam around the country. Talk about daily super spreader events. Time to face reality.
