UC Santa Barbara will allow instructors to decide whether to hold classes in person for the last weeks of January, stopping short of continuing the remote-instruction model in place for the start of the winter quarter.
UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang said Saturday in a winter-quarter instruction update memo to the campus that the university would allow remote instruction for two additional weeks.
“Between January 18, 2022, and January 31, 2022, instructors may continue to offer instruction remotely or choose to teach in person, and students who choose to remain off campus or who must isolate or quarantine following COVID-19 protocols will be provided with reasonable opportunities to participate remotely in any in-person class,” Yang wrote.
“We expect that many instructors will decide to continue teaching remotely for the rest of the month, in order to ensure stable and consistent delivery of their lectures, and we understand that some students will need to be absent at some point during this two-week period.”
UCSB officials announced Dec. 21 that the winter quarter would begin with two weeks of remote instruction and in-person instruction starting Jan. 18.
As COVID-19 numbers have risen in recent days, UCSB leaders have remained silent, despite other UC campuses moving to remote instruction for the entire month, the Daily Nexus reported.
Yang said instructors should communicate with their students by Tuesday about any plan to offer any in-person instruction this month, along with information about how those students who cannot attend class or have delayed their return to campus can access course materials.
The current plan calls for all in-person instruction to resume Jan. 31.
“Having a reduced campus population will help us to maintain campus operations as much as possible and allow our dedicated staff and faculty to observe COVID-19 isolation protocols if required and take any necessary sick or COVID-19 leave,” Yang said. “Where possible, we encourage managers to be flexible with temporary work arrangements for staff during the month of January.”
The campus, including housing, student support services, the library and the recreation center, will remain open.
The Dining Services team is reviewing options for students who purchased dining plans but will live off-campus in January.
Students who choose to remain off-campus during the remote instruction period should plan to return at least six days before the resumption of in-person instruction on Jan. 31, UCSB officials have said. That will allow time to obtain a COVID-19 test on campus and, if necessary, complete the five-day isolation period.
Eligible students must get the required COVID-19 booster by Jan. 31 and follow all of the mitigation protocols, including masking and testing.
Eligible faculty and staff must obtain a vaccine booster by Feb. 4.
“Our campus is quieter, but still bustling,” Yang said, adding that more than half of the students have already returned. “Although we are disappointed by this delay, we are committed to a return to in-person instruction, and are acting now because we believe that making this decision now will pave the way to a full return to classrooms as soon as possible.”
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.