Oregon’s public universities, including UO and OSU, to hold winter term classes in person
The University of Oregon will hold winter term classes primarily in person, joining all other public universities across the state in a unified approach come the first day back Jan. 3.
UO’s Provost Patrick Phillips made the announcement in a letter to the university community Tuesday morning. He cited the university’s high vaccination rate of students and staff, existing safety measures, and “robust testing capacity” on campus for the decision.
“Last year, due to the incredible efforts of our faculty, staff, and administrators, the university was able to mount a high-quality, remote academic program that served the needs of our students,” Phillips wrote. “It also became clear that a significant number of students did not thrive and have encountered educational and emotional setbacks caused by the pandemic, setbacks that could be reduced by limiting the isolation associated with remote learning.
“These negative outcomes occurred most frequently among our most vulnerable students,” he stated. “Especially for these students, in-person education is clearly a better alternative for student success.”
UO’s announcement comes hand-in-hand with other universities across Oregon, including Oregon State University and Portland State University.
“OSU’s decision aligns with plans collaboratively announced today by all of Oregon’s public universities to maintain on-site teaching as winter term begins,” OSU announced in a press release Tuesday.
UO President Michael Schill announced Dec. 20 that the university will require boosters as well. The UO has vaccination rates of 95.3% for staff and 96.8% for students for fall term. The remainder were granted religious or medical exemptions, and the amounts align with what UO has seen for exemptions in pre-pandemic years, administrators told The Register-Guard last month.
Students and staff have until Jan. 31, or 30 days after becoming eligible for a booster, to meet the new requirement.
In addition to the boosters, Phillips also pointed to continued masking and testing available on campus, as well as the UO’s containment plan, exposure guidance and policies and procedures for handling COVID-19 on campus.
“To date, there has been no documented case of classroom-based transmission of COVID-19 at the University of Oregon,” Phillips wrote. “We are prepared to pivot and make necessary changes to our approach as warranted by public health conditions.”
OSU also made the decision to require booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine.
UO and OSU already required the COVID-19 vaccine for fall term, but OSU had yet to announce until Tuesday whether it would require the booster.
“We believe we can guard against a surge in COVID-19 cases due to a vaccination rate of more than 93% among OSU students and employees; requiring booster shots when a person is eligible as part of OSU’s vaccination program; the continuation of OSU’s emphasis on targeted COVID-19 testing; and our community’s adherence to numerous other public health measures,” said Becky Johnson, OSU’s interim president.