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apscufku · 5 years ago

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Spring Reopening

As more and more states are starting to shut down again, reopening plans for school systems are continuing to get released. Kutztown University released their spring reopening plan in mid-October. The spring is to run similarly to the fall following a hybrid model. Some classes will be fully in-person, some will be fully online. Most will switch off meeting dates to allow for only half of the class to be in-person at a time or follow a synchronous, online model of meeting through zoom but at a consistent, scheduled time. Less than 30% of classes meet completely in-person currently. Many of these classes are science labs and music rehearsals that require an in-person style of learning. There will also be no spring break in the 2021 semester. Instead there are scheduled days off spread throughout the semester.

While many are hopeful that a new semester will bring back a sense of normalcy to campus, statistics are showing otherwise. In Pennsylvania, the cases are rising to over 4,000 new positive cases daily. Recently, there have been days where over 6,200 people have tested positive for COVID-19 according to the New York Times. Berks County has the seventh highest number of cases, closing in on 12,000. Philadelphia has reentered a lock down due to rising cases and has mandated that all higher education institutions go online at least until the new year. Many states and larger cities are implementing curfews and lower maximum capacity mandates to combat the rising cases.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, universities from all over America are following very different models. 34% are primarily online, 23% are primarily in-person, 21% are hybrid, 10% are fully online, and 4% are fully in-person. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is making major adjustments to prevent cases from spreading on campus. After a large breakout following the campus’ opening in August, the university is cutting down the number of students on campus to just ⅓ of its normal population. They are also only allowing for those living on campus to have single occupancy dorms as well as clearing more spaces for those who need to quarantine or self isolate. Students will also be required to get tested as soon as they return to campus in January.

West Chester University was one of the first PASSHE schools to release their plan to keep the same structure in the spring as they have been following in the fall. Many parents and students were outraged at the lack of in-person classes. The university held firm, though, on maintaining limited in-person classes in order to protect the students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Many universities do not have the resources to test their entire student population when returning to campus. Although there are now rapid tests, some tests can take up to a few days to see results. Because schools may not have the resources or funds to test every student, many schools have only been testing students that are experiencing symptoms. These conditions have improved throughout the semester as better testing models have come out and the availability of these has improved.

Recently, a vaccine from Pfizer has come out that is said to have a 90% success rate. This gives hope to many Americans who want their lives to return to some sort of normalcy. With this new vaccine, questions arise of when it will be accessible to the masses and whether it will be mandatory. Many wonder, when the vaccine is available to the general population, will it be required in order to return to school?

It is interesting to think about what a new normal for institutions of higher education will look like. Schools across all levels have gained a new reliance on technology in this pandemic. The culture of sick days and snow days may be over. Students, teachers, and employees in education are able to access everything they would need from a classroom from the comfort of their own home. Right now, if a student is not feeling well, a professor will send them a zoom link to attend class virtually. There is no reason that this process will not continue in future years when in-person classes resume. Workplaces in general have long had the mindset of working through coughs, headaches, slight fevers, and other illnesses that seem insignificant. The idea of working through illness in an office or classroom will forever be changed by COVID-19. Within a few weeks of the pandemic hitting America, the country rapidly changed the way students and educators communicate. Even with a vaccine, even when things go back to “normal”, some of these changes will be everlasting.

By Fiona O’Toole, APSCUF-KU Fall 2020 Intern

Works Consulted

https://www.chronicle.com/article/colleges-pledged-to-follow-the-science-but-divides-in-reopening-plans-reflected-state-politics

https://www.chronicle.com/article/heres-a-list-of-colleges-plans-for-reopening-in-the-fall/

https://www.kutztown.edu/about-ku/administrative-offices/presidents-office/statements-and-addresses/update-from-president-hawkinson-on-2021-spring-semester.html

https://www.kutztown.edu/about-ku/administrative-offices/presidents-office/statements-and-addresses/update-from-president-hawkinson-on-2021-spring-semester.html?fbclid=IwAR3kP0LFl36TQAyVV7EpnutJ6qmVy1Nhs3fPqzYoMbOv9aP8qYBXRcyU7cY

https://www.chronicle.com/article/many-universities-are-replaying-their-fall-plans-this-spring-these-two-are-making-changes

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/westchester/west-chester-u-plans-spring-caution-accommodates-students

https://www.readingeagle.com/coronavirus/state-system-chancellor-backs-kutztown-universitys-reopening-plan-urges-tempering-of-discourse/article_524c65ec-1ad5-11eb-852d-cfd855b45c11.html

https://www.chronicle.com/article/live-coronavirus-updates-heres-the-latest

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/pennsylvania-coronavirus-cases.html

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