64% of Classes Taught Fully Online for Fall 2020 Semester
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SINCE 1896 • VOLUME CXXVII, NO. 2 Monday, August 31, 2020 COVID-19 Tracker Current 72 16 2 CONFIRMED CASES AT Residential Cumulative Commuter Staff Cases UCONN STORRS Cases as of 7:00 p.m. on Aug. 30 56 Residential Cases Cases UConn hosts first virtual convocation by Ashley Anglisano Douglas spoke of the climate NEWS EDITOR on campus as well, and the [email protected] sense of community he feels on campus. With the Wilbur Cross “Huskies rally behind their building lit up in blue behind friends of color, as we come him, University of Connecticut to a point where it becomes President Thomas Katsouleas clearer than ever that the deck welcomed the class of 2024 to is stacked against us,” Douglas UConn virtually with the an- said. “At a time when so much nual convocation ceremony of this nation is in turmoil, for Friday night. many, UConn is a place of sta- Katsouleas began the cer- bility.” emony by explaining to view- Katsouleas also used the op- ers how their college journey portunity to invite students to is beginning much differently sign up for a one-credit univer- than most, and how they will sity course, which will bring look back on it. scholarly perspectives to anti- “[When you are older] you black racism. won’t remember much of any- Schad offered support to the thing I said, except maybe I freshman class, as they adjust was wearing a blue mask, and I to life on campus, and may said ‘Black Lives Matter,’” Kat- struggle with both academic souleas said. “Two things that and personal challenges. He define our moment in history.” related the experience to when Katsouleas spoke about the he transferred to UConn mid- values the UConn community way through his freshman has, and applauded the fresh- year, and struggled finding his man class for choosing a top place on campus. public research university. “To the students who are “You’re part of a commu- feeling isolated or alone during nity dedicated to the pursuit these times, I have been where of truth and knowledge, excel- President Thomas Katsouleas flashes a Husky symbol at UConn’s convocation ceremony. The cer- you are,” Schad said. “What lence, respect and equity,” Kat- emony honoring the Class of 2024 was livestreamed online, rather than held in person as in previ- you may be feeling right now is souleas said. “A community ous years. PHOTO COURTESY OF @UCONN ON INSTAGRAM normal, and you aren’t alone. willing to speak out for its val- There is a place for you here, ues, but just as importantly, a dents of the UConn Promise, Schad emphasized the un- leas said. “Perhaps at first in somewhere. Sometimes you community willing to listen to and the guidelines that are knowns of the upcoming family pods and virtually, but just have to keep looking.” perspectives that are very dif- in place, including wearing school year. eventually in person and to- Katsouleas also spoke di- ferent from their own, as long masks in public, maintaining “I wish I could tell you what gether. I don’t know when that rectly to the residential stu- as they are respectively ex- physical distancing and moni- this year is going to be like, but time will come. I do know it dents on campus, thanking pressed.” toring health. I can’t,” Schad said. “Nobody won’t be too soon, but neither them for quarantining for the Dean of Students Eleanor William Schad, president can. I do know that none of you will it be too long.” two weeks leading up to class- Daugherty addressed the class of the Undergraduate Student are going to be the same person USG Chief of Staff Damani es, and for making sacrifices of 2024 as well, describing the Government, spoke of the op- you are right now. Embrace Douglas described UConn as to keep the campus safe. He class as the best, the brightest portunities ahead of the class that growth and change your more than just a school, and also addressed students who and the bravest, as they enter of 2024, and addressed uncer- first year of college will bring the Huskies as more than just will be learning completely re- their college careers during tainties they may have leading you.” a team. motely. COVID-19. into the year. When speaking about his “Huskies are a group of peo- “Welcome and thank you,” “Our normal for this fall “The current social and po- hopes of soon cheering on the ple so brilliant, that this uni- Katsouleas said. “Your on- is not forever, but it is now,” litical climate of UConn and UConn sports teams, Katsou- versity gives out grants just for line enrollment is helping us Daugherty said. “Our now for the United States is unheard leas echoed an unknown time- having ideas,” Douglas said. to de-densify our campuses now is laden with compromise of,” Schad said. “But, we have line. “UConn is a community where and make our entire commu- and new behaviors that are es- a unique chance right now to “I look forward to the time social distancing cannot keep nity safer. You may be physi- sential for us to maintain our change the future of our com- when we can finally cheer on us apart, and the wellbeing of cally distant, but you are very health on campus.” munity, and of our country.” our teams from the courts, our community brings us to- much present in our hearts and Daugherty reminded stu- Like the other speakers, fields, water and ice,” Katsou- gether.” minds.” on different days. Monica Bock is one of the professors who has moved a 64% of classes taught fully class to split in-person. Bock is a professor of ceramics, a sub- ject that requires equipment and supplies the average college online for Fall 2020 semester student does not regularly have by Grace McFadden 1107: Principles of Biology I. mester. The nature of the fall 2020 access to. However, Bock said ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR This course is one of the larg- Abbott explained that one of semester has allowed these she encountered problems even [email protected] est courses at the university, the hardest parts of his transi- more nontraditional class for- switching to split in-person. This story includes contributions with more than 700 students tion to online teaching was the mats to be explored. For the “We realized 1) the capacity by Spencer Walker, a seventh-se- currently enrolled at the Storrs inability to physically see and hybrid model, students come in limits on the building would too mester natural resource economics campus. It’s also a lab course. interact with students. He ex- for some instruction as well as drastically reduce access to stu- major. He contributed to the data This semester, Principles of Bi- plained that was an important receiving some instruction on- dio practice and 2) our students collection and analysis in this ar- ology is offered in the distance part of his lecturing. line. Other professors have de- might be impacted by quaran- ticle. He can be reached via email learning format. “For example, if I’m lecturing, cided to have their courses split tine so regularly that they might at [email protected]. Given the number of people I might say to the class ‘hey, do in-person, a format in which the not be able to take advantage taking Principles of Biology, you guys get this?’ And then I class is broken up into different even of the limited access,” Bock A new analysis by The Daily Abbott explained, it was im- can see head nods, I can see fac- sessions with different sessions said. Campus showed that only 19% possible to have it in person. es. Whereas if I say that now, I going to in-person instruction See CLASSES, p. 2 of all Storrs undergraduate But given the lab aspect of the can’t see anybody.” courses are being taught fully course, it was also difficult to John O’Donnell, a professor All classes by instruction mode in person this year. In the fall transition it to online. of printmaking, echoed this GRAPHIC COURTESY OF GRACE MCFADDEN semester of 2019, that number “It’s been very difficult to try concern. was 98%. to create a similar experience. “The most difficult part of For the fall 2020 semester, So we made a lot more analysis teaching online is losing the the most common modality of kind of labs, where you give stu- community that emerges when teaching is distance learning, dents data that they might have several people are working in in which a student never comes collected had they been in per- a shared physical space. I miss to the classroom but still has a son. Then you ask them to ad- conversations and in-person set online meeting time. 47% of dress what they see in the data.” demonstrations.” classes will be taught in the dis- Principles of Biology is one of O’Donnell is teaching one tance learning format for the fall 68 BIOL classes occurring in the class entirely online, a format 2020 semester. distance learning format. There that 17% of classes are being Thomas Abbott is a profes- are 2,091 Storrs undergraduate taught in for the fall 2020 se- sor of biology at UConn, and courses occurring in the dis- mester. He’s also teaching two one of the instructors for BIOL tance learning format this se- classes in the hybrid format.