Many San Jose State community members are responding to the Spring 2022 semester’s remote start as the omicron variant spreads throughout Santa Clara County.
SJSU Interim President Steve Perez announced in a Jan. 12 campuswide email that the university will move to remote instruction starting today through Feb. 11 in response to growing concerns regarding the omicron variant.
Communications senior Steven Nguyen said he was disappointed following the university’s announcement.
“It's bad organization and bad planning,” Nguyen said in an email. “They could've said a heads-up way before in December 2021.”
Kenneth Mashinchi, senior director of strategic communications and media relations for SJSU, said the decision was made with the safety and health of on-campus community members as a “top priority.”
“We understand and empathize with students and faculty who desire learning in an in-person capacity,” he said in an email. “We hope to return to that modality on Feb. 14 and will continue to track the omicron variant.”
Nguyen said although he’s disappointed about the university’s “late response”, he’s been trying to support other students with words of encouragement on the SAMMY App.
“Don't let these variants like omicron get in your way of learning and pursuing your careers and dreams,” Nguyen said. “I can tell how it is to take in that struggle, the stress, and the anxiety for students having to go through this . . . It’s not easy.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the omicron variant was identified in most U.S. states and territories as of Dec. 20, 2021, increasing the number of COVID-19 cases attributed to omicron over other variants, according to its webpage.
Omicron will “likely spread more easily” than SARS-CoV-2, the original virus that causes COVID-19, and its transmissibility compared to the Delta variant “remains unknown,” according to the same CDC variant webpage.
Psychology junior Iris Schmidt said dealing with COVID-19 symptoms during final exams in December 2021 was challenging.
“I had to take a chemistry exam when I had full blown COVID symptoms . . . and I really think it affected my academic performance as it was really hard to focus,” she said in an email.
Santa Clara County detected its first case of the omicron variant on Dec. 9, 2021 in an individual that returned from out-of-state travel, according to an Office of Communications and Public Affairs webpage.
The county has experienced a 7-day average of 3,903 reported COVID-19 cases as of Jan. 25, according to the county COVID-19 data and reports webpage.
The omicron variant accounts for 1,981 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County as of Jan. 25, though there have been 14,355 confirmed cases of the Delta variant, according to the county’s COVID-19 Variant Dashboard.
Aviation sophomore Alexander Mullane said several of his friends have tested positive for COVID-19 since the holiday season.
“If a student has asymptomatic omicron and goes to an in-person class, then they risk spreading it to their classmates, even if everyone has been fully vaccinated and boosted,” Mullane said. “This variant is highly transmissible, and even simple activities – such as going to class or meeting up with friends – can help it spread further.”
He said online instruction is necessary because of how highly transmissible the omicron variant appears to be, even among vaccinated individuals.
Remote instruction
Although most courses are being conducted remotely, Mashinchi said exceptions may be granted by a dean for courses that must meet in person starting the week of Jan. 31 to address students’ “immediate learning needs.”
He said examples of courses meeting an exemption may be lab sections, studios, or individual instruction.
Social, swing and latin dance professor Bud Ayers said he petitioned for his class to meet in person.
“I had to restructure my entire class because the whole thing that makes it unique is learning to deal with each other,” Ayers explained in a phone call. “When you’re online you’re just dealing with yourself and not everybody gets to interact.”
Ayers said he taught his dance students through Zoom in 2020 and since then, he’s noticed students learn more effectively in person.
“[Online instruction] really doesn’t work because the majority of students were turning off their cameras and I couldn’t give much feedback,” he said.
Ayers said he plans to implement stricter mask and distance protocols among his students to ensure “maximum safety.”
“I think that we still don’t have it perfect but at least we’re getting closer to the solution,” he said.
Booster shots
At least 1,606,278 of all Santa Clara County residents, or about 83%, are vaccinated and 901,410 residents received a booster shot, according to the county data and reports webpage as of Jan. 25.
In accordance with a Dec. 22, 2021 California State University COVID-19 vaccination policy update, booster shots are required for students to be considered fully vaccinated, Perez said in the Jan. 12 campuswide email.
Students and university employees must get a booster shot if more than two months have passed since a Johnson & Johnson dose or if five months or more have passed since the Pfizer or Moderna second dose, Perez said.
All students who are registered for hybrid or in-person classes are required to provide proof of their vaccination by Jan. 31 if they are booster eligible.
On-campus housing and facilities
Perez said regardless of vaccination status, on-campus housing students must get a commercial or at-home COVID-19 test within 24 hours of moving to campus.
The move-in period for residents of Joe West, Washburn Hall, CV2 and CVC Suites began Sunday, according to a Jan. 14 university housing update.
On-campus housing students are required to be tested upon arrival and get tested weekly until SJSU community positivity rates are at a “satisfactory level,” Perez said.
Alexander Mullane said he’s concerned about moving into on-campus housing if online instruction continues past Feb. 14, because of “lack of information” from university housing.
“I live in Orange County and I was originally set to drive back to Northern California on January 22,” Mullane said in an email. “ If the remainder of the semester continues online my other option is to return home, which would require a lot of planning and coordination with my family.”
While the majority of classes will be conducted online, Mashinchi said minimal facilities on campus will be available.
The Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center will stay open to the campus community, Mashinchi said. The Dining Commons will remain the only dining area open on campus offering $7 lunch meals for students without a meal plan, staff and faculty.
“Campus facilities remain open and accessible for students, faculty and staff,” he said. “It is important to note there are possibilities that facilities may be temporarily closed due to staffing concerns.”
Mashinchi said university leadership will continue to track the omicron variant and update the campus community in coming weeks if “further alterations need to be made to the spring semester.”
Schmidt said the university can only apply so many safety precautions, and students will have to do their part to stay safe.
“It really sucks to see my classmates partying, clubbing, and not abiding to CDC policies like isolation and masking up,” Schmidt said. “It hurts to see them living it up in a crowded room with no ventilation, while other students who are actually isolating still suffer by missing out on social opportunities due to the pandemic.”
