Will there be a Spring Break at Your place?

[arcturus]

We are also planning for a "normal" fall semester, with full class sizes. Our class schedule will still include the longer passing periods (to reduce congestion at the classroom doors), but otherwise we are expected to be in the classroom teaching face-to-face by Fall 2021.

[Sun_Worshiper]

I would kill for full face-to-face classes in the fall, but I'll believe it when I see it

[FishProf]

I would kill for full face-to-face classes in the fall, but I'll believe it when I see it

Well, that's the trade-off we are avoiding for now, isn't it?

[sprout]

We are being conservative for summer and fall - still mostly online in summer, a few more hybrid and face-to-face in fall. 

[old_hat]

No spring break but scattered mid-week off days. Also no immunizations in-sight in our state, which is not prioritizing college faculty as some states are. This is a likely factor, as is the high infection rates regionally.

[the_geneticist]

Spring quarter and Summer quarter are now officially online.

Fall is  . . . unclear.  The higher admin folks announced that we would return to "normal, all in-person classes" for Fall.  But they are now sending around a survey asking how faculty feel about plans for Fall (Would they prefer online or in-person?  What about for large classes? What about for labs? etc.).  I don't care how often we wipe down the doors or try to make stairways up only vs down only; this virus is spread by inhaling what someone else has exhaled.  Our classes are crowded and our ventilation is terrible.  I don't feel safe teaching in person unless everyone has been vaccinated. 

[sprout]

Spring quarter and Summer quarter are now officially online.

Fall is  . . . unclear.  The higher admin folks announced that we would return to "normal, all in-person classes" for Fall.  But they are now sending around a survey asking how faculty feel about plans for Fall (Would they prefer online or in-person?  What about for large classes? What about for labs? etc.).  I don't care how often we wipe down the doors or try to make stairways up only vs down only; this virus is spread by inhaling what someone else has exhaled.  Our classes are crowded and our ventilation is terrible.  I don't feel safe teaching in person unless everyone has been vaccinated.

We're online for summer officially too, and starting to talk about fall.  Powers that be seem to definitely want more students on campus in fall, but continuing social distancing measures may mean having to stagger start times and come up with some creative people-herding models.

[secundem_artem]

We are in the 2nd week of the semester and are already being asked about our plans for fall.  I've finished both vaccines so I will return to face to face.  As I have to figure out accommodations for students who choose online, that will complicate matters but I am hopeful to return to some sense of normal life by fall.

[Caracal]

Spring quarter and Summer quarter are now officially online.

Fall is  . . . unclear.  The higher admin folks announced that we would return to "normal, all in-person classes" for Fall.  But they are now sending around a survey asking how faculty feel about plans for Fall (Would they prefer online or in-person?  What about for large classes? What about for labs? etc.).  I don't care how often we wipe down the doors or try to make stairways up only vs down only; this virus is spread by inhaling what someone else has exhaled.  Our classes are crowded and our ventilation is terrible.  I don't feel safe teaching in person unless everyone has been vaccinated.

Total protection is probably not a reasonable goal. Chances are that COVID is going to become an endemic disease. That isn't as bad as it sounds, or at least, it doesn't have to be. As enough people get vaccinated the overall prevalence ought to go way down. There's good reason to believe that the vaccines should substantially reduce transmission as well as infection. The other good thing about the vaccines is that they do an even better job of preventing severe disease than they do of preventing infection. (That seems to be true for variants too) If you're vaccinated and are unlucky enough to get infected anyway, it should just be a relatively minor illness. That doesn't mean I'd want to teach in person post vaccination with cases at a current level, but there's reason to be optimistic that won't be the scenario.