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GVSU places trust in students to be responsible, as fall semester begins Monday

GVSU

With the country still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grand Valley State University began its fall semester Monday with students returning to the classroom, while school officials say, a number of safety measures have been put in place.

University President Philomena Mantella, in her annual convocation on Friday, urged students to find the joy in their higher education this fall, even while the coronavirus has drastically changed their expectations of the college experience.

“Opening up an academic year, no matter what the challenges and changes we face together, can be enriched by a joyful heart,” President Mantella said. “And the recognition that our time is finite, and our opportunities are either limited or limitless; depending on our perspective to see possibility or see constraint.”

The return to class however, is not supported by every faculty member on campus.

In an open letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer last week, over 300 professors and staff from colleges across Michigan asked for a statewide mandate: that every class--that has the ability to meet online-- be required to do so, and the letter included around 100 signatures from GVSU staff. 

So far, that mandate has not been issued.

GVSU announced last week that to keep students safe this fall semester, a number of protocols had been put in place--including a partnership with Spectrum Health to establish a COVID-19 call center on campus, randomized testing of 1500 students and staff throughout the semester, and that all classes would move online after the Thanksgiving break.

And most classes that meet in-person, offer an online learning option. 

In a letter to parents and students, President Mantella said that she trusts students will stay responsible and social distance to prevent spreading the coronavirus.

Whether that happens is key, and not certain. This weekend the University of Alabama reported that since classes started on August 19, around 1,200 students had tested positive for the coronavirus.

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