{"id":711,"date":"2020-04-24T12:40:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T16:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/?p=711"},"modified":"2020-05-17T18:44:49","modified_gmt":"2020-05-17T22:44:49","slug":"colleges-and-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/24\/colleges-and-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Colleges and COVID"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Daria Mihaila<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This story has been updated<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   In the span of roughly two weeks, the American education system has transformed. College campuses are closed and classes are now held online, dorms are empty across the country, and the money is gone from canceled campus events and sports revenue.  All of this is happening due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Pennsylvania State University president Eric Barron said during a virtual town hall his school also faces a loss of millions. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which oversees 14 universities, is projecting a $100 million revenue shortfall. Yet, colleges have tried to react quickly to enact measures that would help to stop the virus\u2019 spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Stressed out from transitioning to online classes while sheltering in place, college and university students across the country are pushing for schools to adopt flexible grading policies that account for the disruption to their school year. According to CalMatters, some colleges have responded by giving students the option to take courses on a pass\/fail basis. While this type of grading could help students struggling to adapt to remote learning, letter grades are sometimes necessary for those who want to apply to graduate school or maintain scholarships. At UC Berkeley, a petition titled \u2018As for All\u2019 gathered some 9,000 signatures, calling for students to be assessed on a scale of A+ to B+. The change.org petition echoed similar campaigns at Harvard and other universities nationwide. UC Berkeley nixed that idea but announced that classes would default to a pass\/fail grading system, with an option for students to choose a letter grade if they prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Meanwhile, at the University of Florida, a different approach is being used, encouraging students to choose between receiving a letter grade or changing the grading framework to S-U Grading. The Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory grading is relatively new to the UF grading framework; it was created to provide relief to anxious students attending the school. An S grade is equivalent to a C or better, while a U grade is equivalent to C- or lower. Regardless of whether the student earned an S or U grade in the course, the grade for that course does not calculate into the Grading Point Average (GPA). S-U grading is not equivalent to Pass-Fail grading. If a student earns a U for a class, credit is not granted for that class, and the course will not count toward degree requirements (UF Undergraduate Affairs). Other schools throughout Florida also adopted this grading system like Florida State University (FSU), which gives students the chance to opt to receive it individually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

…at the University of Florida, a different approach is being used, encouraging students to choose between receiving a letter grade<\/strong> or changing the grading framework to S-U Grading<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

   On March 20, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order (No.20-71) regarding Gyms and Fitness Centers. In accordance with the state guidance, all Florida colleges and universities have closed campus recreation and fitness centers until further notice.  According to the independent college newspaper, The Alligator, some students from UF are social distancing in Gainesville, while others took the step to move back home \u2013 some voluntarily, others out of compulsion. Hannah Hallman, a 21-year-old UF nutritional sciences senior, said social distancing for her means moving back home to South Florida, due to her sorority house closing. UF is currently developing plans for issuing refunds, rebates, or credits to students who may no longer be able to utilize their university residence hall and\/or dining plan contracts. Other colleges and universities across the state are doing the same thing, including Florida State University, which is implementing a similar plan with a few considerations. It is expected for FSU to issue refunds the week of April 6. According to Emma Notari, a freshman at Florida State University, her school still hasn\u2019t told them when to clear out their dorms, \u201cso we all still have a lot of stuff there.\u201d This results in extra stress for students that do not know when they will be able to retrieve their belongings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

   Online classes have become a new way of learning in less than two weeks, with colleges and universities encouraging students to practice social distancing. Germel Dasalla, a sophomore at Santa Fe College, says that this transition hasn\u2019t changed the difficulty of his classes, \u201cbut my professors have more leniency with grading.\u201d Emma Notari agrees with this, as she says it is way easier to get A\u2019s now, which made her lean towards the letter grading instead of the S-U. Many students have chosen the Letter Grading for the classes they feel stronger in and S-U Grading for the hardest classes, which is helping their Grading Point Average (GPA) to remain average or higher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online schooling is considered great by most, but Tahlia Oswald, a sophomore at the University of North Florida (UNF), feels different. She prefers paper and pencil for tests and reading, but she is not totally opposed to online classes because she has more time to work on other things besides school. Yet, students are worried that they are not getting the same experience as they would in class, which can affect some more than others. Oswald says that \u201cI would have never chosen to take Management and Marketing online because it is easier to learn it in an in-class environment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Students might believe this transition is helping them, but colleges are less able to rely on their endowments as a fallback since markets are volatile right now. Moody\u2019s Credit Ratings cited increased costs associated with the sudden shift to online classes and potential loss of revenue tied to student enrollment and tuition money. According to USA Today, money was already tight at schools fighting declining enrollment. \u201cJust over 30% of public universities and nearly 30% of private universities were already running operating deficits,\u201d said Michael Osborn, a vice president who monitors universities at Moody\u2019s. On March 19, groups representing American colleges called on the federal government to support universities. They asked for emergency financial aid to students and universities, access to zero-interest loans for colleges and money to support digital learning according to USA Today. The National Governors Association wrote to Betsy DeVos, the US secretary of education, to ask for the Education Department to within two weeks to distribute the $30 billion of education stabilization funds in the $2.2 trillion federal stimuli, of which $14 billion is allocated to higher education. \u201cThe Education Department should grant \u201cmaximum flexibility\u201d to states for how to use the money, wrote Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas and chair of NGA\u2019s Education and Workforce Committee, and Jay Inslee, the Democratic governor of Washington and vice-chair of the committee\u201d (Inside Higher Ed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   As Coronavirus is spreading across the United States, college and university students will remain practicing social distancing in the comfort of their home while still taking online classes for the rest of the semester.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image via Flickr<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Update by Chipper Carvin-Jones<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

   Coronavirus has left many universities to make huge decisions regarding their fall 2020 semester. This upcoming semester would be the first year of college for Ponte Vedra High School\u2019s senior class, however not only will their final year of high school be cut short, but also possibly their freshman year of college. Universities around America are weighing their decisions to reopen their doors of education this upcoming semester or remain online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Some colleges that are willing to, or have already decided they will be open this fall include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • American University<\/li>
  • Baylor University <\/li>
  • Brown University <\/li>
  • Chapman University <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The Chancellor of the University System of Maryland seems \u201coptimistic\u201d about reopening in September. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

       University of North Florida<\/strong>, as of April 27, has not stated whether or not they will open for the fall semester, stating that their UNF COVID-19 Task Force has begun planning for the possibilities of what the fall term might look like. The pandemic has seen an increase in the withdrawal rate for some colleges. For example, Broward College in Fort Lauderdale has seen a 5 percent withdrawal rate (SunSentinel). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

       But some are taking steps toward remaining closed. Boston University<\/strong> has already canceled all in person summer activities on their main campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

       As the seniors of PVHS are most probably concerned regarding local Florida schools such as University of Florida, Florida State University, and Florida State College at Jacksonville. UF<\/strong> has written a Coronavirus specific column at ufl.edu. UF President Kent Fuchs has announced that an official course of action will be given no later than July 15 for the fall 2020 semester. However, summer semesters will be continuing with online and virtual learning practices. FSCJ<\/strong> is closely monitoring COVID-19 and based on recent advice from Florida Governor DeSantis, FSCJ will be continuing online instruction through summer. Specifically, Summer A&B session courses will be online. FSU<\/strong> will continue on with online learning\/distance learning through summer sessions. FSU\u2019s administrative team plans to assess and evaluate their plans of reopening due to Governor DeSantis\u2019 news of Florida opening back up on May 4. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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