As classes begin, KU provost makes it clear she expects faculty to adhere to in-person requirements

photo by: Mike Yoder

University of Kansas Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara Bichelmeyer speaks during an interview March 4, 2020.

As the University of Kansas began in-person classes today, KU faculty members were given a clear reminder that they don’t have the authority to simply switch their classes to a remote format due to COVID concerns.

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer recently sent KU faculty and staff members a memo that addressed talk around campus that “some instructors may be considering independently moving the first few weeks of their courses to an online format in response to to their personal COVID concerns.”

“Let me be clear,” Bichelmeyer wrote in the memo. “Concern alone is not appropriate justification for an action that has broader, serious implications for students and our institution, and deans must approve any decisions to change course formats.”

Bichelmeyer, however, did note that an in-person class may include as much as 24% of online instruction and interaction. But Bichelmeyer said KU must be very careful in making any changes to a remote or hybrid style learning format for the current semester. She particularly stressed how such a decision could be damaging to KU’s reputation with state lawmakers.

“Earlier this year, our state legislature, spurred by public concern and legal actions filed against Regents universities, including KU, asked for assurances that courses are not moved to an online format solely out of concerns for COVID,” Bichelmeyer said. “Failure to adhere to regulations can jeopardize funding that, frankly, allows us to remain open, supports our research, and makes us welcoming to our students.”

Bichelmeyer also said KU risks losing the trust of some students if plans are changed to a remote or hybrid learning environment.

“Most importantly, our students have chosen KU – to put their trust in us and to invest their tuition here – based in no small part on the commitments we made to deliver highly engaging instruction in the formats documented in our schedule of classes,” Bichelmeyer wrote.

The fall semester is opening as the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is spiking and creating higher caseloads in Douglas County and the surrounding area. Farther away, some universities in Texas and elsewhere have delayed the start of in-person classes as concern grows about the rising number of cases.

Recently, a group of more than 250 faculty members on the Lawrence campus signed a petition calling for the KU administration to take more steps to control the COVID virus on campus. Bichelmeyer has acknowledged that petition, but has not made any changes to KU’s COVID policies as a result.

Last week, thousands of KU dormitory students began arriving on campus for the start of classes today. In her memo, the provost said that 70% of KU’s student housing population is fully vaccinated, with vaccination rates reaching 85% among KU’s scholarship hall residents. She estimates that more than 75% of faculty and staff are vaccinated.

KU is requiring proof of vaccination of all student housing occupants, or requiring them to submit to a COVID test when they move into the facilities. KU is not requiring proof of vaccination of the students who aren’t living on campus, and KU did not provide any data about vaccination rates for those students who don’t live on campus.

KU is encouraging students, regardless of where they live, to voluntarily upload a proof-of-vaccination form to the website of KU’s student health center. KU didn’t provide any statistics on how many students have uploaded a form, but rather said the website was receiving “exceptional” traffic, with more than 10,000 visits in less than a week’s time. Bichelmeyer also said there were reports of lines at the Watkins Health Center for vaccinations.

KU has implemented a mask mandate for all indoor spaces on campus, and Bichelmeyer said “air purifying units have been added to every KU classroom, and more are on order to ensure common areas, such as office suites, also have this protective measure.”

“Science supports our efforts,” she wrote. “We know masks and other measures provide significant additional protection for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.”

Bichelmeyer said KU continues to be advised by a group of medical professionals and public health experts on the best practices for KU to follow, and she said KU would be prepared to adjust its COVID protocols, if needed. But until that time, she wrote that the expectation is that the standard KU course would deliver approximately three hours of scheduled classroom time on campus each week.

“My expectation is that we will not receive widespread complaints from students who have had their course formats significantly altered on short notice without express prior approval from the deans,” she wrote.

COMMENTS

Welcome to the new LJWorld.com. Our old commenting system has been replaced with Facebook Comments. There is no longer a separate username and password login step. If you are already signed into Facebook within your browser, you will be able to comment. If you do not have a Facebook account and do not wish to create one, you will not be able to comment on stories.