Chancellor: COVID-19 means CSU campuses will have fall classes almost entirely online
California State University campuses will not reopen for the fall semester, with nearly all classes offered online only, Chancellor Timothy White announced Tuesday during the CSU board meeting.
Courses will “primarily” be virtual except for some activities that cannot be delivered remotely, The Fresno Bee reported. Potential exceptions include clinical classes for nursing students and hands-on courses for agriculture, engineering and architecture students. “Anything done on a campus this fall won’t be as it was in the past, it will be different,” The Fresno Bee quoted White as saying.
The limited in-person courses that are considered “indispensable” and can be “justified” will have fewer students attending, White said.
Tuesday afternoon, a representative of California State University, Stanislaus, in Turlock said information about plans for the fall would be coming out later this week.
“We have been working closely as a system to plan for fall 2020 instruction that puts students first, and ensures we are protecting the health and well-being of all faculty, staff and students while protecting the quality of the education the CSU is known for,” Stanislaus State spokeswoman Rosalee Rush said in an email. “Our faculty have worked very hard this spring to create an enriched and engaged online learning environment to support our students.”
Beyer High School senior Vanessa Rivera has committed to Stan State and intends to study nursing. Reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, she was crushed by the news.
“Growing up, you look forward to these times of starting college, getting to meet people, in-person interactions with your teachers and new friends,” she said. “You look forward to these exciting times, like, ‘Whoo! I’ve finished high school and I’m off to college!’ It’s sad, it breaks my heart.”
It’s been bad enough to end high school sheltering at home and doing distance learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. For the Class of 2024 to have to begin college life the same way is awful, she said.
Rivera already planned to live at home in Modesto while attending Stan State, so social-distancing in whatever on-campus housing is offered isn’t a direct concern.
As a nursing student, though, Rivera may find herself in some of the in-person classes offered. She needs that environment, she said, because “Here’s my thing: I’m a visual learner. I tend to struggle at math. Courses like organic chemistry and anatomy, you have to be there in person. I’m worried that I’m not going to have the interactions with the teachers that I need to get the grades I want.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 2:32 PM.
