COVID-19 brings distance learning to Fresno State, and uncertainty for fall classes

It was an abrupt change for students and faculty at Fresno State when the COVID-19 crisis forced a switch in March from in-person classes to virtual classrooms using video technology. With only about a week to prepare for this monumental change in teaching methods, the last half of the spring semester has gone relatively smoothly.

It hasn’t been perfect, of course. There have been bumps along the way, and huge disappointments for graduates who won’t have the traditional commencement ceremonies, and for athletes and those in the performing arts who have had their competitions and performances wiped out as we all have been sheltering at home.

I’m in my third year of teaching journalism at Fresno State after a long career in the newspaper business. Maybe the huge changes in journalism have prepared me for this crazy semester. For the past 10 years, the disruptions in the newspaper industry forced me to embrace constant change as we looked for a workable business model.

Now education and every other aspect of our society are being disrupted by this health crisis. And we still don’t yet have a handle on a long-term solution to dealing with COVID-19. The only thing we know for sure is the daily routine we had three months ago is a thing of the past.

It was a courageous move by Fresno-area education leaders to pull the plug on in-person classes at universities, community colleges and K-12 schools. They did it early, and that gave “permission” for other government leaders to follow course. Collectively, they helped flatten the curve in our region.

But the fall semester is ahead, and that is proving a more difficult decision because of the pressure to return to in-person classes, even as we still don’t know how the crisis will play out.

The first priority must be the health of our residents, and that could signal a continuation of virtual classes. When it comes to COVID-19, we don’t know whether it will be under control by the time classes are to begin in August.

It would be irresponsible to return the campus to normal operations if that also meant we would be endangering lives by going back to the status quo. But we also must acknowledge that the virtual classroom is unfair to many Fresno State students who come from disadvantaged households. Almost 65% of undergraduates are first-generation college students, and most of them need financial assistance to pay the costs.

In Fresno State classrooms, students essentially have all the same resources — from computers to workspace to technology to counseling and advising services. But the leveling of opportunity on the Fresno State campus did not extend to their homes when the campus shut down and instruction went to Zoom video conferencing.

Many students must share bedrooms with siblings as they do their coursework, and their Internet access often is not the same as it is on campus. Many had to take on added responsibilities because their parents were still working, while siblings were home from shuttered schools. While students are “parenting” throughout the day, they continue working on a full college class load. A virtual campus has huge downsides for many of our students. Their socioeconomic backgrounds are magnified in the world of distant learning. It is an unfairness built into our society, and their college education suffers because of it.

Fresno State is trying to offset the challenges with an array of technology help. President Joseph Castro had the campus lend 3,000 iPads and 1,500 mobile hotspots to students. That tech commitment to students is unmatched in California. The university also increased its investment into the Student Cupboard and Good Samaritan Fund, and just allocated $16 million in federal emergency grants to eligible students. These measures have helped. But through the lens of my Zoom classrooms, I see stress, hardship and students just trying to make it through the day. They continue to work hard as the semester comes to a close. I have been inspired by their commitment to finish strong.

I want them to have the best college experience possible. But in the end, the deciding factor in re-opening the campus to face-to-face classes must be whether it will protect our collective health. That’s not negotiable.