Pictured above: Although it is too early to tell whether in-person classes will resume in the fall, USF system President Steve Currall said in a teleconference on Thursday that members from all three campuses are developing a framework of criteria for making that decision.
Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By Nancy McCann
There’s a question weighing on the minds of students and faculty: When will the campus return to in-person classes?
USF system President Steve Currall told the St. Petersburg Campus Board by teleconference on Thursday that a draft framework of the criteria that will be used for making that decision is being developed by a group with members from all three campuses.
Currall said the effort is led by Donna Petersen, dean of the USF College of Health, who heads a USF COVID-19 task force.
“Of course we will be guided by medical professionals and governmental agencies in terms of when we think it’s appropriate to start to resume more in-person work,” said Currall.
“But there’s a lot of uncertainty about that because of the evolving developments about treatments, vaccines and other evidence about tracking … It’s quite complicated.”
“My guess would be that, in the summer, we would begin to use a phased-in approach to resume some in-person interactions,” Currall said. “We won’t be returning to normal the way that we have known it until there’s a lot more clarity.”
Currall also told the Campus Board that the USF system received $34.8 million in emergency funding from the federal government under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act that was passed by Congress last month.
He said half goes “straight into” student financial aid, and the university is awaiting word on how the “institutional half” can be used for COVID-19-related costs.
Ray Arsenault, president of St. Petersburg’s Faculty Senate, asked Currall during the call if some of the federal appropriation or other funds could be used for course development to assist faculty like adjuncts and visiting professors who will be struggling to convert their classes to distance learning.
Arsenault said this is “a matter of considerable concern” among many faculty members.
“We tend to forget some of the people who are, generally speaking, woefully underpaid. We could help them tremendously if we could find some funds or flexibility in allowing them to teach remotely,” said Arsenault.
“For someone who is paid $3,000 a course or who teaches four courses, it’s a real burden.”
Currall acknowledged that non-tenure track faculty often have “very extensive teaching loads” and that their “financial resources are often modest.”
He said the university is “committed to ensuring that there are new resources to support the instruction transition” and additional instructional design staff members have been hired to help with this.
Provost Ralph Wilcox added that “indeed, there is a business plan and budget allocated to compensate all instructors who will be challenged with converting classes from face-to-face to online programs for this summer.”
He did not elaborate on how much would be spent on that.
This semester, 488 classes had to be changed abruptly to remote delivery. Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock was upbeat on how well it’s gone, but among students in St. Petersburg and around the country, the verdict has been mixed.
The St. Petersburg Campus Board, five residents of Pinellas County, helps oversee the campus’ mission, budget and operations.
Amid all the concerns about the coronavirus crisis, Student Body President Jadzia “Jazzy” Duarte got a shout- out from Stephanie Goforth, the board’s chair.
“Jazzy has been so involved with the students and has done a lot with regard to community outreach,” Goforth said.
