Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced his plan to shift from the pandemic phase to the endemic phase, which focuses heavily on prevention and better treatment for the disease.
Newsom announced his plan to begin moving the state out of a pandemic response to Covid-19 into an endemic one called the California “SMARTER” plan, which focuses on proactive measures to get ahead of the virus.
Newsom has already begun to lift mask mandates and by March 11, masks will no longer be mandatory in most indoor settings, excluding high transmission areas like hospitals and public transportation.
The end of the pandemic phase is structured around living with Covid-19 rather than getting rid of it. New state direction comes as Delta College looks to a Fall 2022 semester with plans for returning 50 percent of the campus to in-person or hybrid instruction.
While details are unclear, the aim of the plan is to bring more students back to campus, according to presentations at the two most recent board meetings.
“We will be going 50/50 so we’ll have 50 percent of the courses offered in some form of face to face, you know, such as hybrid or fully face to face and 50% online.” said Joe Gonzales, Interim vice President of Instruction.
Acting President/Superintendent Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson also recently addressed the move toward more in-person classes in her Feb. 25 weekly message to Delta College staff. The messages obtained by the Collegian are regularly sent to staff.
“We are planning to offer 50 percent of our fall classes remotely and 50 percent of our fall classes in hybrid or in-person modalities,” she wrote.
The planning comes at the heels of an Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC) meeting held Monday, Feb. 28 where the student government asked the college’s top administrator’s questions about vaccine mandates, boosters, and mask regulations.
Many students on campus such as first-year student Ethan Li, the Senate of Public relations for the Delta College Student Government, think that more students coming back to campus is a good thing.
“Many of the students, including myself, are probably fed up with the restrictions and online classes. Since it’s been a while I think a majority of us will not be satisfied with ongoing restrictions,” said Li.
In a Middle College High School presentation to the board on March 1, it was noted that students in the program, who take college classes in the morning and high school courses in the afternoon, would be required to take a college-level course on campus, in person for Fall 2022.
Although some students think providing more in-person courses will benefit the college, not all are convinced a larger reopening should happen.
Lawrenson noted that various modalities were still being used for class delivery, including a pilot for Hyflex – which allows a student to choose in-person, online synchronous, or asynchronous instruction – and hybrid, which requires some campus time, but also has an online component.
“I think it’s better if we do hybrid classes, it’s safer,” said Estelle Llorin, a Delta College freshman.
Many students favor hybrid classes over in-person only because they allow them to learn on-campus while also giving them the flexibility to do things outside of school.
Staff members, too, believe that flexibility remains essential, particularly for the student population.
“I do enjoy the fact that we have both though, students having the option for either is nice,” said Domenica Castaneda, a student programs assistant.
The Fall schedule is being planned now and will launch in the later part of the Spring 2022 semester.