The University of Idaho experienced pushback from students and staff, faculty and community members in recent weeks as the finer details of its reopening plan for in-person teaching were revealed.
UI plans to reopen approximately 75% of classes in person this fall. Masks will be required in university buildings along with specific social distancing guidelines. Staff and faculty will be required to work in-person unless they meet criteria set by the Human Resources department.
“I know myself and many of my colleagues that I’ve been speaking to, both in the English department and across the university, are becoming increasingly concerned that the university is out of step with CDC guidelines for how (higher education institutions) should handle the pandemic,” English Professor Erin James said.
Many English department faculty members signed a letter addressed to the Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Science to express the department’s concern for the health and learning experiences of faculty and students. The letter was also sent to President C. Scott Green and Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Torrey Lawrence.
The letter asks that requests to work from home submitted by the English department be approved, mentioning CDC guidelines for higher education institutions, which recommend telework wherever possible.
“We are very aware of the formidable challenges to enrollment and revenue that potentially arise by continuing remote instruction,” the letter stated. “Yet we also understand the greater risks — financial and otherwise — posed by an outbreak on campus, and realize that this exceptional moment can be an opportunity for creativity and innovation.”
Jodie Nicotra, the English department chair, said her concerns were more about how the ability of educators create decent learning experiences for students while using the HyFlex model for their classes.
For her classes, which focus on groups working together, Nicotra plans on having students physically in the classroom get on Zoom in order to work with classmates at home.
“Let’s say I have a class of 20 students.” Nicotra said. “Ten will be physically present in class, sitting apart with masks on, and the other ten will be on Zoom from their rooms or apartments or wherever.You can see the logistical problem already. It’s just going to require an intense amount of setup.”
Chad Neilson, chair of Staff Council, said there are four ways for staff to express concerns about the current fall plan. Staff can contact Neilson or other members of the Staff Council directly, use the feedback form on the Staff Council’s website, send information up their chain of command or set up an appointment with Green.
In addition to faculty expressing concerns, UI senior Elizabeth Hoots started a petition on change.org titled “Give UI Faculty the Choice to Teach from Home.” The petition had just over 1,286 signatures as of July 23.
Hoots said while Green described the university as a destination campus, it’s the hard work of the faculty which makes UI the “educational powerhouse” it is today.
“Giving UI employees the option to work from home this fall semester ensures that we remain an academic destination in future years, with a confident, full reopening that prioritizes the safety of the entire Vandal family when the COVID threat is gone,” Hoots said in the description of the petition.
Nina Clark, a recent UI graduate, said she is nervous for the semester to begin because she does not believe students, especially those in the Greek system, will be taking precautions as seriously as is expected of them.
“I don’t think they are really taking a lot of students’ opinions into consideration,” Clark said. “I think they are kind of looking at this as everyone is going to follow the rules that they set forth and there’s going to be no exceptions, everything is just going to run really smoothly, and I don’t really see that happening.”
The university recently sent out an email memo with plans for the fall semester. The memo can be read on the UI website and our breakdown in this article.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @antxiam5