Vaccines, masks and valuable learning: Why it is vital to have classes at Fresno State
After more than a year of mostly virtual instruction and events, it is hard to put into words the meaning of coming together for in-person instruction in our Fall 2021 semester. While challenges still persist that prevent a full return to the “normal” college experience, our talented and capable students, faculty, and staff have enlivened our campus with palpable energy.
For now, gathering safely in a classroom, cheering with friends and family at Bulldog Stadium, and bumping into one another during our strolls through campus nurture our growth and progress toward our academic and life goals. These seemingly basic tenets of a college education have taken on an even deeper significance and value. With this in mind, we recognize that, for many in our community, a return to campus remains a goal for the future, and they are putting in their best efforts in virtual learning modes.
In preparation for safe in-person instruction this semester, we engaged in many months of careful research, deliberation, and planning. Keeping our students, faculty, staff and community safe is our utmost priority, for we thrive together. With optimism about continuing to increase our on-campus presence, and in alignment with state and local public health protocols, our campus requires students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear face coverings while indoors. Additionally, we are offering a series of free on-campus vaccination clinics for everyone to become fully vaccinated before our CSU-mandated deadline of Sept. 30.
Our dedicated custodial staff continue to diligently clean and disinfect our instructional spaces, offices, restrooms and other common areas, providing deep cleaning and electrostatic misting. And to further protect our community, a robust mandatory testing program has begun, ensuring reliable weekly testing for those who have valid exemptions from the vaccination requirement.
In light of these and other intensive efforts that have gone into preparing for and maintaining a safe on-campus experience, some may ask, “Why bother? Wouldn’t it be easier to continue virtual instruction until the pandemic is truly behind us?”
Last year, a significant number of our freshmen missed the opportunity to fully experience Fresno State — they did not step onto our campus, attend events of our clubs and organizations, or fully grasp the meaning of being Bulldogs. Now sophomores, removing them for another year would have further limited their access to their classmates, and begun the same cycle for this year’s freshmen.
That’s why being on campus matters so much.
As a university navigating this pandemic, we now sit at a crossroads: What lessons have we learned? How do we apply them as we move forward? How do we continue to include virtual learning into our teaching, in ways that are not detrimental to our disciplines and our students’ and professors’ production and assimilation of knowledge?
Interactive and dynamic teaching has always been a two-way street; students learn the lesson and incorporate new knowledge into their own academic DNA, while professors think of new avenues of inquiry and growth while teaching. At its core, a university is a community of learners who challenge and support one another. Hence, one of the greatest lessons for all of us has to do with the value of the many and ever-evolving aspects of the university experience.
A degree from Fresno State provides knowledge and skills, and ultimately opens doors to jobs and careers. While knowledge and a degree have a clear, concrete value, I hear over and over from our students that the space matters greatly. They have missed the library, the experience of being in class, and many other opportunities for dialoguing and figuring things out together. The human connections are what make college such a life-changing experience.
Today, our campus exudes a vibrant and unique energy, as professors and students together create and recreate the journey toward greater understanding of self and society. In this journey of learning, our students develop in social, psychological and professional ways, while our professors refine their research, modes of instruction, and scholarly and creative expression.
In coming together on campus, we renew our commitment to learning, explore our shared humanity, and forge a vision of dynamic engagement with our Valley.