More than 800 University of Michigan students and faculty have signed an open letter asking the university to adjust plans for the start of winter 2022.
The letter, dated December 17, calls on the university to delay teaching in in-person classes for at least two weeks in order to combat the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which is now the dominant strain of the virus in the United States while the variant continues to spread rapidly across the country, The letter says the university can prevent spread on campus by moving the winter 2022 schedule back two weeks and ramping up course schedules or roughly starting the semester and then moving to in-person instructions.
“We understand that each of these potential scenarios brings with it a number of issues that need to be addressed, and so we hope that management will seek advice from faculty, staff, and students and work with them to devise a suitable alternative,” the letter reads. “We also hope that the administration will at least consider leaving it to the teacher’s discretion whether to teach virtually or in person as long as there is a significant threat of a serious outbreak on campus.”
The message comes after several other universities have revised their plans for the upcoming semester in response to the Omicron variant. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, reported more than 900 positive cases in less than a week, moved final tests online and canceled the December start. Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts will begin the semester with three weeks of online instruction in order to mitigate the spread of the variable.
When a university spokeswoman was asked to comment on the letter, university spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen directed the Michigan Daily to the revised winter 2022 policy announced Friday. The updated policy includes mandatory booster shots for COVID-19, a face covering in residence halls until at least January 17 and mandatory testing for all individuals living in residence halls.
History professor John Carson – one of the letter’s lead authors – said in an interview with The Daily that he wrote the letter because he felt the university did not have a proper plan for dealing with the Omicron variant.
“I thought everyone would go home, or meet up with people and friends and relatives for the holidays, and then hurry back to Ann Arbor for lessons to start on January 5th,” Carson said.
One of the demands in the letter calls for the university to request reinforcements for all faculty, staff, and students on all three campuses. While that demand has been met by the new policy, Carson said he is concerned about the amount of time individuals are given to receive a booster dose.
“Mandatory reinforcements seem to be a good idea, but waiting until February 4, it seems too late … Michigan State is also requiring reinforcements for faculty, staff, and students, but by January 10,” Carson said. “By[February 4) we could really be on a massive increase, and then what will the boosted[distributor]be distributed by really achieving?”
In a letter to The Daily, CSG President Nithya Arun, a public health student, said that as other universities are changing their plans for the winter semester, she believes the University of Michigan should adjust existing personal learning plans. She believes that all students and professors should have more flexibility in their choices based on their comfort level.
“Due to the high prevalence of the Omicron variant as well as the potential rise in cases during the winter break while students are traveling, online classes should be held exclusively during the first two weeks of term,” Aaron wrote. “In addition, after the two-week period, both professors and students should have autonomy in choosing whether to hold classes, go to classes in person, or truly dependent on their immune status and comfort level. The university must ensure access to booster vaccines and testing. “.
Amid faculty concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant, many students still hope they can return to campus on January 5. Amanda Mackie, a sophomore at LSA, said she hopes that in-person learning will resume on schedule and continue throughout the entire semester, because she believes in-person classes have benefited her academic performance..
“I absolutely believe UM should stay in person throughout the winter of 2022,” Mackie said. “Having gone in person this semester, I have seen a noticeable difference in the value I get from my education, especially compared to last year when we were fully online. I am able to communicate with my professors and classmates more easily in person versus online.”
In an email to The Daily, Silke Maria Winick, professor of comparative literature and German studies and one of the letter’s signatories, writes that the pandemic has taken a growing toll on faculty with children not yet eligible for vaccination. Winnick said getting online at the start of the semester would help ease that burden.
“We know that the burden of care falls largely on women, with single mothers bearing the brunt,” Winick wrote. “It seems to me that the university is simply relying on them to continue at the expense of their careers and their mental health. It is a structural misogyny, and I find it unreasonable. Giving us all some breathing space by starting online is the absolute minimum I expect from ~(university management).”
Daily News editors George Weykamp and Kaitlyn Luckoff can be reached at gweykamp@umich.edu And kluckoff@umich.edu