Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval and Associated Students Inc. (ASI) President D’Aungillique Jackson discussed in-person learning, potential emergency plans and COVID-19 relief funding at the virtual President’s Forum Thursday.
Attendees submitted concerns and questions virtually, many dealing with topics related to the current state of the semester alongside questions about the impact of COVID-19 later into the fall. The forum was moderated by Bryan Berrett, director of the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Several questions arose on whether the university may move back to mostly virtual instruction with many expressing concerns about the small number of intensive care unit beds in Fresno County.
“What is the plan? Is there some indication we may move back towards a virtual or remote instruction? Our concern is essentially not just for our students but for our employees as well,” Berrett read.
Jiménez-Sandoval said he doesn’t see the university shutting down once again like it did in March 2020.
“If we have a breakout, for example, in a building, we can foresee shutting that building down momentarily and proceeding with the next steps,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. “But the entire university, to shut it down will be very unlikely.”
However, he said the university is discussing plans to shut down after Thanksgiving. The holiday presents concerns to university officials as students will travel away from the area and interact with more people, especially at family gatherings.
Jiménez-Sandoval gave two reasons for why the university would switch to virtual instruction after the holiday: there are very few class times after Thanksgiving, and they want to limit the number of people coming to campus following a time of increased gatherings and travel during the holidays.
“This is not set in stone, right now we are exploring the possibility and we are constantly asking for feedback from the county, from the hospitals, from our health officials, from everyone,” he said.
Fresno State is also providing $46 million in the next two semesters for all students, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and international students who were left out of previous COVID-19-relief funds.
“This fall, we are poised to give out $23 millon to our students, and for spring of 2022 we are poised to give out another $23 million to our students,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.
Students expressed concerns about how the university is handling contact tracing, the process for notifying an individual who has been in contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.
At this time, Jiménez-Sandoval said that, in a classroom setting, only students who are near the COVID-19-positive individual are contacted. Not everyone in the classroom will be notified.
“Only the individuals impacted or only the individuals who are near the epicenter will be contacted based on the protocols we have received,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.
Officials at Fresno State are in a precarious situation due to the pandemic, making it difficult to plan ahead when COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country.
“What COVID has taught us is that you can’t plan two months ahead. We cannot plan six months ahead or a year ahead,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. “We have to go with the moment, with the process, with the present that is here with us. Then we analyze, assess and then move forward.”
