CHAPEL HILL – Officials at UNC-Chapel Hill, Appalachian State and UNC-Charlotte are to be commended for holding off on resumption of in-person classes.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Robert Blouin announced last week that classes will still resume Jan. 19, but in-person classes will not begin until Feb. 8.
“We are making these changes with the health of our campus and the community in mind,” Guskiewicz and Blouin said in a message to the campus community.1
Similarly, Appalachian State Chancellor Sheri Everts announced Friday that classes will begin Jan. 19 as scheduled, but remain online until Feb. 1.
“State and local data trends are concerning as students prepare to return to Boone and, in particular, to live in residence halls on campus,” Everts said.2
And UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon Gaber announced Monday that classes at Charlotte will begin Jan. 20, but all classes will remain online until Feb. 22.3
That makes sense. Though vaccines are now being distributed, the coronavirus pandemic is far more widespread in North Carolina now than it was in August, when UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State and East Carolina University had to abruptly shift all classes online.
At Chapel Hill, University officials will require all undergraduate students to be tested before and upon arrival on campus and to submit to periodic asymptomatic testing through the spring semester to track and contain the virus.
“Testing will make a significant difference in our ability to allow students to live and learn on campus this spring by identifying cases and trends earlier,” Guskiewicz and Blouin said in their message.4
THIS IS NOT TO SAY one size fits all. We’ve noted before how the UNC System’s smaller campuses, in particular, did a commendable job containing the coronavirus while maintaining in-person classes last fall.
Some UNC-Chapel Hill faculty have pushed for the University to shift all classes online for the entire spring semester.
We’re all living with uncertainty these days – and it bears repeating that we’re all due an extra dose of patience as we each attempt to navigate our personal circumstances.
University officials deserve that patience as well.
“I want to thank you again for the patience, flexibility and incredible resilience you’ve demonstrated throughout these challenging times,” Gaber said in her message to UNC Charlotte. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to provide our students an exceptional educational experience while keeping Niner Nation healthy.”5
1 https://www.unc.edu/posts/2021/01/07/spring-operations-updates/.
2 https://chancellor.appstate.edu/newsletter/id/229.
3 https://inside.uncc.edu/news-features/2021-01-11/important-update-spring-semester.
4 https://www.unc.edu/posts/2021/01/07/spring-operations-updates/.
5 https://inside.uncc.edu/news-features/2021-01-11/important-update-spring-semester.
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