Returning to in-person classes at San Jose State for fall semester shouldn’t happen because it’s simply too early for students to return to any semblance of normalcy.
Timothy P. White, CSU Chancellor from 2012-20, announced on Dec. 9 that all CSU campuses will return to in-person classes during Fall 2021.
As the distribution of coronavirus vaccines sluggishly continues, the discussion of whether or not students should return to in-person sessions this coming fall arose.
Many instructors have sent email surveys to students to gather information about their stances on wanting to return or not.
Having experienced two and a half semesters online, many students have opinions on whether or not we should return to in-person classes.
Because of how populated campus is, it would be hard to ensure everyone correctly follows COVID-19 safety regulations.
According to San Jose State University Institutional Research, there are currently more than 33,000 students attending as of fall 2020.
Because of the high population at SJSU, it would be best not to begin in-person sessions.
The current distribution of vaccines is also slow and it won’t be possible for every student, faculty and staff member to receive a vaccination before fall semester.
According to a Feb. 18 Mercury News article, “about 31,500 Moderna doses allocated for Santa Clara County have been delayed, and another 15,000 doses may be held up if the bad weather continues, according to a county representative.”
The massive storm that hit Texas has affected FedEx and UPS facilities that were responsible for distributing vaccines to different states, as reported by the Mercury News.
Prior to the storm, vaccine distribution was already lagging, with only health care workers and people over 65-years-old currently qualifying for vaccination, according to the Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center vaccine homepage.
Fall semester is approaching and vaccines aren’t being rolled out fast enough. At this rate it’s likely most students won’t have the vaccine by fall.
I don’t want to return to campus when there’s a chance someone who’s immunocompromised could get sick.
To ensure optimum safety for all, every student planning on attending in-person classes should receive the vaccine before fall semester and the university should enforce this requirement.
However, some students cling to the idea of returning in person because of difficulties with online learning.
I conducted a Google Forms survey and a survey through the SJSU Sammy App.
Students who wanted to return in person expressed they found it difficult to learn material online and were frustrated by technical difficulties including unstable internet connection.
“Online courses take a lot of self discipline and motivation that I struggle with,” said sociology and education junior Bianca Aranda. “I thrive more on campus. I also just recently transferred and have no experiences at the university.”
Santa Clara County is currently in the purple tier and there’s still a real possibility cases will increase with a return to in-person classes.
According to Santa Clara County Public Health Department, the state’s purple tier means there are only a handful of businesses open for indoor services, but even then they’re restricted to a 20% capacity, along with other modifications, including breakroom closures.
A Jan. 8 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found counties with large colleges or universities with remote instruction experienced a 17.9% decrease in infection while counties with in-person instruction experienced a 56% increase.
There’s a good possibility Santa Clara County will experience an increase in numbers too.
Students who live with elderly people or others who are at high risk would be especially affected and could potentially endanger the lives of their loved ones.
With how intense and serious the pandemic still is and until massive steps are achieved with more vaccine access, students who are eager to return to campus should remain cautious.
