Students sit inside a University of Colorado Boulder classroom on January 28, 2020. (Matthew Mendoza/CU Independent)
University of Colorado Boulder students have already spent more than a month online after all in-person classes went virtual in mid-March. Things may look similar in the fall.
CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano announced in an email to students, faculty and staff Friday that students and instructors may have to contend with a mix of both virtual and in-person studies.
“Our plan will explore our academic experience to feature the expanded use of blended in-person and remote learning, flexible course delivery models, student cohorts and the possibility of condensed terms,” DiStefano said.
Administrators have been working toward some return to normalcy for the campus, but with the continued spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, the upcoming fall semester won’t be business as usual.
“We are putting our community’s health and safety first. Any plans for our return to in-person campus operations this fall will be data-informed, use the latest science, occur in alignment with public health guidance and include strong mitigation for COVID-19 health risks to keep us safe,” DiStefano said.
Other universities across the county have mulled a hybrid model for classes moving forward, but many remain unsure about what the state of their campuses will be in the coming months.
The uncertainty raises questions for students and parents about tuition money. Semesterly tuition for CU Boulder is about $6,250 for in-state students and more than $19,000 for those who are out-of-state. CU is currently facing a lawsuit for not reimbursing students their tuition for the spring semester and an online petition demanding the university partially refund some of the money has generated over 10,000 signatures.
On-campus living is also another question mark.
When asked if students could fill residence halls to full capacity come fall, CU spokesperson Melanie Parra said no details are available on this yet. CU has allowed students to stay in their dorms if they need to, although it urged students who could leave to do so, with about two-thirds of all on-campus residents having checked-out near the end of March.
Parra also could not comment on what health measures the campus may be required to take for the fall, although she said decisions will be made in coordination with state and local health officials. Parra said she did not have information she could provide yet on how these decisions may impact student fees.
More information is expected to be given by DiStefano this coming Friday.
Contact CU Independent Editor-in-Chief Robert Tann at robert.tann@colorado.edu.
