Dr. Kadie Otto, WCU Faculty Chair called an emergency meeting of the Faculty Senate to consider a resolution that would call on the WCU administration to drop plans for return to residential instruction for Fall 2020 and open in an online instructional delivery. The resolution is a response to sustained community spread of COVID-19 in the region. The emergency Zoom meeting is for this Monday, Aug. 10 from 9-10 am EST. You can request a link to the Zoom meeting to Faculty secretary, Jessica Zellers.
The resolution authored by Dr. Yancey Gulley (CEAP) recognizes that WCU administration has constraints by the UNC System on what modality it can offer for instruction, yet calls for the choice of instructional delivery to be at the discretion of the individual institutions. The resolution is also an expression of concern for the health and safety of WCU students, faculty and staff as well as members of the surrounding community given the current trajectory of community spread.
Faculty members are urged to contact their senators to express their thoughts and concerns on the draft resolution being considered.
Dear Faculty Senate,
I am a student and a staff member for WCU. Please do not open the school for residential instruction. Online classes are the best way to protect students, faculty, staff, and their families from the current global pandemic. They are the best way to prevent 100% of the possible transmission that would occur in classes. A single death of a member of our community is unacceptable and should not be considered the price of opening up. Believe in your faculty to make online learning the best it can be, and trust your students to participate the best they can. Leniency is also required, as many students are caring for their families, or feeling lonely and isolated. Their priorities may be different during this global pandemic and time of extreme uncertainty, but trust them to make the right decisions for themselves. Be caring and understanding. The only way we will get through this is together, even though we can’t be together in person. Online classes are the only acceptable decision you can make to protect all members of our amazing community.
A list of current faculty senators can be found at https://www.wcu.edu/discover/leadership/faculty-senate/about-the-faculty-senate/current-senators.aspx
This…. after tuition and all monies have been paid plus students have already started moving in. This is totally unfair. If this does happen then I believe all monies should be reimbursed. Ever last penny. I think this was the plan all along. Get their money and then cancel.
Please don’t cancel we need to move forward. My daughter is an incoming freshman and is responsible and can follow rules to keep her social distance and wear a mask. She wants to be on campus and we support this as well.
If you cancel classes AFTER we have paid for everything AND moved our daughter in I promise you there will be a class action lawsuit. This is beyond ridiculous! They have this very well thought out and everyone protected. If you are that fraud then keep yourself and/or your child home.
This would be a major mistake. Students are already on campus and are excited about the start to a new semester. There are protocols in place which would allow for a safe restart. Covid numbers are showing a downward trend as well. I say start the semester as planned and then adjust later on if necessary.
Why would you wait until AFTER tuition is paid and students have moved? Oh, that’s right! Because you can keep the money that’s been paid. There has not been anymore of an increase in cases than there was before 8/3 when tuition was due or 8/1 when students started moving in their dorm rooms. The percentage of positive cases has remained steady. Greed is the only explanation for waiting until 8/10 to hold this meeting. If you’re so concerned about the health of students and staff, you would’ve addressed this before folks started moving in.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO – please do not close the school for residential instruction- Mine is scheduled to take Engineering classes that simply CAN NOT be done remotely – they are fine with doing there other classes online or in a hybrid fashion – but if they can’t take these two classes in face this semester in the labs in the Engineering building – it would wind up putting them a year behind, especially since summer classes are far too expensive for us from out of state. Going to a class is no different then the many people who go to work, each and every day – they take precautions, they mitigate any chances for transmission. If people can go to Target or Walmart or go to work in a Hospital or a building with others every day – our kids deserve a right to be educated properly
You stated feeling lonely and isolated – you are right – there is a huge mental health component in this whole thing – My child needs to be near campus – to be around her friends and classmates who are going through the same thing – WCU has already changed a bunch of classes to be on-line or distance learning and many students have taken advantage of that – the ones that have chosen to come to the school – to participate in the few class left that are face to face do so for a reason – because there are a subset of classes that NEED a face to face interaction – there is no ability to fully learn on-line – especially for those classes where they are pre-requisites for higher end classes
I can’t believe that this would be brought up now after kids are already moving in and all tuition has been paid i feel this is very unfair and why is it even being discussed now why wasn’t this discussed before tuition deadline. Please make the right decisions and et these kids go to school i also just saw where a local news station out-of raleigh posted numbers were the lowest they had been since June jn north carolina.
Please consider the spread in Jackson county. Even quarantine kids to the dorm for 2 weeks but don’t cancel everything. NC is huge state. Don’t use numbers from Charlotte and Raleigh. These freshman have lost enough. Don’t now take their money too.
I agree with Cindy- all monies, (but tuition if online available) should be refunded immediately should classes not happen on campus.
Why are they waiting to make this decision so late? My daughter is scheduled to move in on Monday. Travel/ hotel costs are already spent.
I wish they could go back face to face learning . But I don’t think it is safe and this should have been planed back in the summer knowing the facts that this isn’t over yet. I know there are students that has labs ect. That needs to be there. The only way to keep this virus from spreading is to go to online. I am very concern for my student and others. You know for a fact once school starts and even reg school we will have another outbreak and another shut down. People are being careful. I know bring cat vans , class room labs. Are these places going to be dis Disinfected Each stop or end of each class. You can be walking around with the virus and not know then spread to another 10 plus people.
This feels fraudulent. I’m wary and disappointed. Wish my son would’ve chosen the community college route instead of choosing to attend a university that claims to be concerned about the health of students and staff AFTER non-refundable tuition, residency costs, and meal plans (to the tune of $10,000) have been paid. This meeting should’ve been held before 8/1. Nothing has happened in the last 10 days, other than WCU receiving up to $10,000 from many students, that would’ve changed the current state of affairs.
Get the community back to normal. This is not going away anytime soon especially when people have overprotected their immune system making them even more vulnerable to this and other illnesses. You don’t want to take part in on-location learning that’s fine. I respect that. Just you yourself take part in online instruction. But let the kids return to school and get back to living. They need interaction with their peers and you can guarantee it’s going to happen whether it’s in the classroom or not. Just because you yourself are scared don’t transfer that fear onto everyone else.
Turn on some music rather than the news.
It is absolutely wrong to turn the tables once all the students have paid their tuition and for fall housing. It is unacceptable to shell out all this money for only online instruction.
If the school is closed and we don’t receive a refund after we have moved in, there will be a class action lawsuit. This is stupid. So many people rely on campus for internet and ability to connect in order to take classes. I’d have to withdraw for the semester, and it would interfere with loan periods.
I agree! If we are not refunded in full for the meal plan AND housing, we will be part of the class action law suit! My son is not scheduled to move in until August 14th. All housing and meal plan monies would need to be refunded!
This is insane to do this now when kids are already moving in and have apartments. Not all kids can learn this way and you wait this long so everyone is out money and options. Are you going to drop the requirements for entry to your other programs like nursing when kids struggle with online learning because they need classroom instruction? Take precautions as planned. Get these kids back in the classrooms. If someone is that worried about all this they already had time to choose not to come.
These numbers are from bigger cities such as Charlotte & Raleigh. It would be wrong for the university to do this after students have started moving in and have started paying. It is ridiculous to pay $20,000 a year to be doing online school. If you move classes online, you should expect to give a refund for room & board & meal plans. It is simply not the same to take classes online. If someone feels threatened by the virus, then THEY can stay HOME and do online. For students, like myself, who aren’t concerned as long as precautionary measures are taken, then we should have the choice to complete face to face instruction.
Jackson County only has 400 confirmed cases, they should not be considering the numbers within the entire state when cullowhee is a small town. Quarantine the students in the dorms for two weeks if you must! But to take this away after move ins have already started is just cruel and greedy. We are mature college students that can follow safety protocols in order to get our college experience that we’ve been looking forward to!
Waiting until the week before school starts and parents/students paying fall tuition in full for 2020 is very bad timing. Alot if money to be spent/wasted knowing this discipn could have been made sooner without risking the financial impact on the families. I am all for keeping everyone safe, but to “collect” the money up front, with the possibility of not returning that money to the students/parents and then decide to go strictly to online classes/virtual learning and not have access to the dorms, meal plans, etc. In my opinion, keeping the best interest of the students at hear, just the financial impact on the school at heart. Nothing has significantly changed from the last month with COVID19 to make that decision now. Should have been made earlier.
So there could be a possibility of moving in a student this weekend, and then having to take off work to go move them out. Does not make a lot of sense.
How are we going to support the infrastructure we have developed at WCU during this epidemic?
I know! Let’s force our student body to live on campus. Make them pay for everything up front and then kick them off campus to fend for themselves. Business Ethics 101
The numbers have been on this trajectory for weeks, if this was about the fear of rising cases this meeting would have been called before money was collected and loans finalized. Petty and greedy business practices from the state itself.
The students that are concerned about COVID and are at high risk have made the transition to be online or have decided to wait to return in the future. Many students have already paid for tuition, booked hotels, parents have taken off work, and they have purchased additional PPE to be prepared to return to campus. These student have significant financial ties to the current plan. Athletic events are being revamped for safer attendance practices and classrooms have more than adequate room, this is safer than going to most grocery stores today. Additionally, many students struggle to learn in an online environment, this will not allow for student success, decreasing the average GPA of a student at Western which will impact the quality of student to come to campus in future years. Additionally, given the Residential Living Agreement students will be out $3,000 plus for housing as it was stated it would not be refunded. This is a large amount of money for most students and they will have a hard time recovering from the impact. We need to proceed with the current plan as some students are already on campus in addition to reasons previously listed. Overall, although I understand the concern for the older population, this transition will have a detrimental impact on the University.
You’re waiting until after students are already moving in and the week before classes are to officially begin? We’re trying to move forward into some type of normality and if you all decided to rip the rug from underneath us again, there is a fair chance that students will not return to the university. We spend thousands of dollars to live on campus and we will not receive that money back because we are removed once again from our learning environment. Coming back to school has been the only ounce of normalcy that I have been a part of in the past 6 months. Residential living is trying to use every form of precaution possible to keep us safe and I witness this first hand as an RA. Please for the love of God I am begging you all to understand that some students need this.
Please keep instruction as is with students returning and a mix of online, hybrid, and in person. Many areas of study are extremely difficult completely online.
Hi, as a student, I would be very disheartened at the faculty and administration if we were moved to fully online. It seems disrespectful to gives students the option to move in and force them to pay full term payments only to announce this less than 3 weeks before classes start and only a few days after issuing out bills. If a student was not comfortable learning on campus, they would not have agreed to come back for learning in the first place. I personally need to live on campus in order to fully succeed as a student. Learning online from home introduces many distractions that would hinder my learning and I was looking forward to having that independence for personal and academic gain. Many students not only looked forward to moving in for experience, but also for safety and health. If we do have to move to remote learning, at least give the option for students to live in their dorms on strict rules. If we are paying for housing, let us use the housing. I understand this is new and complicated for everyone, but please take into consideration the students and all possible options.
The timing on this is more than poor. Please explain why this professor is waiting until now to call this meeting? I realize we are in a rapidly changing time however students, parents, and staff at WCU have been planning for weeks and have paid for the semester of hybrid learning. Shame on you Dr. Otto.
I would love to hear from Kadie why she waited until August 3rd to raise this concern…students who have registered and paid for in-person instruction expect and deserve for the faculty at Western to step up and perform their job. Last time I checked, Western is a teaching college versus and research college. This is getting old real fast…faculty put your big boy and big girl pants on and do your dang job. It’s not like you are in front of students for 8+ hours a day. If your that scared, then retire or find another job that you can isolate yourself. The emotional and psychological toll already felt by many of the students will take significant time to undo. Why add to it?
If I move all of my stuff in and have to move it back out because you guys couldn’t make a decision BEFORE moving all of these kids in we will be taking legal action and expecting every penny to return into our pocket! this is complete bull**** if a shopping mall can open such as concord mills and stay open for months your telling me a college campus with half classes online anyway is worse?! at least keep our kids in the dorms and move classes online.
Our son is moving in Saturday. He is beyond excited. Not just for living on campus, but for beginning the classes in his chosen career. Stuff has been bought, travel arrangements have been made, plans are set. I trust Western’s plans. They have been communicated well and I have been impressed with all the details they have laid out for how to deal with life on campus during this unprecedented time. I am praying that this is just another example of how Western is on top of things. They are discussing things now, so as the students begin classes and life on campus, they are prepared. But, PLEASE, let the kids come to school. My son learns best in the school environment. Even if that is online in his dorm room, he will do better there, than sitting in his bedroom completing classes online like he had to this past spring. Students have already started moving in, let’s just continue with the present plan that has been in place for months now.
I feel like your preferences for a Face-to-face class kind of go out the window when you have a global pandemic that is spread through these face to face meetings. College teaches you to adapt and deal with difficulties, if the worst thing you have to deal with is online classes, you are doing pretty well.
Good luck getting students to quarantine in their rooms for 2 weeks and keep up with all the guidelines to prevent spread.
Also, you should think of the spread in Jackson county. You have very few cases here, but add in thousands of students from all over and you are sure to get a spike.
WCU is doing what is best recommended by the CDC, short of a complete closure of campus, and all science data on the spread consistently shows that mask wearing IS virus prevention. I do not understand what faculty are afraid of exactly ..other than not wanting to wear a mask themselves? Any actions to remove students and close campus now is cruel and unprofessional.
as a freshman, the hope for this college experience is literally the only thing that has pushed me though quarantine. how is it anywhere near fair to allow students to move in AND THEN ten days later tell them that they have to move back home??? why wasn’t this decision made a month ago? before we paid tuition and some of us the ENTIRE semester? before we made plans to move in? before we moved in? why is this just now being decided on? this is absolutely ridiculous.
What numbers are you looking at to see a downward trend? You got your chart upside down most likely.
This would be a massive mistake. Most of us struggle online and have already paid this is just a meeting therefor you get the money since we get no refunds. We need to be near our friends. Stop using us as a money scam
While I understand we are in the middle of a pandemic….this just smacks of very poor timing.
We struggled with deciding whether or not to send or freshman or have him go to full online for this year. We decided since WCU had these protocols in place to have him attend.
Now after student loans obtained and UNC systems adamant about NO refunds you want to meet about going full remote?
These numbers have been rising all summer. This was NOT a surprise to anyone. This is too little too late.
This should have been decided before the the first student moved in!!!!
First and foremost, everyone needs to understand that not all children can learn online. That is the dilemma with my daughter. We were hesitant when making the decision for her to start in the fall. After seeing a lot of her classes were hybrid and would include some face to face, we decided to let her attend this fall.
At this point, if it goes strictly to online learning, we will be out of pocket approx 8000$, as that is what we have paid from our personal funds.
Please allow the students that aren’t capable of online learning the opportunity to have at least some weekly face to face.
This is heartbreaking.
Can I get an invite to the Zoom call?
Please don’t do cancel. My incoming freshman has lost so much! He JUST had his HS graduation last week. Jackson County has 415 cases – other areas in the UNC system has thousands!! COVID didn’t just pop up, we’ve been dealing with this for months! Why would you just NOW call for online only! I could’ve saved a lot of money and just set him up for community College online. This is heartbreaking!
Well-said. “A single death of a member of our community is unacceptable and should not be considered the price of opening up. ” <– 100%
I think it is incredibly poor planning on the University’s part to bring up situations about safety, such as this, with sports and band still green-lit. How is it too unsafe to attend class but 500+/- students can march shoulder to shoulder for band?
Two weeks ago the athletes moved in and there were 7 cases. Are we supposed to believe that just won’t happen with the rest of the student population?
Risking the lives of the students and residents of Jackson county for money does not paint a good look on the University; especially when there is a well-established online learning format in place.
I say move the classes online and lower the tuition & fees.
Timing of this “emergency“ meeting really blows my mind. The word emergency implies just that… If it is an emergency meeting why not hold it now, or in an hour, or tonight, or tomorrow morning? To wait until August 10 after a whole other weekend of thousands of kids moving in is ridiculous. These parents are paying for dorm supplies, travel, hotel, etc., not to mention housing and food. I too do not understand why this is coming up on August 5, a day and a half after tuition was due and five days after the first kid was allowed to move in. This is just not right. Please let them go and see what happens. If an adjustment needs to be made at a later date, so be it. But the timing of this announcement and decision is truly horrible.
Please do NOT cancel residential living on campus. My son is a responsible adult who can social distance, wear a mask and wash his hands. We know the risks but the emotional risks are much higher. Buncombe county has .000148% in cases.
Seeing that they my boys have been able to work at Ingles for the last 4 months and have thousands of people go by them without incident means that WCU could handle kids living on campus. Please consider ALL factors when coming to this decision. Our kids NEED to have something “normal” in their lives.
While I agree that the best way to stop the spread is to stay at home, this should have been done prior to allowing move in. If you send these kids home, they could have been exposed and will bring it to those of us at home. As much as I would love have my kid home, I think you need to keep classes in person. Engineering majors, music majors, etc can’t learn properly in an online format.
I am a front line health care provider who works with covid patients. I see first hand the devastation this virus causes. I am not debating the seriousness of this pandemic. That being said, there is no guarantee that this will end any time soon. I am myself a participant in a vaccine trial and I am cautiously optimistic that we will have a vaccine sooner than later. But, there is no guarantee. However, we have to learn how to responsibly move forward in this new normal. If there is no vaccine in the spring, then what? 2 years from now? Then what? I believe in the safety precautions that are in affect at WCU & other campuses and that they should be followed. However, to have this meeting after all monies have been paid & students have moved in but before classes start seems very poorly thought out. If after classes start there is an absolute failure to adhere to guidelines or a large outbreak occurs I think we all are prepared to bring our kids home & try again later. However, before a chance is given but after all of our non refundable money is taken is terrible timing to potentially change course. The only logical conclusion one could draw is that it was a ploy to get the students’ tuition & fees. If this is true it is an absolute disgrace. Let the semester go on as planned with the precautions including many classes already being hybrid or online. If there is an abrupt stop to residential learning it should be based on new information obtained after this experiment of college life in the new normal begins. Not before it’s even given a chance.
Please do not go to all online classes! Some students need the in person to learn effectively! All the social distancing is in place!
Please do not cancel. Some of the students have classes that require being face to face. These students can not handle more disappointment.
If high schools are going to face to face classes there is no reason college students can not meet face to face.
As an alum of WCU I have full trust that this university can think outside the box and make this happen.
Unknowing what this meeting is about I have faith that students will not have to do complete online learning at the point in the process after parents accepted deadlines, moved students in, purchased many items to do so, borrowed money and committed as a family to on campus learning as this is how their student learns best.
No death is acceptable however it will occur as it has in every pandemic to date. Students died during my freshman year from meningitis contracted on campus in a fraternity. Death occurs in the safest of standards. I work in health care and as an adult like our students we social distance, wear mask and wash hands. College students and faculty can do the same. We have not had a single death from faculty at a large level one trauma center. If families choose to return then faculty needs to return. If they are not comfortable then drop their classes and take a year off.
Please follow thru with what you promised the students and families
The students that are concerned about COVID and are at high risk have made the transition to be online or have decided to wait to return in the future. Many students have already paid for tuition, booked hotels, parents have taken off work, and they have purchased additional PPE to be prepared to return to campus. These student have significant financial ties to the current plan. Athletic events are being revamped for safer attendance practices and classrooms have more than adequate room, this is safer than going to most grocery stores today. Additionally, many students struggle to learn in an online environment, this will not allow for student success, decreasing the average GPA of a student at Western which will impact the quality of student to come to campus in future years. Additionally, given the Residential Living Agreement students will be out $3,000 plus for housing as it was stated it would not be refunded. This is a large amount of money for most students and they will have a hard time recovering from the impact. We need to proceed with the current plan as some students are already on campus in addition to reasons previously listed. Overall, although I understand the concern for the older population, this transition will have a detrimental impact on the University.
If students and faculty follow the rules and practices the advised safety Precautions by the state then there shouldn’t be an issue. I am a a student and I personally feel like I will not get my full education if I am not on campus. Please don’t take our money and send us home. We can all be safe if we are careful
This is morally wrong. If WCU decides to kick students off campus and go completely online AFTER they have forced their students to pay FULL tuition, they have stolen money from their students. It is too late for WCU to second guess their decisions, leadership needs to own their decisions.
With the nature of some majors (ones that involve hands-on experiences like nursing , chemistry, and music), many students cannot get a quality education through complete online learning. WCU knows this (or they should), and without addressing these concerns they have done the students they claim to serve a major disservice.
I feel that WCU administration and Senate board would be making a big mistake in canceling classes on campus after students have moved in. It this was an option then it should have happened before August 1st. I just spent extra funds moving my son in on Tuesday and will be furious to know you’re opting to have everything online after we called and checked to see if that was a possibility. Was told the deadline had passed to switch to distance learning only. WCU please do better as I’ve been pleased until now!
My son is moving on campus tomorrow. Attending WCU is the only bright light since this pandemic started. He has lost so much already this year. Please allow the students to continue with the current plan of in person, hybrid, and on line classes with masks and social distancing . We cannot face another disappointment. Also the timing is terrible!!
Will we be able to get our money back if we know our child will do poorly in online learning? And, in a TIMELY manner?
I understand the concern for the physical health of all, but the rise in cases has been consistent. It is extremely irresponsible for WCU to have waited until the last minute to make such a radical decision.
Furthermore, this will also be a huge hit to our financial health, if you will. We absolutely cannot afford to send our child to an out of state school to go to online classes.
What’s gonna happen if we get sent home? We go out and get infected somewhere else. Staying inside for another 4 months isn’t practical. We did it once and it honestly didn’t help. Students will get thousands of their hard working dollars taken away a week after we pay. If there is an outbreak here, we’ll just go home and infect our parents who are less healthy. We need to keep this world moving. If you’re scared, stay home
Gill,
I suspected you were a fool at the start of your comment and you confirmed it by the end.
Faculty do not really have much of a voice in the face of these decisions and I think your little princess will do fine by having to take a few more online courses for a few months.
You cannot rely on students to bring pencils and paper to class, what makes you think they are going to bring masks and practice basic social distancing policies?
So go change your Depends and let the teachers wear whatever pants they want and teach how they want to teach.
Clearly you don’t understand that being near friends is not a good idea during a pandemic.
Also, doing poorly in an online class is at least in part due to your own failings and not just the modality of the teaching.
Online learning is definitely a different beast than in person learning. But, you need to adapt to the times and find ways to make the best of it. What is college but a place to learn and expand?
It’s upsetting that this meeting is after the due date for tuition and after students are moving in. I believe there was already an article stating refunds would not happen this year so for this meeting to be done after tuition was due is ridiculous. I’m living off campus and my apartment will not let me back out of the lease if classes go all online. It would be a complete waste of money for majority of students if they have to live far from home just to take all online classes. And is also a waste of money for on campus students who will not receive a refund for housing and meal plans. Many classes have options for online so I feel that the students who want to stay home should chose that option and not keep the students who want to be on campus from staying on campus. I also think we should look at the number of cases within the surrounding towns/cities instead of looking at NC as a whole because some areas have higher numbers than others.
As a student of Western Carolina University, I implore that Western Carolina University remain open. For many this seems like a poor choice, but I speak for many college students here at WCU when I say this, we do not want to return home and repeat the end of last semester. For many individuals, like myself, we struggle with internet connectivity, and are unable to get other providers in the areas that we live. In addition, many students would have to return to their normal jobs that they had over the summer. For instance, I was working 80-90+ hours a week to help support my dad and pay the bills. Last semesters ending was one of the most difficult things I have done thus far, and adding in the fact of a regular job, who likely won’t work with out schedules, out education will be put on the back burner instead of the forefront. I assert once more that closing Western Carolina University down is a Poot decision. Some classes that are face to face need to be that way, for instance, many students have difficulties doing foreign language classes, or music classes without the face to face interaction. WCU has implemented many strategies designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 and should trust in the process already set in stone, rather than closing down. Thank you.
Hello, I am a sophomore majoring in art at WCU, and so I really hope we go through with in person classes this semester. I am taking ceramics, and it is simply impossible to do so online. I don’t own a kiln, or anything else required to make pottery, so I would hardly learn anything I signed up for.
If everyone wears a mask and follows the rules about sanitization, washing hands, social distancing, etc, everyone should be safe. If Disney world can open and do well protecting people, why can’t our school?
Please don’t go to on line classes. The incoming freshman have already missed out on so many things this year. They need to be able to go the class and start their college adventures as normal as possible. Not all students learn from on line classes. Being on campus increases learning and is part of growing up.
Directly from NC Covid dashboard:
https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard
If masks and social distancing work, there’s no need to make any changes. Or you don’t believe the science that say they do?
you’re gonna tell me that all these “essential workers” (and not just nurses and doctors), like myself, have been working this entire time and grocery store employees that come in contact with hundreds of people a day can go to work every day but a teacher is scared to go to class where the proper social distancing can be done???? I am completely over this. I’m sorry but I consider my child’s education ESSENTIAL!!!!
I totally understand public concern about opening schools, but how can WCU justify not opening when the rest of the state is re-opening schools? The timing of this meeting is a little suspect, after tuition, housing and other fees have been paid. If you were going to sound the alarm, you should have spoken up much sooner. Most classes will be hybrid and if college students cannot follow social distancing guidelines, the rest of the school system is doomed. The trend of new cases statewide and in WNC are leveling off after the 4th of July.
To many students have already paid to much money to Western Carolina. This meeting should have been held weeks ago. It’s obvious Covid-19 is going to continue to spread and we should not doubt science but it should be the students choice. Students at WCU are mature enough to decide if they want to attend or not at their own risk. The same goes for the staff. Who should have the option to make their classes online or in person.
I paid tuition and moved my freshman daughter into her dorm room over the weekend. She has already been settling into her room, becoming comfortable w campus, preparing for classes, meeting amazing new WCU friends, all while WEARING A MASK, SOCIAL DISTANCING, And SANITIZING. I am a NC pediatrician on the Covid-19 frontline and I am totally comfortable with the current WCU Catamount Cares approach to Covid-19! The young people need to GO TO SCHOOL. It will be Educationally, developmentally, emotionally, socially and financially Harmful for our young adults to be sent or kept at home! The number of cases in NC are declining, we are headed to phase 3….makes no sense to make a drastic change in the plan, especially NOW! The few high-risk faculty, staff, and students should be remote and at home, but not the rest of WCU! With proper safety protocols, I have seen daycares, private schools and businesses (including my own) move forward without issue and even start to thrive again. Promote and enforce the 3 Ws. Add a fourth W … Welcome and keep the WCU students on campus.
As a student with my own family, such as a husband and a child I don’t feel comfortable returning to campus but I’ve been forced to. I am a senior and trying to graduate on time and I’m not willing to take a semester off and three of my classes are in person with no option of online. I don’t think it’s fair for students to not have a choice all teachers should have to offer an online version of the class.
Common cancelling school especially for the incoming freshman would not be fair statistically. Why would Western Carolina, a school located in Jackson county with 415 cases and 4 deaths close when schools in wake county with 11,492 cases and 137 deaths are still allowing colleges to start. Let alone the fact that students have already paid money towards their residential living and everything else. This seems unjust to host a zoom meeting 10 days after students started moving in. What happens to these kids who have already lost so much. I don’t care if everyone has to quarantine amongst arrival in order to effectively allow students to have some what if the college experience that is still left. I hope this decision is carefully thought out and looked at from a parents and student point of view. I get it is for the safety of the students and the staff but proper precautions can be taken to mitigate the spread of this virus.
I am disappointed that the university did not take this into consideration prior to students arriving and fees being fully charged. I will support whatever decision made for the wellbeing of our children. However, if the university does not refund any and all “on campus living” expenses, I can assure WCU as a body of parents and students we WILL write the Govenor and State Representatives to take class action against the school for return of the funding.
My daughter moved in on the first and has a lung disease but I’m not worried. she has to live and she knows what precautions to take .let these kids live and get back what was lost their senior year. I’m worried but we live with viruses everyday. I don’t think it is right for us to pay all this money and then possibly get sent home. Charge me for online classes and refund the rest of this is the case. I paid all this money all ready for a meal plan and she has one dining option open right now other than chic fil A. We deserve our money back if classes are moved online. Just my opinion.
Now you call an emergency meeting?? 5 DAYS FROM TODAY???? Not much of an emergency. You are messing around with families who are already struggling to put their kids in over-priced universities to pay your salaries AND have spent thousands of dollars on supplies! We are ALL well aware covid is real and people are taking necessary precautions to prevent it’s spread. But we CANNOT live in a bubble for the unforeseen future. This is ridiculous and has hidden agenda written all over it.
We’re all smart enough to understand that this has already been a pending issue. Why allow students to move into their dorms when you know theirs a possibility they won’t be able to stay. Why CONTINUE to let students move into dorms and not halt the process until a decision is made on Monday? How do you plan on helping students who have already exhausted plenty of resources to get to campus find their way back home? Especially those who don’t even live in this state? Why not keep students and families, the heart of the institution more updated in the matter? Where are the emails? Phone calls? Social media notifications? Regardless of the decision, the lack of communication from the university is baffling, borderline embarrassing.
What does this mean about those of us already moved into campus? Please do not send us home. It is my senior year, and I don’t want to spend it at home. Make classes all online all you want but leave campus food establishments and residence halls open at least. Make a sensible decision and do not take people’s money
As a WCU alumni and a parent of a current student, I feel a need to comment. We are all going through a difficult time with the COVID 19 crisis. I am heartbroken for the 2020 Seniors (High School & College). They have lost the most.
It was not a happy time to have to move my daughter out of the dorm last Spring and realize that 6 months earlier we are all so happy and looking forward to an exciting future for the students. What we thought would be a temporary issue lasting a few weeks has now transformed into something lasting months and we don’t have an end in sight.
With that being said, no one knows when the COVID-19 crisis will be over. We have had dozens of theories that have been reported to us since March. We heard that when the weather got hot, it would kill the virus. The weather did get hot and the virus kept coming. We heard that face masks didn’t work. Then we heard that face masks did work. Now we have to wear them everywhere we go. We heard that people under 18 couldn’t catch COVID-19. Now we know that they not only catch it, but they also die from it.
Again no one knows. What makes this frustrating is that no one will admit they don’t know.
Unfortunately if the campus is opened and we have people there, the COVID-19 will most likely infect many students. Some of those students may die from COVID-19. But again no one knows. The school will have to shut down again just like they did this past March. They will have no choice. When will this happen? Nobody knows.
Here is what we do know. One day this will be over. It will be solved and life will get back to normal. We are not there yet. When will we get there? We aren’t there yet and I don’t know when we will get there.
The only logical and safe alternative solution is to offer only online classes. There are some classes that just will not work online. Those classes will simply have to wait until this COVID-19 crisis is over and the campus is open and operating normally.
I wish everyone the best and am sure that one day this will be over and we will all be back together again. We are social people and this isolation goes against our DNA.
The students need face to face connection with teachers and other students. If they only get videos, then what is the purpose of university. Let’s the students who want to meet, meet. University educators more than listening to lectures and doing tests. They need to be able to ask questions and share ideas. It takes a special student to be disciplined enough to to do in line classes and many will fall through the cracks and quick. For the sake of the students, let them go to class.
Dear faculty, I am a student at Wcu and I just pulled out a big loan for this semester. I would really enjoy being on campus and not stuck at home. Also, if we were to go online and not get refunds, that would make many people made I would get her. We pulled these loans out for a reason and now we may not get the money back if we go to online instruction. Many people don’t have proper WiFi at home and need places like WCU to do their work.
I think if there was legitimate concern over health of students/staff this would have been addressed weeks ago. I hate to think this way but it seems too coincidental for this to happen after tuition/room/board was received. Is this a ploy to save the school system financially? Our students deserved this transparency long before they even moved in. My daughter is finally acclimating to college. Now I have to possibly rip her away and lose money I could barely afford in the first place? Have a heart WCU.
100% how I as a student and my family feels as well. Extremely frustrated that this is what we’ve been saying since they told us we could move in but be prepared to have to move back out. I moved off to college for a reason, my home is not a sociable environment and my mental health is drastically improved by being on campus. Its been admitted time and time again that the numbers are WRONG when it comes to positive cases and deaths for this virus, but the school doesn’t want to hear that. They want to get our money, and not have to deal with us. I will be withdrawing from WCU and moving on to a University who values their students success if this ends up being the case. This is RIDICULOUS. If people are uncomfortable with going to face to face classes then they are more than welcome to transfer online.. the rest of us shouldn’t have to.
Please reopen college students are less Susceptible to the virus I have been looking forward to college and have put in a lot of effort to go this year and meet new friends please do not ruin my freshman year just because you’re scared we will take all precautions necessary to go safely a lot of us have bought things for dorms and paid lots of money already for room and board
I want to know why you would wait until kids are already moving in to make this decision. If you were concerned with the safety of your students this decision would’ve been made in July. I think some in person classes should be offered but have the option of online for all classes. I think going fully online should be a decision for the spring of 2021.
What about those students who do not respond well to self teaching/online classes? What about students with an IEP in place? How are they going to get their education? Retail stores, restaurants, employers are all open and interacting with people daily. I do not understand why the school would choose to make changes now other than for the money. My child is immunodeficient and has worked all summer, socialized in groups, and taken multiple trips and has not feared being infected. She was cautious.
If you interfere in these kids education some of them will never complete it. Online college does not work well for the majority of majors. An entire freshmen class will be lost. I don’t know if too many parents who have just moved their kids in that will be willing to say, yeah we see your point. Too late people, you should have done this weeks ago. The numbers for the county look fine. They are not even close to being overwhelmed.
I paid tuition and moved my freshman daughter into her dorm room over the weekend. She has already been settling into her room, becoming comfortable w campus, preparing for classes, meeting amazing new WCU friends, all while WEARING A MASK, SOCIAL DISTANCING, And SANITIZING. I am a NC pediatrician on the Covid-19 frontline and I am totally comfortable with the current WCU Catamount Cares approach to Covid-19! The young people need to GO TO SCHOOL. It will be Educationally, developmentally, emotionally, socially and financially Harmful for our young adults to be sent or kept at home! The number of cases in NC are declining, we are headed to phase 3….makes no sense to make a drastic change in the plan, especially NOW! The few high-risk faculty, staff, and students should be remote and at home, but not the rest of WCU! With proper safety protocols, I have seen daycares, private schools and businesses (including my own) move forward without issue and even start to thrive again. Promote and enforce the 3 Ws…add a fourth W, Welcome and keep the WCU students on campus.
I trust WCU’s methods in keeping us safe, but I think that rather than making classes fully online and not allowing us to live on campus, they should make classes fully online while letting us still live on campus. I am fortunate to still have accessible commodities for completing courses online from home, but not every student has that privilege and might not have easily accessible internet. It would be absolutely better to allow students to stay on campus, and not have face to face classes, switching them to an online format instead.
Please do not do this! My freshman who has already missed out on prom and abnormal graduation had been looking forward to coming to school. Everything has been bought and paid for. She is moving in this Saturday just to move out again in three days?
I’m sorry but the university system needs to make a decision and then stick with it and adjust accordingly when and if there is a spike or an outbreak on campus. They made that decision and now they just need to let the chips fall where they may. Students and future professionals cannot be expected to take adjusted hybrid classes that are not going to give them the quality education that they are paying for, and that will help them become what they want to be in the future. In addition if you are going to make this decision and dial back education to all online learning, prior to any outbreak happening. Then you need to roll back all the way to the beginning refund everyone, and start the entire process over again so people can make informed decisions. You can’t take $10,000 per person and then decide sorry we’re sending you home and keeping your money. That’s not how this works
I am a student and I am already moved in. I feel as if western has developed a good plan for success. I am taking the pandemic preparedness class and since we are already on campus you now find an ethics problem. Can we really send all these what are said to be exposed students back home to the four corners. What about the people who have already moved in and spent money to do so. It is unfair to have students move in and then send them ba k home. I believe of we go all online we should keep students on campus and at the very least offer dining and housing. This is a necessity for some students and should not be taken away.
Yes I agree, if they even think about trying to force me as a student and tell me I have to show to class then I won’t! If you watch the news there was a camp down in GA where 344 people were tested and within days 260 of them tested positive. Covid 19 is not fake. I will not stand for this and I will not stand for one student or teacher dying due to the pandemic. The people who are making decisions don’t care because they are not forced to be around others
WHAT?????. What a coincidence. TWO DAYS AFTER TUITION AND HOUSING IS PAID IN FULL. As a frontline healthcare worker, I am well aware of the risks, stats,protocols,and precautions. However, this faculty concern could not have been addressed prior to the no refund on housing and meals decision sounds really suspect. I understand payment for tuition,even full tuition if necessary .However paying for housing and a meal plan and not getting what I paid for is very hard to swallow and frankly pisses me off. And I better hear something before I drive an 8 hour round trip,use two of my vacation days and pay for my hotel room to move my child in.
This decision would be quite devastating for current students and make the university look quite poor for possible future students. As you can see from the graph on the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm), it shows an immense decline in deaths from Covid-19 for all age groups. On this graph you will see the ages of college students (0-24) to be a flatline of deaths close to zero due to Covid-19. The decision to make all classes virtual now should have been made months ago BEFORE all of this money was obtained from the students. Now, you have students that will lose out on thousands of dollars because they expected to be required to be on the campus in order to attend mandatory classes. This is not a matter of life or death (according to the graph), this is about providing a fantastic learning environment for thousands of excited students. Students our age are NOT at high risk for this virus. Do not think you are keeping us safe because, in reality, you’re punishing us from the college experience we all desire to have. The university has already provided high risk professors with the option of virtual classes as well. Please, keep plans the same so that students won’t be subject to more disappointment. Thank you.
I am seeing a LOT of statements against the university over this resolution on this thread. Comments that it is a means to keep the pre paid monies, that the university is being unfair, etc.
Please remember that this is a resolution in the FACULTY senate. It is not the university as a whole. Whatever your personal opinion on this resolution: please,please, please do not assume that it is all of WCU or even all of the faculty.
If you are going to cancel before school even starts there needs to be a refund. All these kids who need clinical and face to face classes to learn are suffering. Some kids are also suffering mentally from being so isolated. This needs to be thought about. Who’s going to pay for an extra year for all the kids who have to have clinicals to pass school?
I am sick to my stomach. I feel these concerns are poorly timed. The data hasn’t changed significantly in the last two weeks. Tuition has been paid and is reportedly non-refundable. Tuition that by the way twas earned by working 9 different jobs simultaneously by the way between my husband, my daughter and me. Students have moved in. My daughter is scheduled to move in THIS Saturday We have paid for a hotel, packed the belongings and are coming. Will we have to return in just a few days to retrieve her and her broken heart? We thought long and hard before paying our hard earned money about whether or not to embark on this adventure given the current situation. However WCU has a thorough plan that we feel can successfully be executed and keep everyone safe. I, too, am too, am an educator, but in a public high school. I understand that it is scary to think of going back. However the difference is that your employer has made thorough, inclusive plans to keep you and your students safe. They have a plan. Many other professions have returned to work and with similar, thorough planning have been successful. You can do this! Please, please allow our students to have an on campus education with some component of exposure to the qualified educators we are paying for.
Absolutely the wrong decision at this time. The facility has had weeks to consider this and you wait until all of the tuition monies have been paid. If you want to see families and students turn against a university vote to not return to face to face instruction.
Hopefully, Dr. Brown can talk some sense into the facility. Protocols are in place and will work. You are an institute of higher learning and have more than enough time to study this. You knew weeks ago that students were returning. To pull a stunt like this after tuition has been paid is absurde and unprofessional.
People are going to the grocery store, work, Target and wearing a face mask. Enforce the procedures that have been set forth and things will work out. I am an alumni and I am ashamed that my university would try to pull a stunt like this so late in the game.
I am sick to my stomach. I feel these concerns are poorly timed. The data hasn’t changed significantly in the last two weeks. Tuition has been paid and is reportedly non-refundable. Tuition that by the way twas earned by working 9 different jobs simultaneously by the way between my husband, my daughter and me. Students have moved in. My daughter is scheduled to move in THIS Saturday We have paid for a hotel, packed the belongings and are coming. Will we have to return in just a few days to retrieve her and her broken heart? We thought long and hard before paying our hard earned money about whether or not to embark on this adventure given the current situation. However WCU has a thorough plan that we feel can successfully be executed and keep everyone safe. I, too, am too, am an educator, but in a public high school. I understand that it is scary to think of going back. However the difference is that your employer has made thorough, inclusive plans to keep you and your students safe. They have a plan. Many other professions have returned to work and with similar, thorough planning have been successful. You can do this! Please, please allow our students to have an on campus education with some component of exposure to the qualified educators we are paying for.
Classes can not be online. I’m currently a student at WCU and I know of many people that don’t have access to the internet. Many people drove for hours to be on campus and to have a semi normal education. We can not afford to have our higher education given to us online. This education is preparing us for our futures and for many, the rest of their lives. College is very expensive and there are many people out there that worked their butt off all summer to be able to pay for their education. And it is not fair that they had to spend much of their money prepping for campus life to then be told that they have to leave. I personally do not learn well online and I’m sure that I am not the only one. We all understand that we are in a pandemic. But we also know that we have to continue learning on campus. We just have to really enforce prevention measures and cleaning protocols and we should be good to go. Also it is not fair that the the topic of going completely online is being brought up now that a lot of people have moved in. That is not fair. I drove for 13 hours to be here because I wanted to learn in school!!! Not looking at a computer screen for 100% of the time. Please do not make learning online. We cannot afford it. Thank you.
Some degrees need face to face labs, classes and clinicals.. You can’t send a student out for healthcare careers without have these because they are vital to being competent in their career.
Safety is always a concern, but students should be able to return following safety protocols. I still see people shopping at Walmart and other places. The same people complaining about exposure are going out in public. Most classes are shorter than a trip to Target or Walmart. Students deserve social interaction with social distancing. My daughter chose WCU for face to face learning. The faculty should understand that the classes at WCU are small and exposure is limited. Please allow face to face…Thx!!
I’m a mother of a high risk child and she moved in on Saturday. She has lived in a bubble for 18 years due to her lung disease and it’s time for her to live. She deserves this since so much of her senior year was taken from her. She’s doing well and I’ve told her what to do regarding this virus. I can’t keep her sheltered anymore. She needs to live and experience college life other than online. I feel if you make it online only, we deserve a refund for housing and meal plans. The food right now isn’t the best because only one dining hall open at the moment and not a lot to choices.
My son knew on July 9th he was moving in August 1st. He is on campus now, unpacked and ready for classes to start. How convenient that this is coming to light and up for discussion a few days after scholarships, FASFA, personal funds were all due and received by WCU. This university is going to leave a bad taste in thousands of people’s mouths if this happens. You cannot accept $8500 roughly from my son from FASFA, scholarship and my personal money and then say that you’re not going to allow in class learning. This should’ve been decided and put in place months ago.
Exactly
I honestly feel like you guys had us move in and pay tuition and such just so you could have the money and benefit from it and have us struggle mentally and emotionally and financially. People find moving onto campus such a relief from their households. Like me, moving onto campus is a safe haven. My household is not one I can strive in. Making this rash decision all of a sudden as students are moving in, is completely inappropriate and should’ve been thought out before this process started. Very unprofessional.
Then why are you there or considering returning?
Aug 3……
Aug 4……
Enough said……we know.
Exactly
If this is done, please do something to help us out with tuition, as parents whose students choose to live in off campus housing are still stuck in a year long lease. It is also pertinent to re-evaluate all required in person internships. How can they still be required for certain majors, if students can’t safely attend classes on campus?
Thank you for the feedback. My youngest son’s pediatrician is on board for him returning to 3rd grade this year. My oldest son is a senior at WCU and I sent him with enough Lysol spray, wipes, masks and sanitizer and cleaning supplies for probably his whole building. Thank you for giving a medical doctor’s perspective.
I think schools need to open ! Our county(wake) # of cases is less than 1% of population ! And Even way less than that when u track deaths. This is not a large problem in NC.
We cannot be ever be 100% safe. Such a thing does not exist. At risk people must stay home. Please stop shutting down everything and everyone unnecessarily.
At the very least, please let kids live in dorm and take online classes that way.
If my elementary child can do online and in person classes there is no reason why a college student shouldn’t be able to do the same
WCU needs to reopen with hybrid and face-to-face classes as planned. It is ridiculous to change the plans at this point in time, when coronavirus cases in NC are declining as per the Department of Health and Human Services. The Covid situation in NC is actually improving, and now the faculty wants to have an emergency meeting about having online-only classes? This doesn’t make sense at all. To spring a change such as this at the last moment would be devastating to many students. Many students can’t simply put off taking classes like lab-based sciences. Now the students have paid their tuition and they are stuck. Please, faculty, do the right thing and continue with hybrid and face-to-face classes as planned.
The mental health and well being of our youth are at stake. I understand the concerns but there is so much more at stake with our youth being deprived of so much! Many youth have or are proned to turn to other things because they don’t have school and activities to keep them busy. They get depressed. They need to go to school and experience life. Do not take this away from them especially after they have been told they can go!
“Jill pooper” you clearly have no idea what your talking about and zero valid reasons of why we shouldn’t reopen. You must be confused because I thought we were talking about college, not kindergarten. As a student I’ll say, everyone my age is completely capable of wearing a mask and following the rules and you saying otherwise is just a lame excuse. Maybe you just want your “little princess” to sit at home with you all day or maybe you are the little princess, but the rest of us are ready to get back to school and you being scared shouldn’t be our problem.
If you decide to send students home- please refund students their residential living costs. Especially since this decision will be made on move in weekend.
It’s not about the completion of online classes. Many of the issues pertain to the fact that thousands of students have already moved in, and will continue to move in and will just as quickly have to move back out if the decision is finalized. Payments have been made to live ON campus. Refunds are not even being considered. There’s more to the story then being mad about having to take online classes.
At some point we have to figure out how to live with this. I understand the fear. I also understand that the college operates from parents money. Parents are expecting a quality education and that just can’t be done online.
What about those in those in programs that REQUIRE clinicals and labs? How are they supposed to get quality, hands on instruction with an all online platform? These are critical to their chosen career path. I’m talking about graduate programs, not undergrad (but in some majors it would apply).
I do understand the risk and concerns with having students on campus and continuing face to face classes. But on the other hand, we all do- it’s been like this since March. If some don’t feel comfortable going this semester than I’m sure they’ve already chosen to defer. Nothing has really changed since you all first announced the new procedures on campus not too long ago. And if they didn’t want to go they had the opportunity to opt out. So now here we are. Some of us, especially freshman who already had their senior years stripped away from them, are very much so looking forward to being on campus. Now is honestly not the time for the school to change their minds- after many of us have already moved in. I did not pay for these classes, housing, and everything else nor did I waste my time traveling and moving in just to be turned around before classes even begin. During this meeting please be considerate. There was time previously for you all to change your minds about the way things are set up, and now at this point I feel it is much too late. I am completely fine with you only offering online classes but tell me to leave campus and I will see that I find my way to another school because that would be unacceptable.
Ben said it best! After reading everything he said I 100 percent agree with him. From one concerned parent, we brought our daughter back to college this past weekend after waiting and waiting to see if there were going to be any changes, nothing. As we drove to and from her dorm most students that were already there were NOT wearing masks. Yes off to a good start! Do you really want this to start all over again??
I would like to say as a student and an employee of WCU, I rely to be here in person for an education and a job. What I mean as an education is I need to have labs and clinicals in person to graduate on time. A large percentage of students NEED in person classes because of their major. It isn’t fair for that huge group of people that now cannot graduate on time because they couldn’t go to labs, internships, shadowing, clinicals, etc.
If the university decides to close to face to face and residential living and sent students home, then they should let those students take the classes that are appropriate online and reduce their tuition fees for the semester including meal plan and residential fees.
They could choose to refund the money or put a hold on the money and let the students use those funds to continue their education at western winds schools reopen.
I would just test everyone and if they leave campus require you get tested again
My short response: NO!!!!
My long response: What are the metrics, data and scientific research that is driving this notion to move courses fully online or is this due to fear and misinformation?
There is good news coming out with a vaccine being tested on human subjects in Savannah, Georgia with encouraging results. Other companies are also in trials. A report was released this week about T-cells and immunity. Many physicians are speaking out in favor of schools re-open in the fall. Offering choice makes sense for the instructor and students. We, together, should quarantine the sick, support the vulnerable and let the healthy come back to school and to work. I applaud the tremendous efforts made by my colleagues in developing a plan for re-opening. I saw evidence of research, best practices and a common sense approach to mitigation and risk management.
I am passionate about teaching and learning and the well being of my students. I work with first generation students and students with accommodations that need that interaction that online learning cannot provide. There is the mental health aspect to this. I had several students struggle with mental health. The isolation and uncertainty was difficult for them.
I am blessed with good physical health and I am not afraid of being in a classroom with students.
I am already being contacted by parents and students. They have made this commitment to Western Carolina University. They are concerned and rightly so! To upend all the plans put in place this close to the opening of school is just so wrong. All of us together should uphold the promises made to these students and parents. We must care and support one another.
It’s quite telling that this issue has been ignored until tuition and fees were paid for this year. COVID is a huge concern, but note the greed inherent in waiting to address the need for online classes until fees were collected. Shady behavior. These students have been waiting for months for an update on coronavirus procedures for Fall, and it comes at the last possible minute.
Just make up your mind! This is getting ridiculous! My son did not do well with the spring remote classes. You are not set up for 100% remote learning. Instructors did not provide the same learning experience as the kids get in the classroom. By waiting until the last minute to decide, you are taking money from people. Kids are moving in now and you decide to have a last minute emergency meeting. The time for that was weeks ago….before parents were told to pay tuition. You are literally holding thousands of kids lives in your hands and you owe it to them to have given them the opportunity to make a decision weeks ago. Additionally, by waiting until Monday to have this little meeting, and making the public discovery of this meeting so difficult to find, you are allowing more and more parents to Keep payIng the non-refundable tuition…when you could very well not allow the kids to stay on campus. Again…this is ridiculous! Make up your mind THIS WEEK! What does waiting until Monday do…nothing!
Aside from the loss of thousands in tuition, it not practical to move completely online. Many classes need hands-on learning. As a STEM major, you simply cannot substitute lab experience online. This is my senior year- one of the most vital in learning hands-on experience, and I do not believe I or my peers will be ready for the working world if we haven’t had exposure in these classes.
I say we stay on track. Maybe make online classes available for those who want them, but don’t make them the only option.
Some classes need face to face. Some students need to use the equipment on campus because they do not have it at home. You can do online classes but the building and equipment need to remain open for those students who need to use them. Leave residents open for those who need to stay on campus for the students who are paying for these classes. We are paying to use the books and the equipment. Not to use google and a webcam and knock off systems on low budget technology because we can’t afford the things that we need to do for the class. Got heavily punished for a class last semester because my computer couldn’t handle the software when I could of just used the software at school. Not fair to have kids come into school then kick them all out a week later when we already paid. Corona virus is real but it won’t ever go away as it’s A VIRUS. It’s like the flu, going to put us in quarantine for the flu as well now?
This would be absolutely ridiculous to cancel all face to face instruction at this point. If there are professors raising sand about going in, then do to them what the public school system would do to us teachers, let them go! Or.. let those that want to teach online do the online courses and the ones that don’t mind, do the face to face! If it’s the students that don’t want to be in class, they can choose all online! Don’t make the other kids suffer for the few who don’t want to be there! Unfortunately, I do agree with others’ posts that think this could very well be an underhanded attempt to gain the monies already paid for residency and meal plans. Shame on you if that’s the case. There are too many of us parents and students who work hard for what little money we get to pay for college. Please, please, please don’t undo what’s already in place!
Don’t you think sending millions of adult college students would reverse that trend, effectively ruining the progress that’s been made?
Okay, so your telling me, these student pay thousands of dollars including room and board along with dorm decor and items needed to live on campus, just to not have the ability to move in? Especially freshman, this has been all we’ve planned for the past year and you’re restricting us now? Follow guidelines and proper safety measurements but don’t take away what some of us have been preparing for for a long time. And if you do I better see a FULL refund on everything or else I WILL be suing! Thanks…
Why in the world wait until 12 month leases are in place… students have moved in dorms… to now have a meeting! This decision could and should have been made before this took place! I agree all money should be refunded and those students that had to have leases sign by Aug 1st… Western will need to step up and assist ! Communication from the facility and administration is more than disappointing. If Western decides to go online for fall.. that is fine.. however… I expect Western to reimburse apartments students also… decisions and money was spent based on the understanding students were going back. Families are getting screwed because of a 10 day delay. Very disappointed again.
Why in the world wait until 12 month leases are in place… students have moved in dorms… to now have a meeting! This decision could and should have been made before this took place! I agree all money should be refunded and those students that had to have leases sign by Aug 1st… Western will need to step up and assist ! Communication from the facility and administration is more than disappointing. If Western decides to go online for fall.. that is fine.. however… I expect Western to reimburse apartments students also… decisions and money was spent based on the understanding students were going back. Families are getting screwed because of a 10 day delay. Very disappointed again.
I can appreciate the unprecedented times we are all in. But I literally waited until the last minute before tuition was due Monday to pay just in case…and NOW this is a topic??
There must be refunds if zero classes are held in a person for a student. There is no reason to live on campus if it goes to all online for a student.
Please continue in session classes, students have paid thousands of dollars to move in for what a week? Students should have face to face interaction Under the circumstances of social distancing. This is stealing from students pockets if students are made to move out after they just paid for room.
Dear Faculty Senate,
The CDC recommends reopening schools for many reasons. Among other things the CDC cited a review of studies conducted on pandemics which found a strong association between length of quarantine & post traumatic stress disorder, avoidance behavior & anger. Post traumatic stress disorder scores of children & parents in quarantine were four times higher than those not in quarantine. Students have been looking forward to returning to WCU as they were led to believe they would be & some have already moved in. Some parents have been working every day throughout the pandemic to pay for their child’s education at WCU. Some of us work at hospitals – we cannot stay home because it is our job. We have to wear masks for 12+ hours a day, wash our hands frequently, & take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We cannot all stay home forever & neither can the rest of the country. If this “emergency, last minute meeting” is not resolved in favor of the students onsite education then a discussion of an extension of the last day to withdraw should be addressed so that the students will not be penalized for
making a decision to withdraw or take a “sabbatical” until WCU is fully opened & they can get the “college experience” they are paying for.
It works, when people do it correctly. But when a significant proportion don’t follow the rules it ruins it for everyone.
“Dr” villiard.
Most schools are not reopening. Many universities are going all online.
The timing is very unfortunate however, not like this is a new issue.
Dear K, so a death by suicide due to depression of not having social interaction is completely acceptable? There are multiple sides that you are ignoring by your comment. Plus these professors need to step up and do there job!
Spoke with Sam Miller way back in May-June about this.
I spoke to Sam Miller several weeks ago and advised to speak to superiors about making these decisions now. They could have but seemingly didn’t. I expressed a large portion of the concerns most here are now expressing. They could have made them but didn’t. We delayed our son’s start at WCU until the spring because we could tell this was going to be messy. Hope you all get settled soon and we can resume reasonable living.
Interesting Lee that you call college students kids!! I have news for you, if they are 18 or older, they are adults! Every college student and every person in this nation has the responsibility to keep themselves and others safe during this extremely dangerous outbreak of COVID-19. No-one asked for it, but we all have to deal with it! Who do you think is going to “get the community back to normal”? Perhaps you should listen to the news and not stick your head in the sand or “turn on some music” No matter what the president says, this is not going to magically go away!! Jackson County has (1-Walmart, 2-large grocery stores, 1-lowes) There will be 12,000 students emerging on Jackson County so they can have interaction with their peers! You do the math…
Yes Julie, Jackson County does only have 400 confirmed cases, and 1-Walmart! What do you think will happen when 12,000 students from all across the state and out of state move into Jackson County? Do the math! If you are mature college students, than you realize you have the responsibility for keeping yourself and everyone else around you safe from COVID-19!
I don’t think it’s too late to do a “change term” if so inclined.
https://www.wcu.edu/apply/undergraduate-admissions/application/application-change-of-term.aspx
So apparently my comment about speaking with WCU leadership over 6 weeks ago about the elements connected to this topic don’t make the moderator cut. Let’s see if this one does.
Schools, businesses and other agencies need to open back up and get this virus moving on and out. We are doing so much more harm buy continually keeping things shut down. I am an adult college student (with 5 kiddos – one which is starting on campus/in dorm at UNC-C as well). We need to reopen. I will be on campus when need be and would be more if I was not an adult distant learner. I will be at our elementary/middle school (which IS opening fully, in person this month).
Please allow us to fulfill our classes completely virtually. I buy my immune compromised grandmothers groceries and run all her errands. Coming to campus and being exposed to that many people would put me and my family at risk. My husband doesn’t have health insurance, I cannot afford to be another positive. Please think about your students and not the money. The peace of mind of a virtual classroom is what every student at WCU deserves. There will be opportunities to have a normal campus life but not this year. I urge you not to try and force that during a Global Pandemic.
I work on the front line in one of the largest hospitals in NC. Yes, covid is real but is is not what its shown to be on TV OR BY OUR DHHS / GOVERNOR. The numbers are VERY skewed. I believe we should continue to try to move along as close to normal as possible while being careful and deliberate with safety precautions. If I wanted my student to take online classes she could have gone to any community College and spent a lot less and no room and board. But I’m willing to work extremely hard to pay for a university education for her. We cause much more damage by not being in school than going. I have friends and coworkers that are having to choose between quitting their job and caring for and educating their own young children. Some will keep working so they don’t loose their only livelihood, while sending there kids to parent run groups keeping 10-20 kids during the day together. College students are working, going to the store, doing almost everything as usual. We are fooling ourselves if we think that going to school is adding any significant risk.
This is absurd!! You are playing games with people’s lives. You have put safety measures in place. Let them work. Do not go all virtual. If you do..you need to start slicing tuition in half. I did not pay for a college education for my child to sit on a computer in a zoom session. I am not happy about all of these knee-jerk reactions ONE WEEK before school is to start by the very people i assumed were educated and on top of things at WCU..after the way Spring 2020 went, did we not learn anything?? My child needs to be in class with the interaction between professors and classmates..not a computer…
This semester is my first year as a graduate student and my first year at WCU. So far I have been impressed with the precautions WCU has taken in preparation for the school year, but I this is ridiculous. I am an essential worker so I understand the situation and what needs to be done on campus to be safe. I waited as long as I possibly could to sign a lease for an apartment incase things did not open, but now I feel it is a waste. Similar to HUNDREDS of others, I absolutely would not be able to back out of my lease and I have already paid tuition. This is in addition to moving costs and living 4 hours away from campus. If this was the decision needing to be made, it should’ve been done well before August/ move in/ school payments due date. I honestly was for online only classes, but since the decision to go back was made early I planned to go back. Planning for me meant finding a new job in the area, quitting my current job, finding roommates, signing a lease, purchasing things to live in an apartment, and moving everything several hours away. It is far too late to go back on this now and it is no “emergency” if this choice wasn’t made in advance.
They should not be around friends while at Western. The point of the coming face was for face to face education. Not to hang out with friends. There is a pandemic going on.
I feel that the students should not return until we have some relief from this virus! I had a friend who lost their cousin and he was in his early to mid 30’s and he had awful complications and it was a very sad situation for him and his family! The students should not have to worry about wearing a mask and having to clean their area because that is to much stress on them including their school work also once there is any sign of the virus in Cullowhee we will be shut down and sent home! So the best decision to save all of the trouble would remain online until it is totally safe for everyone involved!
My son is a senior in the engineering program. Without returning to campus and being allowed to fulfill his Capstone requirement and having the opportunity to network he is being limited in future endeavors. COVID is not new, it just takes compliance from everyone to manage it. We have had months to change the plan as well. Why are we waiting until the week they are to return to campus to be concerned?
The communication is disappointing and unfair to parents and students.
I watched the Zoom meeting yesterday and I want to thank all of those that participated. Although the faculty members do not really have any power to manage or make policy for the university; their advisory role is most appreciated and needed in a time like this.
It’s so easy to just ignore things and just go with the flow and not speak up. Fortunately that did not happen in this instance.
It is important to have a real and frank discussion of COVID 19 as it relates to WCU and this effort is a great step in that direction. The professionalism was and is outstanding.
Thanks again to all that participated.