Talks with Torrey: UI aims to hold 75% of classes in person this fall

Talks with Torrey is a biweekly question and answer-based Zoom call hosted by University of Idaho Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Torrey Lawrence. In this series, we summarize the main points of each of these calls. If you have questions for Lawrence, you can submit them on the Talks with Torrey website at least 24 hours before the next event.  

UI Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Daniel Ewart joined Lawrence on this week’s edition of Talks with Torrey to answer questions from faculty and staff about classroom technology. Previous Talks with Torrey coverage can be found on our website by searching the Talks with Torrey tag. 

Here’s an overview of this week’s Talk with Torrey. 

COVID-19-related concerns 

• When asked whether UI is considering limiting campus availability to the public, Lawrence said the possibility has been discussed, but limiting public access to campus is difficult since UI is a public institution. 
  • Fewer events will be hosted on campus, including lectures, artistic performances and sporting events, Lawrence said. 
  • Psychology and Communication Associate Professor Rajal Cohen shared an article on reducing the transmission of COVID-19 from ScienceMag in response to this discussion.  
• Faculty and staff will not be required to be tested for COVID-19, although it will be available and the UI-provided insurance policy should cover the cost of it, Lawrence said. 
  • Lawrence recommends staff and faculty members get tested for COVID-19 at the campus-based lab between the time it becomes fully operational and when students return to campus. 
• Biology Associate Professor Tanya Miura and Mathematics Associate Professor Jennifer Johnson-Leung have researched the risks of COVID-19 as it relates to UI. The Argonaut is in the process of reaching out to them about this research. 
• UI is aiming to hold 75% of classes in-person this fall, Lawrence said. 
  • “President (C. Scott) Green has been very clear from the beginning (about) the intention to be open in as normal a manner as possible with as much class instruction with safety measures in place, as much as we’re allowed to do with those safety measures in place,” Lawrence said. 
  • This goal is a guideline, not a strict rule, Lawrence said. 
  • The ratio of in-person versus online classes is based on previous percentages of in-person versus online classes adjusted for known increased interest in online courses and accommodation requests. 
• During the last Talk with Torrey, Lawrence said individuals will be provided with four feet of distance in classrooms. After the meeting, he went over the entire fall reopening plan with Eckles and the public health district. 
  • The public health district said the plan went above and beyond current recommendations, according to Lawrence. The plans also follow CDC guidelines, which Lawrence said have a lot of unclear language. 
• Lawrence said the university is open to suggestions of adjustments to the plan. 

Classrooms and technology 

• A total of 221 classrooms across all UI campuses will be Zoom-enabled with microphones and webcams in the fall, Ewart said. 
  • Prior to COVID-19, the total number of Zoom-enabled classrooms across all UI campuses was 97. 
  • Information and Technology Services has upgraded 74 additional classrooms with microphones and webcams since the pandemic began. 
  • Funding has allowed for an additional 50 classrooms to follow the HyFlex model, which will include a 75” display with speakers, a document camera, a webcam with a microphone, an adjustable lectern, a sliding keyboard tray and a computer. 
• A list of classrooms using this new set-up will be provided once it is finalized, Ewart said. An ITS contact person will be listed along with each room as well. 

Student-specific concerns 

• Students will be required to wear face coverings in on-campus buildings, including in classrooms. 
• Student arrivals for on-campus living options have been extended, Lawrence said. Students will be required to sign up for an arrival period and will be pushed to be tested as soon as they arrive on campus. 
• New student orientation events will take place after students arrive on campus. 
  • Some traditional orientation events will be held online or cancelled altogether. Lawrence said fall convocation will not take place. 
• Online course fees have been reduced, but not entirely removed. 
  • Online course fees were originally $35. For the fall 2020 semester, online course fees will be $25. 
  • Lawrence said colleges are dependent on the online course fees, so they cannot be removed altogether. 
  • “What we’re trying to do is mitigate the impact to students by spreading it out more because now we have more online classes,” Lawrence said. 
• Incoming ASUI President Lauren Carlsen has participated in conversations regarding fall semester plans and has reported increasing communication from students reflecting interest in online class offerings. 
• “In a previous “Talks with Torrey,” the point was touched on that there may also be students (in addition to staff and faculty) who would like to request official accommodation to allow them to take classes remotely and not in person,” French Associate Professor Sarah Nelson said. “The only answer I think we came to was that students who want to be remote will have to choose classes being offered that way. This doesn’t seem adequate.” 
  • As this comment was made at the end of the call, it was not addressed. 
  • Students with conditions which would put them at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 can request accommodations through the Center for Disability Access and Resources. 

Faculty and staff-specific concerns 

• Lawrence did not say if instructors will be punished with disciplinary action or firing if they refuse to teach in-person courses this fall. 
  • Lawrence encouraged instructors to participate in one-on-one conversations with department chairs and college deans to address their concerns. 
    • “I hope it doesn’t get to that,” Lawrence said. “If people refuse to work, we could have problems. We also have a question from the staff side. If staff have a job that they need to be there and they refuse to come in, like I said, let’s work one-on-one and try to resolve it.” 
  • English Clinical Assistant Professor Benjamin James, who raised the question, said he and other English department members have filled out Human Resources request forms, emailed their department chairs and college deans, discussed their concerns with Lawrence during Talks with Torrey and sent a collective letter to Lawrence, UI President C. Scott Green and CLASS Dean Sean Quinlan. 
    • “I think we’re past the point of individual conversations,” James said. “We’re at a place where I think a lot of people in the administration have an idea that it’s going to be okay, that it’s going to be alright, that no one is going to get sick. And a lot of us, certainly in my department disagree fundamentally.” 
  • Senior English Instructor and incoming Faculty Senate Chair Barbara Kirchmeier said her team is going through the faculty and staff handbook to evaluate the situation. 
    • She said the goal to hold 75% of classes in person does not reflect instructor willingness to take risks regarding COVID-19. 
    • “The faculty staff handbook was not designed to give us guidance in how to operate in a global pandemic,” Kirchmeier said. “We have to acknowledge that. The situation is fluid and changing and I have no interest in regurgitating talking points about ‘we’re doing the best that we can,’ although I completely agree that the university is doing an incredibly good job on trying to create as safe as possible space for faculty and staff and students, but I understand that doesn’t directly address the concerns that folks are bringing up.” 
  • Several participants in the call noted they agreed with James’ points and appreciated his willingness to speak up. 
  • “If we avoid the concept that we’re going to be teaching online, faculty may also inadvertently avoid the concept of receiving training to teach online, which may result in further student disappointment,” College of Engineering Web Coordinator Jenine Corden said. “If we accept we’ll teach online and, require training for everyone (faculty and students), we may have a chance to save some of our enrollments.” 
• Dean of Students Blaine Eckles said he believes UI is required to follow state regulations for staff and faculty sick leave, although he said increasing the amount of sick leave accrual was a good suggestion. 
  • There is a sick leave pool which employees can apply for and donate to for added assistance, Eckles added. 
  • He recommended sick leave increase ideas be communicated directly to Human Resources via email, although he also said he will personally pass the idea along. 
• ITS will provide training videos on how to use the HyFlex rooms and other technology on their website. Some resources are available on the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning website under Flexible Teaching. 
  • Instructors can explore how Zoom-enabled and HyFlex rooms work in Teaching and Learning Center rooms 022 and 223 on the Moscow campus. 
• Face shields for faculty and staff members can still be ordered via the VandalCare report process, Lawrence said. 
• Instructors should be reaching out to students to explain their expectations in the classroom prior to the start of classes, Lawrence said. 
• Faculty and staff members will be given more clear guidance in the future regarding how to handle students refusing to wear face coverings. UI is also working to develop suggested syllabus language regarding face covering requirements. 
  • Geography Associate Professor Jeffrey Hicke said defining what masks are and how they need to be worn would be helpful. Communications Director Jodi Walker provided a presentation file on personal protective equipment in response. 

Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]