What happens in September? Prepare yourselves for ‘Social Distancing U’

15 Comments

Thank-you for writing this. I am a senior citizen (Open Studies) and have been taking undergraduate courses (STATS 213, COMMS 201, GEOG 315, etc. ) to refresh and connect with a younger cohort who are not obliged to agree or disagree on principle with a parent. It has been rewarding to connect (a bit) with a different cohort as a fellow student in the ‘same boat’. Now all the world is in the ‘same boat’. I am hoping by Spring 2021 there will be a vaccine and there will be a Sociology or Geography course I will be allowed to take with younger classmates to reflect critically on these days. Maybe even a Masters on this stuff in the future, eh? Stay well, stay safe, stay home, use your good judgement hat.

Lisa, one wonders if a different policy solution is needed.
Current trajectory is to social isolate everyone…even those least likely to suffer adverse affects by shutting down economy. Waiting for a vaccine is nonsensical especially if we don’t want to skip the usual clinical trial phase not to mention the view of who wants to be the guinea pig for an unknown vaccine (even I have trouble signing the waiver for the annual influenza form, and that has gone through years of clinical trials) and finally how will we actually vaccinate 33M CDNS and then 8B in a global economy.

Maybe policy direction should be quarantine for 70+ individuals, social isolation and masks for 60-70 and then move to herd vaccine for the rest. That means back to normal for the vast majority of people in the economy. While some will get sick (and maybe die) the numbers will be no different than with influenza.
Thus, open up the unviersity to classes and get back to business.
Just wondering what you think.

It’s interesting that there is nothing said about student debt and the financial risk that they will be taking on when you argue for an in-person fall session. It’s fine to argue about the universities financial interest, but what about the students’? Shouldn’t there be a link here or something that addresses their concerns?

From a science perspective, I fully endorse every effort to return to normalcy. It is not possible to train a scientist without a lab experience. Virtual labs simply do not compare. Would you use a doctor who had only learned on virtual patients….

Very well written piece. I would like to add that, for all of us to be able to become productive again, first we have to know who is infected. That is, test ASYMPTOMATIC people. Studies have shown that 50-80% of infections are from asymptomatic people!!! A recent study of pregnant women in New York city hospitals showed that out of 215 tested, 4 had symptoms and were positive for covid. OK. But, another 29 were positive but totally asymptomatic… That is, out of 31 that can transmit it, a full 87% had NO symptoms, ie they would be missed with the current levels of testing… We can use masks, sit at 2 meters from each other etc, but knowing who is infected is the most effective tool. If we do not know, then we are perhaps a hundred times more careful than we need to be, based on current % of infected people, and then productivity grinds to a halt. Not just for Universities or Canada, but the whole globe!

I absolutely believe that students should be able to attend university face to face September 2020. The age demographics for Covid-19 suggest that the risk does NOT outweigh the value for our youth of experiencing quality education and relationships that can only be supported by a traditional university experience.

The other point to add to this is that many of the disability-related accommodation needs post-secondary students have related to their functional limitations may not be able to be offered in an online format-as schools are currently realizing. When certain accommodations cannot be put in place online, the need will require more in depth negotiation with faculty to come up with creative solutions. This is something to keep in mind; The working relationship/consultation process between accessibility counselors and faculty within universities will become more important than ever.

Just a quick response to what Kim said in her post: ” age demographics for Covid-19 suggest that the risk does NOT outweigh the value for our youth”

Please also remember that when the students flood back onto campus they are in close contact with many staff and faculty daily who are well beyond their twenties. So there are still implications for spreading the virus to the “older” populations if students went back to campus….simply because there are other people on campus other than students.

Thank you Lisa for writing this. As a sessional lecturer with no health insurance but with health issues that weaken my immune system, I am dreading returning to work next fall. I miss direct interaction with my studients, but the thought of becoming sick and losing both my health and income are really scary.

University students would seem to be perfect for ‘COVID tracking apps.’ Each univ could tailor their specific app for any local conditions and to alert about existence of problems etc.

The one question we are not asking is what students will be comfortable with. As a community we are entering new and strange era. Facemasks, disinfection, and fear are now common.

Are students going to be willing to “put themselves” at risk in a classroom? How are attendance policies going to need to change if existing models means students with “just a cough” come to class? With fewer students in class, will students be as eager to make the drive to campus for one class that could easily be a zoom or online session?

What will be lost if we get students to come to classrooms and are not able to work in groups or sit close enough for a conversation? How do we build community in person/at a distance?

The questions shouldn’t just be “how” can we do this — but what do we, as a community of students, faculty and staff, feel is a safe, effective and necessary.

How can we use the new technology to engage and catch students who may have felt disconnected in the old model? How can we organize our courses and optimize our learning so students and instructors see online as great alternative — not a second best.

This shutdown provides a tremendous opportunity for a re-think of learners needs and how to deliver these — but we have to think beyond “enforcing physical distancing”.

The idea of real social distancing for undergraduates at a university is laughably unrealistic. Sure, you can have fewer students in seats. But to have 2 meters distance between everyone in all the hallways between classes, the doorways in between classes? Not possible even if class sizes are dramatically cut. Normal operation sees hundreds and hundreds filing in and out a few small doorways hourly. You can cut that, but get anywhere close to real social distancing? Not possible. Wearing masks will give false confidence, but look at stats of the actual effectiveness when they aren’t N95 and as actually used by an untrained population. Some students will be transmitting this virus. Many many professors are male (more at risk)and older (more at risk), probably a good number with high blood pressure (more at risk). So what happens when prof gets ill in mid October and now can’t teach for most of the rest of the semester? This isn’t a normal illness which profs can power through. Unis thinking they can reopen for modified in person classes with modified procedures and attempts at social distancing are a recipe for disaster, unless they have a backup plan for course delivery, which they won’t. And this is just considering classroom transmission. Plus, once you maintain distance you preclude group work, close conversations, and a significant dynamic of their person experience anyway. Unis need to think very very carefully.

Great article. I totally agree with your point of view. With 2 daughters at Dal, I feel we can’t just go 100% online. They need to get back on campus.

I am on the side of those who feel that this enthusiastic embrace of reopening campuses in the fall is misguided and dangerous. As a 60 year old male professor with high blood pressure and a leaky heart valve, I know I will be at risk, but I am not just thinking about me. There are also students with reduced immunity or undiagnosed health conditions who will be at risk as well as other faculty and staff. It is not true that young people have no vulnerability to the virus. They get sick at a much lesser rate than older people, it is true, but there have been cases of young people sickening and dying. Which university wants to be the first to have people die and earn the reputation of Death Trap U? I could imagine teaching my classes for several weeks and then, should a “death wave” hit my college, students would stay away in droves and the whole point of reopening would be nullified. There would be panic on campus and people would worry about who was infected and who was not, as there is no easy way to be certain. Should we test people ten times a day to try to boost confidence? How can we possibly prevent students from socializing unsafely? Will we have a Covid-19 security force to police the campus and prevent what was once normal but now unacceptable risky behavior? If there is a positive test result from a faculty member or student who has been in contact with hundreds of others in the last several days, do you place hundreds of people into isolation? And then do the same the next day, and the next, if more cases emerge?. I also believe that the costs of outfitting a campus in the ways that have been discussed, such as plexiglass barriers, smaller numbers of students in classrooms, unlimited supplies of masks, sanitizer and other PPE, isolation areas for the infected, will be incredibly expensive and could push many institutions under. Add the liability risk of lawsuits by relatives of students, faculty and staff who sicken and die, and you have a truly daunting landscape. I agree that online instruction is not the equal of in-class learning, but I think we should do the same as is being done in other parts of society: proceed in phases. For the fall, limit in-class instruction to those areas where physical, in-class activities cannot be duplicated online, such as science labs and medical training. Having a small number of classes open would provide a lower-risk way of testing out the various strategies for holding classes during the pandemic. Then in the spring, if all goes well, do a bit more, expand the number of classes operating on campus. Reopening all at once is a recipe for disaster. There is still much we do not know about the virus and how to deal with it, and waiting a little until more is known would be prudent. And to those parents who want their dear children out of the house, I am sorry, but it is not the responsibility of colleges and universities to give you a break from your wonderful but perhaps occasionally difficult children. This is not ideal for anyone, but let us choose the path that does not unnecessarily risk people’s lives. Online classes are not optimum, but at least there is no risk of death to those who participate.

After >3 months, this article is still in top 10 of most read. Lisa Young // UA : Time for an update?
New ideas, new perspectives ?