[Faculty] Updates on campus teaching environment for Fall 2021

Fri Jul 30 16:01:25 MST 2021

Everyone,

We are now just 3 weeks away from the re-start of classes for Fall 2021.  Given the media frenzy over rising COVID statistics nationally, I expect that nearly everyone on campus is wondering what the learning environment will be like when opening day arrives.  Will there be a pullback on large class meetings like we saw in August 2020?   Can faculty switch delivery modalities at this late date and teach remotely?   Will masking be expected of both students and instructors?   Will there be any in-person, indoor meetings on campus without masks?

Short answer:  nobody knows for sure at this point, although I think a pullback and switch of some classes to remote delivery is the least likely to happen.

Here is what we know as of July 31:

  *   Campus-wide, there is a "strongly recommend" policy in place toward mask wearing (regardless of vaccination status) in all indoor settings that involve classrooms or other activities (presumably including meetings, but not sure whether there are limits on number of participants).  Pima County adopted the same stance Wednesday afternoon.
  *   The Governor's Executive Order issued in June prohibits the University from requiring vaccinations, testing or mask wearing on campus, with certain exceptions involving locations that conduct clinical health care delivery.  Implication:   we can't require students to wear masks in the classroom.
  *   The Provost has directed that courses will be delivered in the modality that was listed on the class schedule published last spring.  Exceptions will be extraordinary.   This means that, unlike Fall 2020, faculty should not expect to be accommodated should they request a change in course modality at this late date, except in very specific situations with clear-cut need.
  *   As outlined in the attached deck that was presented to the Dean's Council last week, cleaning protocols from last year will be continued.  Particular attention has been directed over the summer toward air-handling capacities in campus buildings and classroom spaces.
  *   We were told back in May that the known vaccination rate among faculty/staff was >90%.   We do not know student vaccination rates, but I'm told that the self-reported rate is around 50% and we have hard data that shows that a high percentage of students were actually infected during the FY2020-21 academic year (measured as of last winter).
  *   The UA Pandemic Advisory Committee (PAC) will be hosting a faculty information session on all of the above on Monday, August 16, 11:00 - 12:30.  My understanding is that all faculty were sent a notification, or will be sent one shortly.

County and state COVID stats are fluid.  Whether they will trigger modifications to the above between now and when classes begin on August 23 is anyone's guess.

 Now, what follows is my personal attempt to plead for perspective and patience with this evolving situation.  Despite the elements of deja vu, this is not the same environment as we experienced in August 2020.   On that point I offer links to two NY Times op-eds below.   In the vast majority of the country, we are demonstrably in a far safer environment than last Fall, and especially so on this campus with our high vaccination rates.  The vaccine has proven to be extraordinarily effective at preventing serious illness.  I submit to you that the UA campus, as a place to work, teach, and generally interact with colleagues, is one of the safest locations in the state.  Panic on the part of the vaccinated is un-warranted.

To put an even finer point on it, when we are working on the UA campus, we are in the safest environment that we are likely to find anywhere in this country (or globally) for the next few years, because we will be surrounded by such a high percentage of vaccinated people.  Given the inherent reluctance of some people to get vaccinated (even Canada has stalled at a national vaccination rate just above 70%), achieving our high campus-community vaccination rate in the general U.S. population is likely unattainable without a national requirement that the entire population get vaccinated, which seems highly unlikely under any administration.  So, what we have here at the UA right now is the new norm in a world in which COVID becomes endemic ....   actually better than the new norm.

Accordingly, now is not the time to stress about returning to the physical classroom.  Nor is it a time to stress about some portion of students who will attend classes without masks.

One last thought:   We are about to enter a 4th consecutive semester of compromised instructional delivery.  Fall 2021 may not be as bad as Spring 2020, but let's not kid ourselves....  it won't be "normal."  That's half a college career for most undergrads.   I'm willing to let instructional mission delivery be compromised only up to a point.  I believe that each faculty member should strongly consider teaching this semester without a mask if they think their instructional style and the nature of the subject matter would be significantly compromised via masked delivery.   That's an individual decision, but on the UA campus with the conditions that prevail, I think the marginal risk to students of having a maskless instructor would be more than offset in many cases by the increased value of the course delivered mask-free.  NOTE: This is not the same thing as advocating that students go without masks.   But, the student mask situation is beyond our control.

I hope this gives everyone some reassurance.  I especially hope that this lessens the stress on faculty members who blanch at the prospect of trying to be effective in the classroom while wearing a mask to teach.  If I were in your shoes and scheduled to teach this fall, I'd be teaching without a mask and explaining why to my students.  But, that's just me.  Everyone must make their own decisions.

Of course, we will keep you posted as we learn more.

Best regards to all of you.  I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with you in person as the semester unfolds.

 Mike

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/opinion/covid-vaccine-delta-variant.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-opinion-vaccine-a&region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&context=storylines_guide
[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/08/01/opinion/sunday/27Carroll_2/27Carroll_2-facebookJumbo.jpg]<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/opinion/covid-vaccine-delta-variant.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-opinion-vaccine-a&region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&context=storylines_guide>
Opinion | Covid Is Now a Crisis for the Unvaccinated<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/opinion/covid-vaccine-delta-variant.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-opinion-vaccine-a&region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&context=storylines_guide>
If you and most of the people in your area are vaccinated, things are substantially better than they used to be.
www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/opinion/mask-mandate-cdc-covid.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20210730&instance_id=36639&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=65698942&segment_id=64867&te=1&user_id=81ad94a95013279efc772995489e92d0
[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/07/30/opinion/30NuzzoBlauer_print/29NuzzoBlauer-facebookJumbo.jpg]<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/opinion/mask-mandate-cdc-covid.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20210730&instance_id=36639&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=65698942&segment_id=64867&te=1&user_id=81ad94a95013279efc772995489e92d0>
Opinion | If We Must Wear Masks Again, We Need a Smart Approach<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/opinion/mask-mandate-cdc-covid.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20210730&instance_id=36639&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=65698942&segment_id=64867&te=1&user_id=81ad94a95013279efc772995489e92d0>
It must be made explicitly clear to the public how measures like mask mandates will cut transmission and can be used to incentivize vaccinations.
www.nytimes.com

Michael Staten | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Bart Cardon Associate Dean for Career and Academic Services
Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics
The University of Arizona
Forbes Hall, Room 211
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210036
Tucson, AZ 85721-0036
PHONE: 520.621.1932
statenm at email.arizona.edu<mailto:statenm at email.arizona.edu>
www.mikestaten.com<http://www.mikestaten.com>

 <https://mail.catnet.arizona.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=IhgSDS1aM0-pCxLd45SX6QGVXkA_Y9AICxoYjhJJjkGPbEiiVeur7Ss2XRc_SwTxACxOMDV7S6Y.&URL=https%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2fCreditWiseCats>   <https://mail.catnet.arizona.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=IhgSDS1aM0-pCxLd45SX6QGVXkA_Y9AICxoYjhJJjkGPbEiiVeur7Ss2XRc_SwTxACxOMDV7S6Y.&URL=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fCreditWiseCats>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/faculty/attachments/20210730/72c22a75/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Dean and Dept Head Info Session 07.22.21-Final.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 945866 bytes
Desc: Dean and Dept Head Info Session 07.22.21-Final.pdf
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/faculty/attachments/20210730/72c22a75/attachment-0001.pdf>