State cautions colleges about spring reopening
Two state agencies are urging colleges, universities and other higher education institutions to maximize remote instruction or consider delaying the return of students to campus because COVID-19 hospitalizations “could peak in January and February.”
A joint statement Wednesday from the departments of Education and Health did not specify what officials see as the earliest prudent dates for students to return for spring semester — at least in person. Officials with the agencies could not immediately be reached to provide more clarity on the statement.
A number of public and private campuses in the Pittsburgh region and elsewhere — including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Penn State University and some state-owned institutions — moved spring semester back by days or weeks, or will start the semester relying on remote instruction.
“We are seeing an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and these trends are expected to worsen in January at the time when students normally return to campus,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega.
“Colleges and universities play a critical role in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and creating safe learning environments for students,” Mr. Ortega added. “By delaying students’ return to campus, our institutions of higher learning can help slow the spread of the virus, help businesses to remain open and protect regional health care systems.”
The Health Department echoed the advice.
“Our current infection of COVID-19 is placing a significant strain on our hospital capacity and is a reminder to us all of our role in protecting our health care system,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Our hospitalizations are more than double what they were in the spring, and more than one-third of all ICU beds in the state are being used by COVID-19 patients.”
Reached Wednesday evening, Pitt spokesman Kevin Zwick said Pitt is using its Flex@Pitt classroom mode and will start classes Jan. 19, able to pivot between degrees of in-person and remote instruction as needed.
“We’ll provide additional details in January about plans for returning students to residence halls,” he said.
Gabriel Welsch, Duquesne
University spokesman, said, “We already have delayed our original start to Jan. 21, two weeks later than the original academic calendar, and we have the flexibility thanks to our hybrid and flexible plan to adjust as conditions dictate. Our plans were built knowing that flexibility may be required.”
David Pidgeon, a State System of Higher Education spokesman, could not immediately be reached Wednesday evening regarding the agencies’ statement. The system’s 14 state-owned universities include California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities in Western Pennsylvania.
Deciding when, and in what form, to hold college classes amid a pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans has become a multimillion-dollar, highstakes endeavor as schools nationwide balance the benefit of in-person instruction and their own financial health with safety as infection threats shift weekly.
Pitt, for instance, spent $22 million this fall for hotel rooms around Oakland to reduce dorm occupancies and enable students to have at least a modified fall residential experience.