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By Annika Taylor
On May 20, Western President Sabah Randhawa, Provost Brent Carbajal and Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services Melynda Huskey participated in a forum to answer questions and share information about fall reopening.
Vaccination and Mask Mandates
According to Randhawa the decision to require vaccination for fall was not an easy decision.
“We continue to closely monitor pandemic markers, vaccination availability trends, state and federal health guidelines, directives from the governor’s office and decisions that are being made by other universities in the K-12 sector in our region. We believe that a fully vaccinated community is the best way to protect our individual and collective health and safety,” said Randhawa.
The vaccination mandate is not dependent on full Food and Drug Administration approval, although Huskey recognized that FDA approval was a desirable outcome. Western intends to continue providing COVID tests and vaccinations on campus.
Currently masks are required in all campus facilities. A recent guidance change from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now allows fully vaccinated individuals to go maskless outside and in select indoor settings. Western decided to wait for further guidance from The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries before lifting their mask mandate.
In the Classroom
Administrators plan to hold 75-80% of classes in-person, with a higher proportion of in-person classes being at the 100- or 200-level. Classes are expected to be fully back in-person during the winter and spring quarters in the 2021-22 school year.
Because of the vaccination requirement there is no plan for a physical distancing requirement next fall. As a result, all available means have been taken to increase the frequency of outside air introduced into classroom spaces.
Additionally, students will not be able to know if their professors or classmates are vaccinated.
Information on vaccination status is private health information which will be maintained by the Student Health Center. Once the majority of students register for fall, enrollment management will be able to determine the vaccine rates by class section. Staff will then work with campus health experts to determine if there are any concerning unvaccinated ratios and in the event that a section has a larger than acceptable rate the instructor would be notified and options will be discussed.
There will be accommodation for students who are uncomfortable attending in-person classes or who choose to remain unvaccinated.
“There would be several approaches to how students could be accommodated. It kind of depends on what the classes are and how many students are asking for that same accommodation,” said Carbajal
If a large number of students want a remote section, an online option would be opened as long as there’s staff availability. Other specific situations would be handled on a case-by-case basis through the usual pre-pandemic approaches.
On Campus Housing and Student Services
Western is expecting 3000 students to live on campus next year, which is more than double this year’s number. On-campus housing is expected to return to doubles for Fall 2021, and on-campus dining will open as soon as it is safe to do so.
The Counseling Center is preparing to address the expected post pandemic mental health care needs of students. These include the challenges of adjusting to being in person, the impact of having an interrupted school year, financial dislocation and grief and loss. These considerations are in addition to the regular range of services that the counseling center offers.
Faculty and Staff
No instructor will be required to teach a modality, either in-person or remote, if they do not wish to. Instructors can expect to receive necessary support that may include technology, additional instructional support staff or financial compensation.
All classified and professional staff will be required to return to campus this fall. Western has not yet announced that it requires employees to be vaccinated.
“One of the things that we have learned is that aspects of jobs can be executed quite effectively from a distance. So as we start planning to come back I would encourage us all to think about reimagining work and how we provide a better balance, including a better work-life balance for all employees,” said Randhawa.
Western’s Finances
Federal stimulus dollars have been critical in helping Western bridge its budget deficit. This deficit was the result of decreased enrollment and increased cost to address pandemic health and technology needs.
Western’s operating budget is split equally between state support and tuition revenue. The 2021 Washington State Legislature, which concluded last month, did not decrease funding allocation for higher education for the coming year.
There was a 5.9% drop in enrollment during the 2020-2021 school year mostly due to a smaller incoming first-year class. This smaller class will likely represent a decrease in revenue in the next three to four years.
The current freeze on hiring, expenditures and travel restrictions will be lifted July 1.
The budget for the coming fiscal year is posted on the budget forum website.
“I do have a request for our Western community: I urge you to get vaccinated, if you’re able to please take advantage of the free vaccination for your safety and safety of others around you,” said Randhawa.