Include FSU staff and faculty in Phase 2, Group 3 roll out

I believe that Fitchburg State faculty and staff should be vaccinated in the Phase 2, Group 3 vaccination roll-out. College educators are essential to maintaining our growth and economy. We should not be low priority.

Fitchburg State University, our regional campus, serves students from Central Massachusetts, many of whom are from Fitchburg and Leominster. My colleagues and I support our community by providing a quality education for students locally and encouraging them to stay in the area when they graduate.

Prior to COVID, I taught exclusively in the classroom. I had an attendance policy which enforced in-class participation, partly to make sure students stayed on task, and partly to connect with my students.

Education is always personal. When students come to class, I know how they are doing. I can tell if they are fully present or if they are distracted with life outside of the classroom. And there are many things that can interrupt learning. Fitchburg State students are from diverse backgrounds. They are intelligent students who, very often, are the first to attend college in their family. Many of them have jobs to help support their studies. Many of them come from working-class backgrounds. Some are returning students and nontraditional students, back for a second chance at life, and they have families of their own — they are the breadwinners and attend school while their children finish up their educational goals.

Education is stronger faceto-face. Just as with K-12 students, online college classes may lack in vital personal connection. So we need the ability to return to the classroom. And we need to be able to reach students where they are without the risk of COVID-19.

Professors and staff — parttime and full-time — should be vaccinated so that they may better serve their students at Fitchburg State and, in turn, serve the broader community. Without vaccination, many professors feel compelled to hold classes online. Many of us want to protect our students and our homes, so will not take the risk of in-person learning.

We cannot safely reopen our campus without vaccination. It’s time for Gov. Charlie Baker and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to support its public universities and colleges — as is done with K-12 educators — by including higher education faculty and staff in

Phase 2, Group 3 of vaccinations.

JOHN LOVE / SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE The annual Fitchburg State University Rock the Block is an event to showcase student clubs and campus organizations along with some off campus local jobs students could apply for. Here, senior Nicholas Monsalve from Holyoke helps entertain the crowd at the September 2019 event.