This week local students will step back into their college homes and back into the unknown that the COVID pandemic has projected on college campuses for the past two years, but local college administrators are hopeful that this year will mirror the normalcy that has ceased to exist for college students throughout the pandemic.
Officials from two universities with Gainesville campuses feel confident that students' experiences on campus this upcoming fall will be very different from last year.
Brenau University
“We are going to have a robust fall,” said Brenau University President Anne Skleder. “Three or four months ago, I might have been a little less likely to say we might have to pivot in ways that we initially didn’t expect, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything like it was last year because many of us have had the vaccine. We have had opportunities for students, staff and faculty to get the vaccine and I am going to continue to preach that everybody needs to get the vaccine because that is how we are going to be able to stay robust.”
Skleder shared in an interview with AccessWDUN that Brenau faculty and administrators have learned throughout the pandemic and are ready to apply what they have learned as pandemic regulations loosen.
Throughout the previous academic year, Brenau University offered students the option for on-ground courses to be attended via Zoom. Skleder said the university intends to get residential and commuter students back to on-ground classes but does want to preserve some elements of online learning that were beneficial to students.
“We learned that people learn differently and we were reminded that some students feel more comfortable opening up in the mediated environment that Zoom provides,” said Skleder. “Some students don’t ever raise their hands in class, but when you're a square on Zoom you can get called on very easily and it is difficult to hide.”
Skleder said the university is going to consider what it has learned about Brenau students throughout online pandemic learning, and Brenau faculty members plan to infiltrate elements of online learning into courses to appeal to students who have benefited from it.
“We pride ourselves on being really tailored to the needs of students and this was an extreme example of how radical we can be in tailoring things to the needs of our students and faculty,” said Skleder.
Brenau University is currently not requiring students and faculty to wear masks in outdoor areas on campus but is still requiring masks inside classrooms and campus buildings, regardless of vaccination status. Brenau officials are continuing to encourage students and faculty to get vaccinated and plan to offer various vaccination clinics throughout the fall semester.
University of North Georgia (UNG)
“In terms of our delivery of courses we are in a mode that is, if you want to say, back to normal,” said University of North Georgia Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Chaudron Gille. “We always have some online courses and some hybrid courses so that is continuing as it did before COVID. But 75% of our courses are face to face.”
During the previous academic term, UNG offered on-ground courses with social distancing guidelines as well as providing students online options. This fall, UNG plans to have its students return to courses at full capacity, without social distancing guidelines.
Following the University System of Georgia guidelines, students will not be required to wear masks in class or campus buildings at UNG. However, Gille said UNG officials are strongly encouraging faculty and students to get vaccinated and continue wearing masks.
“We are considering a heightened awareness of the risks, said Gille. “We plan on having a lot of information campaigns for students, faculty and staff and there is going to be a very strong encouragement for people to continue wearing masks, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.”
While students at the University of North Georgia will have online classes as options, on-ground classes will be operating at full capacity without social distancing guidelines.
Gille said that online courses were already abundant before the pandemic as some students prefer online learning because of their work schedules or family responsibilities.
“We have found that even our students who are primarily taking face-to-face courses, over 80% of them will take at least one online class in the course of their degree,” said Gille.
The University of North Georgia will continue offering vaccination clinics and asymptomatic testing for its students.
