5 The RAPS Sheet September 2020 laptops, portable wifi hotspots, and various tech accessories available for checkout during fall term. Other Oregon public universities will offer remote learning as well. The University of Oregon canceled its plan “for a responsible and safe return to in-person instruction” on August 26, announcing a turn to “primarily remote and online instruction.” Western Oregon University and Southern Oregon University announced most of their courses would be taught remotely or online. Eastern Oregon University described its fall courses as “online, in person, and in hybrid formats.” Oregon Institute of Technology will offer a “phased and gradual resumption.” Oregon State will be primarily online; its website says 90 percent of its courses will be taught remotely. In fact, according to statistics compiled by the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College, which tracks how colleges are responding to the pandemic, as of August 21, 33 percent of the 2,958 colleges, community colleges, and universities on Davidson’s website plan to operate either fully or primarily online this fall. Only 22 percent will offer classes either fully or primarily in-person. (Find the College Crisis initiative here: https://collegecrisis.org) Finances are likely driving some colleges to reopen. In an article in USA Today on August 17, Terry Hartle, a senior vice president with the American Council on Education (ACE), said, “The sad fact is that many colleges are racing toward a financial cliff.” ACE put colleges’ losses in spring at more than $46 billion in increased student financial aid and lost revenue, according to the USA Today article. ACE, along with other college associations, told Congress that new costs to reopen campuses in fall could be as high as $73 billion. For Portland State, said Williams, responding to the pandemic has been “a huge financial hit.” The PSU Board of Trustees heard a budget update during its August 20 meeting that projected net tuition revenue for 2020-2021 will be down by 3.5 percent from 2019-2020. Net tuition revenue—which is tuition collected after applying remissions—represents about two-thirds of the University’s general fund revenue. Another piece of the budget pie is auxiliary businesses—housing, food, parking, and the University Place hotel—which saw a substantial downturn last spring. Looming financial cliffs aside, students and faculty alike seem hesitant to return to in-person instruction. According to Forbes, a SimpsonScarborough survey taken in July reported only 17 percent of returning students were willing to take all their classes in person. And as early as last June, Inside Higher Ed reported that faculty members at several colleges were expressing concern about the risks of traditional classroom instruction. Williams believes most Portland State faculty favor remote learning over the risk of being on campus during the pandemic. Whether a class is taught remotely or in person is largely up to the faculty member, she said. “Some courses really need that face-to-face interaction,” said Williams. “An art course, or a course that has lab work you just can’t do at home.” It’s not surprising that the wearing of masks is required during in-person classes—they’re required in all public spaces on campus—but PSU has also updated air filtration systems, classes will not be held back-to-back in the same room, and both masks and antiseptic wipes will be readily available. Rapid virus testing and contact tracing will be available through the Center for Student Health and Counseling. And if a student refused to wear a mask? “The class,” Williams said, “would not move forward.” The impact of the pandemic on fall term enrollment won’t be known until two weeks into the term, when figures are published, but Williams noted that PSU enrollment was down last fall “and we’re looking for it to be a bit down” this fall. Enrollment in fall 2019 was 26,017, a drop of 4.6 percent from 2018. That was not an anomaly; enrollment has declined 12.7 percent in the last decade. Portland State sticks with remote learning . . . continued from page 1 ‘The sad fact is that many colleges are racing toward a financial cliff,’ said an ACE official.
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