California State University campuses to remain closed through fall semester

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: ABC7

The California State University (CSU) system said it plans to cancel all in-personal classes for the fall and to continue instruction online.

There will be some limited exceptions for in-person classroom activities that cannot be delivered virtually.

CSU Chancellor Timothy White made the announcement Tuesday, which will affect all 23 of its universities.

"This virtual planning approach for the next academic year is necessary because of the evolving data surrounding the progression of COVID 19," White explained to CSU trustees.

White said non-partisan researchers and health experts forecast additional waves of infection coupled with the flu season in the fall. He added the public immunity rate is very low, and it is not likely a vaccine will be developed during the academic year. CSU campuses moved to virtual learning in March due to coronavirus pandemic. To mitigate the spread of the virus, the university closed a majority of its campus to students and canceled graduation.


Read more: https://abc7.com/education/csu-campuses-to-remain-closed-through-fall-semester/6176291/

[hibbing]

1. Califonia, leading the nation in sanity

Meanwhile, in my state....ugh.

Peace

[jimfields33]

6. Besides health, this is going to save students a lot of money

No dorm fee, food, activities fee, in class fee which is much high then online. This might end up saving students in the future from having huge loans. Always looking for the good.

[pstokely]

8. although many of those of are mostly commuter campuses

Last edited Tue May 12, 2020, 10:20 PM - Edit history (1)

I'd just start at a community college if I was an incoming freshman if they'll all be online, might not be much difference in campus life with most Cal State campuses being largely commuters

[cab67]

10. see my comment below.

It'll save students money in the short term, but it's going to cause a serious jump in costs down the road.

[Neoma]

20. I'm only taking one or two online class if my campus is shutdown this fall.

I pay for the experience of meeting new people and forming relationships that will last a lifetime, and to help me network for my career after I graduate. It isn't just about getting a degree to me. Even if it saves me train and bus money, there's no real motivation for me to continue without in-class sessions.

Besides that, the classes that were turned into online classes this semester? Not every teacher is at ease with technology. In one class, I won't find out my grade until it is on my transcript.

[JI7]

21. But does it cost less right now since it's online ? Wouldn't it be better

to try to comlete as much as you can and then maybe go to grad school if you want the in person experience.

I only mention this because we don't know if things will go back to "normal" . What you want may not be possible until much later .

[Neoma]

26. I am not willingly paying for online classes.

If it has to take a year for me to go back to class normally, so be it.

[luxmatic]

22. My son is at a CSU

My son, a freshman, just wrapped up online finals at CSU Chico today. Sadly, last March, he was just finding his social group. Everyone was sent home and now that’s on hold.

Last weekend, he was looking for a rental for the next year. Came *this* close to signing a lease. It didn’t seem like a good bet to commit to a lease agreement in this environment, but without a clear understanding of the fall semester arrangements, it wasn’t clear we should move forward. This announcement provides clarity, which helps us save much needed money.

I mourn for the experiences he is missing out on because of the pandemic, but also understand that he’s not unique. Everyone is going through this and nothing is normal.

[madaboutharry]

2. This is only the beginning.

I saw the President of Howard University on CNN a day or two ago and this was one of the plans on top of his list.

[Igel]

3. The TX Education Agency released some advice.

Districts should declare themselves on a year-round schedule, the same number of days or minutes distributed throughout the year with breaks. That would entail starting in early August.

Then if a school or district has to go on a 2-week lockdown (or longer) there'll be built-in make-up weeks.

Wait until the usual start of school Aug. 20 or thereabouts and there may be a problem, with a long stretch of school after May 1 yet to finish, and with the standardized tests happening when they normally happen.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Wow. Will change college forever and slow the economy during the pandemic

It's the correct decision though. So far the inevitable has only been delayed a wee bit.

[not fooled]

5. Acknowledging reality

unlike the criminal "leading" the nation.

(Yeah, leading...over a cliff.)

[B Stieg]

7. Nothing from the UC's yet

But I bet we'll follow suit.
My summer school classes are all already on-line...

[cab67]

9. This is a mixed bag.

I teach at a public university (albeit not in California). Switching to online-only might be fatal to many such institutions, especially those (including mine) that rely on revenue from out-of-state students who pay higher tuition. Why would a parent pay out-of-state tuition if their kid is at home? A lot of public institutions are going to close because of this.

(I suppose the appropriate answer is "so why should universities avoid what's hitting the rest of the economy?" I have no real answer to that, except that public universities can't rely on endowments to the same degree as most private institutions, and it's the public universities that serve the majority of students who can't afford private colleges or universities. This includes community colleges - a real gift America gave to the concept of higher education. So if we go, the disparity between who can afford higher education and who can't will get a lot worse than it already is. The notion that this will save students money is only true in the very shortest of terms.)

This really is going to be a rough thing to work through. A complete return to in-person instruction across the board is obviously not an option; this pandemic isn't over. But I can say now with direct personal experience that the online experience is not always equivalent to being in a classroom. Some programs require field courses, internships, or other experiences that can't adequately be replicated in a virtual environment. (Mine is one such program.). Anyone who claims anything can be taught online is either misinformed or thinking unrealistically.

I'm on my college's executive committee. We discussed budget models this morning. I would actually contract COVID than announce the kind of cuts we're facing, depending on how much state appropriations drop. And they'll drop.

For this reason, some programs are going to have to include some level of in-person instruction this fall. My own institution is looking at hybrid arrangements that would include a mix of in-person and virtual instruction. We're also looking at modifying the physical infrastructure to minimize reliance on central air systems (e.g. allowing us to open windows again, after a long streak of renovating buildings with fixed-in-place windows), limiting class size, limiting the dorm population, and requiring other actions to help keep this thing from spreading.

I don't know what the future holds. I almost don't want to know.

[pstokely]

13. what are their plans for fall?

most around here are saying their campuses will be open, but large lecture classes might go online

[cab67]

15. It's a work in progress.

We're not sure how it will look. Even the large-enrollment courses may go hybrid; out-of-state freshmen take them as well.

[Politicub]

11. It's the right decision in light of the pandemic.

But it also makes me sad because college and living on campus were some of the best years of my life.

[pstokely]

12. many of the Cal State campuses are mostly commuter students

but wouldn't a community college be cheaper for an incoming freshman (online or in person)?

[cab67]

16. in most cases, yes - but....

...there are variables involved other than cost alone. Transferring credits from a community college to a four-year institution is not always as straightforward as one might think, for example. One also loses a certain level of community and connectedness by not being with the same group of fellow majors from start to finish.

I've seen transfer students end up not being able to take courses at my university for reasons beyond their control, other than luck-of-the-draw bad timing, e.g. they want to focus on one subdiscipline, but because of when they transfer, they either have course conflicts or classes aren't taught because faculty are on sabbatical. Which means they have a harder time making the connections and taking the courses one would need to apply for grad school.

In no way am I trying to denigrate the community college system. I think it's a shining triumph of the American higher education system. But it would be a mistake to assume it can shoulder the burden of so many students unable to attend four-year institutions better suited to their career goals.

[Politicub]

18. I took some community college classes while in high school

Those transferred, but I went to a state university. The community college classes weren’t as intensive as university classes, but I was glad to get math out of the way.

[mike_c]

14. I'm glad to hear this announcement now, rather than in August.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand the lab component of STEM classes is irreplaceable, but risking grave illness is not a good idea either. I've been hoping for an early decision so the rug won't be pulled out from under us just before fall semester starts.

[MichMan]

17. Probably going to be a lot of faculty being let go.

On line classes can be much larger and no real need for graduate TA any more

[pstokely]

19. also loss of many students

Last edited Wed May 13, 2020, 12:56 AM - Edit history (1)

some incoming freshmen might just go to a community college (online or in person) or do a gap year

[Initech]

24. I'm not transfering until there's a vaccine.

And I've been wanting this for a very long time. This virus has definitely put a damper in my plans.

[Initech]

23. This virus has just wrecked us.

The sooner we can get a vaccine to kill this thing the better.

[genxlib]

27. Well that is disappointing

My daughter is scheduled to go off to college as a Freshman. It isn't in California but it certainly sets a precedent towards all the others going this way.

I know it feels like the right thing to do but I am not certain. Kids of that age seem to be very low risk. It seems like it might be safer having them sequestered away on campus. It might actually be safer overall to have them away from parents and grandparents for months rather than coming and going from our houses everyday.

I have been hoping for some kind of hybrid approach that tries to accommodate 50% of the kids on campus while giving kids deep discounts for doing online for the remaining 50%. Young adults and grad students could run the place while professors and staff telecommuted.

I just don't think online learning is an effective replacement for what you really get out of college. Especially for Freshman who have zero connectivity with their classmates.