According to President William A. Covino in a campus email, classes for spring 2022 will be on temporary remote instruction for the first three weeks of the semester.
Public health experts told Covino that the peak of the largest surge in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic would be around January 24, which is when the spring semester starts.
Applied mathematics major Zeinab Ferdous said that the whole semester should be online based on how bad COVID is getting.
“As I recall hearing from different people that do go to Cal State LA, the professors are not checking for masks, not checking for six feet. I care about my peer’s safety but if they’re not going to do this, then it’s safe to go online,” said Ferdous.
Ferdous said there should be more online options with or without COVID in the picture and that the whole spring semester should be online.
“I feel like we should be online. What are three weeks going to do? I don’t know if there would be a change in numbers,” said Ferdous.
For English major Kassandra Soto, it was a relief to see Covino’s email.
“I was honestly not too surprised when I read the email, from seeing the recent COVID surge, I felt a sort of relief because I was just communicating with my friends who also attend a CSU as we were growing very nervous about going back to school so soon,” said Soto.
The change in the semester also is good for students like aviation administration major Tomik Aivazian, who don’t live close to campus.
“I conserve time and energy through online classes as opposed to a campus visit. I live in Glendale and it usually takes me 25 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, with these gas prices, I won’t be able to drive there much and public transportation is just a hassle,” said Aivazian.
Originally not aware of the announcement, Aivazian thought it was a good move and that the university should make the semester completely online.
Natural science major Hannah Hanson said she was sad to hear the news from Covino.
“In fall 2021, I chose to keep classes online because I was still nervous to come back. Then, I thought about it since spring 2022 is my last semester so being back in person would be great to reconnect with my peers on campus and enjoy my last semester in person,” said Hanson.
The email stated that campus facilities will remain open. The email also mentioned the new CSU policy that requires students, faculty, and staff to provide proof of a booster shot for the spring 2022 semester and encourages students to get their booster shot.
