Page 17 - BusinessWest July 20, 2020

Education
Entrance Exam
Colleges Plan for an Unsettled Fall
Come back to campus, or don’t — either way, you’ll learn.
Just don’t expect campus life to be anything like you’re used to. That’s essentially the message from UMass Amherst, by far the
By Joseph Bednar
region’s largest of roughly 20 colleges and universities grappling with
how to welcome students back to campus this fall — or setting them up for online instruction, as the case may be. Or, in some cases, both.
“We heard loud and clear from our student body that, even if they’re taking courses remotely, they would really like to be on campus or around campus,” Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said during a recent conference call discuss- ing the university’s fall plans.
In a nutshell, the vast majority of students will not be required to return to Amherst, with most courses offered remotely. But they may return — for resi- dence-hall life and in-person instruction — if they’d like.
“Our communication will be very explicit about what the campus might look like and what our expectations are, and what we will hold all of our stu- dents responsible for,” he continued. “With all of that knowledge, if they still want to come to campus and live in campus housing, they’re most welcome to. And whether they come back to campus or not, we will really provide a rich and rewarding academic experience with not only remote courses but also advising and lots of peer-to-peer interactions and faculty-to-student interactions and so forth.”
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