As the Omicron variant spreads, Covid-19 cases are on the rise. The Chronicle is tracking developments across higher ed here. Read on for live updates and information.
[Update (8/20/2021, 1 p.m.) with a statement from Spelman College.]
In a Thursday-morning email to students, Spelman College’s Faculty Council
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[Update (8/20/2021, 1 p.m.) with a statement from Spelman College.]
In a Thursday-morning email to students, Spelman College’s Faculty Council announced that faculty members would not teach in person, protesting the lack of “clear and enforceable protocol and safety guidelines” for face-to-face teaching.
“Most faculty will use alternative instructional methods for course delivery,” said the email, from an 11-member body of tenured professors elected to represent the faculty’s interest to leadership.
On Friday, Spelman’s president, Mary Schmidt Campbell, announced that faculty members had decided to return to teaching in person on Monday, August 23. The administration had responded to faculty concerns on Thursday by posting a 22-page document detailing safety procedures for in-person class.
“The college continues to work with the faculty to provide additional guidance on health and safety protocols as rapidly changing circumstances around Covid-19 continue to develop,” Campbell said in a statement provided to The Chronicle.
Classes at the private, historically Black women’s college in Atlanta started on Wednesday. The college has returned fully to in-person classes while requiring students and employees to receive a Covid-19 vaccine and to mask up, both indoors and outdoors.
Members of the Faculty Council declined or did not respond to The Chronicle’s requests for comment.
Campbell announced on Tuesday that she would retire at the end of June 2022.
Did we miss an important update? Write us: kate.hidalgobellows@chronicle.com.
