Friday, January 22, 2021
Zooming out
OSU boldly sends students back into classes Adam Engel Freshman Hannah Rath heard the horror stories. Her mother works as an ICU nurse in an Oklahoma Hospital, so she’s aware of the monumental magnitude of the coronavirus. Back in class, literally, at Oklahoma State, Rath fears for the potential of this semester, a semester of forced in-person attendance. “People in the OSU community are hurting, and the
OSU administration will have failed us if they do not change the COVID guidelines for the spring of 2021,” Rath said. Oklahoma State University has altered its attendance policies for this semester. According to a document obtained by the O’Colly from Provost Gary. D. Sandefur, “For courses that are designed to be in-person, both students and faculty benefit from inperson instruction, therefore, we encourage students to attend classes whenever possible.” See Zooming on pg. 3a Joshua Cleary OSU has switched back to in-person classes for the spring semester.
Optional to mandatory
Why osu’s class attendance strategy changed so drastically
Emily Weed
By Maddison Farris OSU mom Meredith Ryckeley once embraced virtual learning at Oklahoma State, thinking it would be a great way for students like her son to find success during a hard time, but having seen her son’s struggles, she’s all in on his return to the classroom. “Before the semester started, I thought it (online class-
es) was a good thing and I was actually very hopeful that it would be a great option for kids to be successful. I don’t think that happened.” Ryckeley said. “We’re social people, we need that interaction and it just became very, very, difficult.” Ryckeley made note of her son’s experience with professors who gave students a hard time for not showing up to class in person and were extremely difficult to
reach online due to little to no office hours or simple technological incapability. Many students experienced seasons of depression and anxiety brought on by the many stressors that came along with the difficult year. The school made efforts to aid those who were struggling, but the most that many students received was a magnet with the suicide hotline phone number printed on it. “Fall 2020 was
the most challenging semester I’ve experienced in my 30 plus years as an OSU professor,” said Tom Wikle, Associate Dean for Instruction in the College of Arts and Sciences. “With many courses shifted to online delivery, office hours held virtually and social distancing procedures, it was difficult for students and faculty to make connections.” OSU made efforts to raise social interaction throughout the fall, but it seems to have become clear that nothing can be traded for an in-person class experience. The university has decided to reinstate in-person classes and many are hoping that a step toward familiarity will lift spirits and boost morale. To further back the reasoning on moving forward with inperson classes, OSU Provost, Gary Sandefur, released a statement in November of last year saying that no COVID-19 cases had been tracked back to classrooms, therefore signifying the effectiveness of social distancing and protec-
tive protocols. “We are fortunate that no instances of contact tracing for COVID-19 during the fall mapped back to a classroom setting.” Provost Gary Sandefur wrote, “current guidelines will continue for required face masks in all public locations, including classrooms and laboratories, and proper social distancing in all instructional spaces.” This has removed COVID-19 as a factor for withholding in-person classes and the social experience that students have been missing. This comes along with attendance now being factored into grades, and the school-wide removal of seating charts. “I recommend that students continue to reach out to their instructors and to each other for help,” said Dr. Wikle. Meredith Ryckeley also offered encouragement saying “Find a friend group, even if it’s a small one, to help encourage you guys. You’ll get there. It’ll get better.” news.ed@ocolly.com