Napolitano: UC plans ‘mix’ of options for fall instruction
University of California campuses are unlikely to fully reopen for the fall term because of the coronavirus pandemic, UC President Janet Napolitano acknowledged Thursday.
Napolitano, speaking on a webinar hosted by the Bay Area Council, also estimated systemwide financial losses in March alone at nearly $600 million. She said the 10 campuses collectively lost “close to $300 million” for the month, mostly in refunds to students for housing and dining contracts, and UC hospitals lost another $300 million.
“Now we’re measuring the month of April,” Napolitano said, “and it’s going to be ugly.”
Napolitano, who announced last September that she would leave her position on Aug. 1, spoke while seated at the diningroom table of her Oakland home, her makeshift shelterinplace office. She has led the UC system — a sprawling behemoth with about 270,000 students and 230,000 employees, and an annual budget of nearly $40 billion — since 2013.
Napolitano, 62, chatted with Bay Area Council Chief Executive Officer Jim Wunderman, who shared questions from reporters. Their wideranging, hourlong conversation mostly addressed the impact of COVID19 on one of the nation’s most visible public university systems.
UC campuses have launched 330 research projects on different aspects of the virus, Napolitano said, in addition to 13 clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of existing drugs.
She also addressed the swirling uncertainty surrounding the fall term. UC campuses moved to online instruction in midMarch, as nearly all colleges across the country did, and will stay online for their summer programs.
As for the fall plan, Napolitano described college campuses as a “complicated thing” because of large lecture halls and communal living in dormitories. Those realities make social distancing a significant challenge.
She suggested campus housing will not reopen without widespread testing, contact tracing and a place to quarantine students who test positive.
“I think it’s fair to say none of our campuses will fully reopen,” Napolitano said. “I think what some of our campuses are exploring is a mix, where there will be some material delivered in a classroom or lab setting, socalled wet labs, and other classes will continue to be online.”
UC Berkeley officials, already considering this sort of hybrid approach, indicated in a message to students last week that they plan to “continue to offer remote instruction as an option for Fall 2020, even if classes are held inperson.”
Those officials — Vice Provosts Lisa Garcia Bedolla, Catherine Koshland and Stephen Sutton — also pledged not to cancel fall semester. And they wrote, “Tuition and mandatory fees have been set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction occurs remotely for any part of the academic year.”
That type of hard financial line has sparked several classaction lawsuits, including one filed Monday against all UC schools and another filed Tuesday against UC Berkeley.
Napolitano did not address the lawsuits, but she conceded the coronavirus’ financial impact on the UC system will force “tough decisions” in the fiscal year ahead.
UC will receive about $260 million in Cares Act grants, with at least half going to emergency financial aid for students.
One unanswered question, Napolitano said, is the level of funding the university will receive from the state of California. Another key question: how this crisis will affect enrollment in the fall.
Friday is the deadline for students to declare their intent to register for the fall semester/ quarter, which should give UC officials a preliminary idea. Napolitano also expects the customary “summer melt,” with some students deciding to take a gap year and others choosing to attend a community college for one year.
UC schools could see a drop in coveted international students, much to Napolitano’s frustration.
“I don’t know for sure, but we predict the number of international students will be reduced,” she said. “That’s partially attributable to the (Trump) administration making securing visas more difficult. That’s created a virtual wall. It’s unfortunate and bad policy, but that’s what we have.”