Dear Lehman College Colleagues:
As we rapidly approach the middle of Spring semester, the college is planning a return to campus in fall 2021. You may recall that last year we published our Path to Reopening plan with detailed information about Phase 1 and Phase 2 of returning to campus. That plan takes us to 25 percent occupancy, which so far we are far from reaching. It will now be updated to reach 50 percent occupancy in the Fall with input from campus and CUNY stakeholders along with the latest information from the New York State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control. The summer session will be fully remote, as it was last summer, so what follows refers to fall 2021.
As we plan for the fall there is an understandable level of anxiety about what the COVID-19 pandemic will be like at that time, given the more easily transmissible variants, but also the rapidly increasing availability of highly effective vaccines. By the way, despite any concerns about the vaccine you may have, the science unequivocally demonstrates that you should be vaccinated as soon as you are eligible. Many unsupported falsehoods about risks of vaccination have been broadcast via social media, none of them legitimate.
That is not to say that some of the concerns that have been raised have no basis. Well-documented abuses of many people for medical research, and the disparities in both research in, and availability of, good healthcare for marginalized communities has created an understandable environment of skepticism about official policies and statements. It is important to acknowledge those realities and address them, while at the same time crediting the current science around COVID-19 and coronavirus vaccination. The findings of that science will continue to evolve, but the conclusion is clear: Vaccination will save many lives at extremely low risk.
At Lehman, our priority is the safety and well-being of the entire campus community, and the more of us that are vaccinated, the sooner we will all be able to return to campus in a manner that resembles the normalcy that preceded this pandemic.
Despite the unknowns about the fall there are some things we already know. We must keep doing what we have been doing: Most critically, wear a well-fitting mask and maintaining social distance while also disinfecting high-touch surfaces regularly and washing our hands frequently. Recommendations about social distancing will change as the pandemic abates, but our modified plan for the fall will retain it, hence our 50 percent occupancy target.
The occupancy of each space will be adjusted to its particular characteristics. Some of our spaces have 100 percent outside air entering and high room air changes per hour, allowing higher than 50 percent occupancy. Other rooms may require lower than 50 percent occupancy due to their size and air distribution pattern.
While putting safety first, we want to maximize the possibility for students to be on campus because we know that is best for their educational success. We currently have some classes on campus and having more classes, labs and other activities on campus in the fall, as well as making available on-campus computer resources and study areas, will help students reach their academic potential.
We believe that with some creative planning most classes should be able to fit some version of the hybrid model allowing occupancy to be appropriately reduced. The hi-flex model is one such model that has emerged at many colleges; classes meet with some percentage of students on campus while streaming the class to students learning remotely. We are investigating which classes, labs and other activities might best fit this mode which is already being used this term to a limited degree.
Since classrooms need to have the right technology for this approach we are planning to fit out many such classrooms and also have mobile units that can turn any classroom into a hi-flex room. Using the new technology will require more technical support than we typically have so we are planning to expand the number of support personnel available both for learning how to use the systems and also for rapid trouble-shooting if issues arise during class. One technician will be assigned to every portable system and others will be available to respond to faculty requiring assistance.
While most students will not be on campus for every one of their scheduled class sessions, it is likely that most faculty members will be, and they should plan on being on campus for the in-person components of their classes. That will require making arrangements when offices are shared and adequate distancing is not possible.
Some members of the faculty and staff have questioned whether coronavirus vaccination will be required of students and at this point we don’t know. That would not be possible until the vaccines are universally available, and probably until they receive full FDA approval. Both could well happen by this summer, but that is not certain.
Vaccination is already available for everyone teaching in person. It is important to note that vaccination protects the vaccinated person from becoming ill and if faculty and staff members are themselves vaccinated, they will be safe, even if not every student is vaccinated.
While discussing remote teaching and learning, I want to mention a little bit about a teaching asynchronously. As a professor, I have found asynchronous delivery of some course components like lectures has enabled much more active engagement with students during class sessions. There is a wide range of how both synchronous and asynchronous elements can be used together, and the mix needs to match the style of the instructor and the particular course. We’re in an unusual period of time in which we are forced to innovate, but that can be a very good thing if we adapt and learn. Aspects of these approaches we are developing now will enrich course delivery long after the COVID pandemic is over.
Our current re-entry plan was created by three separate committees, one administrative, one academic, and one for research. Modifying that plan for our next phase, going to 50 percent occupancy for the fall, we will have just one committee that combines those three previous areas. I’ve requested that the committee submit to me a plan detailing the parameters under which we should proceed with student success in the forefront of our minds.
We have asked deans and chairs to assess which courses, labs and other activities are working very well as on-line classes as determined by student success, to determine whether these could potentially continue online in fall 2021. We have also asked them to identify less successful online classes and other activities that should be held on campus. With only rare exceptions, we are planning for new freshman and sophomore classes to be held in-person on campus or in a hybrid format. Once all schools have submitted information, hybrid courses, in particular, can be scheduled to control occupancy.
Given our experience with an abrupt transition to learning, teaching and working remotely, Vice President Rene Rotolo, Lehman’s Campus COVID-19 Coordinator, also has convened a “re-exit” committee, co-chaired by Dean Pam Mills and Director of Administrative Operations, Diane Clarke. The somewhat unpredictable nature of spikes in COVID-19 and variants of coronavirus mean that this committee's charge will be to monitor and assess on-campus conditions and those surrounding the campus community to make a determination about continued operations as well as when it may become necessary to close the campus to everyone except essential personnel in response to rising cases or on-campus spread. I am very confident that should it become necessary, we could exit the campus without a hitch; we’ve practiced that move already.
As we plan for an increased presence on campus, we know that to do so effectively and safety requires input from as many staff, faculty and campus stakeholders as possible. To help us understand the ideas and concerns of people across the Lehman College campus community, please look for a survey coming from me shortly and prioritize filling it out. We want as many voices to provide feedback for our safe return to our beautiful campus as soon as it is safe.
There is much that remains unknown about this year, but I am totally confident that we have the planning in place as well as the agility and capacity to make it safe and successful for our students, faculty and staff.
Daniel Lemons
